In the words of Monty Python alum and comedy icon Eric Idle, “John’s gone a bit strange.” Sadly, it’s the understatement of the year. From defending J.K. Rowling’s transphobia to sharing his own transphobic tweets, Cleese has lost a lot of the goodwill and adoration he once held among comedy fans. In response, Idle decided it was time to replace Cleese as the voice of God in the new revival of Spamalot.
“Last time we were on Broadway, John Cleese played God. Now, he’s getting on a bit, he’s getting up there, and John’s gone a bit strange,” he said during an interview on The Tonight Show. He then referred to the last time he was on the show with Cleese, where he threw water over Idle and made a joke about the burning bush to cover it up. Idle then went on to talk about how he took over the role of God briefly, before firing himself. Idle then announced the new voice of God on Broadway: Steve Martin.
Martin and Idle have worked together in the past at events like Earth to America! Casting a legend like Martin the voice of God is not only a big undertaking, but it shows that Idle may finally be done with Cleese for good. Frankly, I’m fine with it.
As someone who loves Monty Python very dearly, watching Cleese turn into someone who whines about “cancel culture” has been upsetting and disappointing. The iconic comedy troupe, which gave us movies like Monty Python and the Holy Grail (which Spamalot is based on), Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, and Monty Python’s Life of Brian, was a staple of the comedy community. Idle seemingly separating from Cleese, and doing so in a way that wasn’t flashy or tearing Cleese down, is both honorable and noteworthy.
Steve Martin is the perfect choice for God
Martin as the voice of God makes sense because of Martin’s own comedy roots and Broadway experience. A Tony Award nominee, Martin is no stranger to musicals. He’s also no stranger to good comedy. While I grew up with the work of Monty Python, I’d probably say that Steve Martin was more of a staple in my household. Still, I know all the words to “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”
Martin is a song and dance man (as seen most recently in the third season of Only Murders in the Building) who loves to have a bit of fun. It’s this quality that makes him one of the best performers around. Granted, while we won’t be seeing him (it’s a voice-only role), it is still nice to add him to the already stacked line-up of Spamalot. The revival cast includes a lot of iconic comedians from Saturday Night Live and Broadway like Taran Killam as Lancelot, Christopher Fitzgerald (who was nominated for a Tony for his work in Waitress the Musical) as Patsy, James Monroe Iglehart (who won a Tony for his work in Aladdin) as King Arthur, our upcoming Boq in Wicked and star of Spongebob Squarepants the Musical Ethan Slater as the Historian, and so many more!
As a fan of both Martin and Idle, I hope we see more of them together. Maybe with a little shading of Cleese on the side.
(featured image: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc.)
