, *■» WKm .r ~ .vv. ■* ■ «r ' lilt r : '*s k ■ .-i. » urn .. V 3?T'» ■ & A Penn State musical theatre alum na will make her return to Happy Valley next week in Monty Python’s “SPAMALOT.” The national touring show will be performed in Eisenhower Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Tickets are $42 and $36 for University Park students, $57 and $5l for adults and $52 and $46 fin* those ages 18 and under. The show’s storyline is written by Eric Idle with music and lyrics by Idle and John Du Prez. The musical received the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005 and is based on the cult-classic film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” “SPAMALOT” puts a whimsical spin on the traditional lore of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table searching for the Holy rhe Castle film, the musical includes flying cows, killer rabbits and taunting l Frenchmen, complete withshow-stop | ping musical numbers. 1' The Lady of the Lake, one of the 1 musical’s central characters, is played I by Caroline Bowman, Class of 2010. r The character is only briefly men p tioned in the male-dominated movie but doesn’t actually make an appear ance. Idle wrote the character of the Lady of the Lake into the musical, because it * . Grail. As with the helps Arthur on his quest, but “she ends up being a real person, who develops romantic feelings for Arthur,” Bowman said. She said her character sings just about every genre of music in the show, so she’s been working on her vocal stamina in preparation for the performance. She also makes sure she works out regularly and keeps herself healthy so she can perform to the best of her ability for the next nine months on the tour, she said. “It’s crazy, but wonderful,” she said. “This is my first national tour, and our schedule is pretty grueling because we’re doing a lot of one-night shows, but it’s exciting.” Bowman has worked for the theater company performing “SPAMALOT” in the past In January and February 2010, she missed a few weeks of class es to act in “Fame” and played Rizzo in “Grease” during the summer. During her time at Perm State she performed for the School of Theatre as Joesphine and Monica in “Romance, Romance” and Adele in “A Man of No Importance.” She also spent a month playing the part of Patti in the Pennsylvania Center Stage’s produc tion of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe.” Besides being employed fra* the next year, Bowman’s favorite thing about tiie showis how much fun she has per forming inlt “I always hav6%m in the-shows I do, * *_ is* iS®B§£ your backfgod foi wrong.” John Mark Rafacz, edil er for Eisenhower Auditoi Center for Performing / “realty looking forward” t tion. CPA sought “SPAMALC it’s a “very funny show, b much a traditional mu •"because it won a Tony Aw said “Monty Python has appeal,” he said. “It alreac in audience, so it was a loj So far, “SPAMALOT” is I ing event at Eisenhower this season, but tickets ai able, Rafacz said. The “baby boomer” g< the key audience, he addc State students are also bi to the show. “We’re pleasantly surp amount of college studei familiar with Monty Ityth their parents introduced t to ft or they discovered it their own,” Rafacz said Tjike Abercrombie sa he likes Monty Pytb because “it shows us ; don’t have to be a little kk silty” . . Abercrombie Qunioi wildlife and fisheries sci ence) serves as co-presi-
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers