It was the last show of Monty Python Live (Mostly) and it was broadcast live on TV and in Cinemas, the Blazing Minds team opted for the cinema for a bigger experience.
So with a 15,000 live audience and the audiences at home and in cinemas across the world, we silly walked over to Vue Cinema in Rhyl for the live broadcast, something that we had all been looking forward to for a long time, specially myself as I am a big fan of Monty Python.
We grabbed our drinks and food and went and got our seats, a countdown was on the screen letting us know how long it would be before the live broadcast would begin, plus trivia questions and the occasional behind the scenes snippets of the Pythons.
Several people had come in Python attire with some in very fetching “Bruce” outfits and others as characters from a selection of sketches and films, wish I’d done that myself now..
The last countdown started and the orchestra started to play and it was time for us to all enjoy the last show of Monty Python Live (mostly).
Let’s face it a lot of us grew up with Monty Python, so the sketches were one’s that we all know and probably love, I know I do, with Eric Idle, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Carol Cleeveland came back together for ten Live (Mostly) shows with the late Graham Chapman in spirit and on the big screen behind the stage for classic clips that we all love.
With the added bonus of musical sections and a rather strange version of the Ministry of Silly Walks done as a dance sequence, the show was a delight to watch, those of us who have been brought up on a staple diet of Parrot, Crunchy Frog and Cheese! were singing along to the wonderful Idle tunes.
It did seem pretty strange watching the Pythons back on stage, it was like watching a more extravagant version of Live at the Hollywood Bowl which was back in 1980 which was six years after the original TV show came to an end, but still very funny, you could see that they were all enjoying it themselves as they would start to raise the sides of their mouths during skits as they wanted to laugh, particularly in the Dead Parrot Sketch as Cleese and Palin were ad-libbing and mentioning bad reviews, well no bad review for you here guys.
Even though I would have loved to have been at the O2 Arena, the live broadcast at Vue Cinema was superb, it did give you the feel of being in a bigger venue, with the sound of the audience on-screen being thrown around the screen and the Pythons on stage bigger than life, it all added to the enjoyment of seeing their last show (possibly).
Even during the intermission you would here the crowd over the speakers as the countdown clock was ticking down from 30 minutes ready for the next part of the show, nice touch, this is where cinemas have changed over the years, forget those days of just having them for film, live events work very well, I have been lucky to see several live events at the Rhyl cinema and they always work and perform very well.
But back to the show, the second half of the show was just as good as the first half, more singing, dancing and fun all round, I thoroughly enjoyed the live broadcast and I know my chuckle muscles had a good work out, so glad that I went to see this on the big screen and not stay at home for the UK Gold broadcast, what a wonderful experience.
For me, Monty Python Live (Mostly), was everything I expected and had been waiting patiently to see, it was funny and great to see them back on stage after all these years, right then that’s my typing done, I’m off to find a ….. Shrubbery …. Ni
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
