Where O’Hurley travels, silly reigns in ‘Spamalot’
By: Georgia Rowe
Special to The Examiner
May 26, 2009
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| Laugh a lot: John O’Hurley plays King Arthur in “Monty Python’s Spamalot” and loves the silly aspects of the show. (Courtesy Photo) |
SAN FRANCISCO — For many fans, John O’Hurley will always be J. Peterman. As the bombastic entrepreneur on “Seinfeld,” the award-winning actor created one of comedy’s most memorable characters.
Yet, O’Hurley says he’s doing his best work right now — as King Arthur in “Monty Python’s Spamalot.”
At first glance, Peterman and Arthur seem worlds apart. But O’Hurley claims they’re essentially the same character, “separated by
1,200 years.”
“They’re both raving lunatics,” the actor says.
Based on the British comedy group’s 1975 film, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the Tony Award-winning musical features a book by Python member Eric Idle, songs by Idle and John Du Prez, and direction by Mike Nichols. The show, which runs through July 5, is making its California premiere at the Golden Gate Theatre in The City.
O’Hurley, who has played Billy Flynn in “Chicago” on Broadway, appeared on “Dancing With the Stars” and is currently the host of “Family Feud,” says he’s having a blast in “Spamalot.”
“It’s extraordinary,” he says in a recent call from Spokane, Wash., on the first leg of the show’s West Coast tour.
“It’s the one promise that I make in entertainment right now — that you will laugh from the moment you sit down until the moment we do our curtain calls. I regard silliness as the highest form of comedy, and this is silly at the highest level.”
O’Hurley became a Monty Python fan in the 1970s as a theater major at Providence College. Flash forward to 2006: He was doing “Chicago” on Broadway and looking for his next role. O’Hurley caught a performance of “Spamalot” and was bowled over.
“I hadn’t laughed that hard in a theater since ‘Noises Off’ in the mid-’80s,” he says. “It was the funniest thing I’d ever seen.”
Python member Graham Chapman was Arthur in the original film, and others have played the kingly role since then. But O’Hurley puts his own spin on it. “I think I have more fun with it than most,” he says. “I like to find the little kid in him.”
O’Hurley, who did “Spamalot” for two years in Las Vegas, says he’s still enjoying every performance.
“It’s nice to know that people are going to come and have a great time,” he says. “That’s the joy of it. For 2½ hours, you don’t have to think. It’s like the old ‘Seinfeld’ shows: There’s no hugging and there’s no learning. It’s just laughing, start to finish."
Fun facts about John O’Hurley
Age: 54
Born: Kittery, Maine
Resides: Beverly Hills
Family: Wife, Lisa; they have a 2½-year-old son, William Dylan O’Hurley
Original goal: Opera singer
Broadway debut: Billy Flynn in “Chicago”
Only previous San Francisco appearance: Appeared as Billy Flynn in one performance of the touring production of “Chicago” as a substitute for Huey Lewis
Favorite “Spamalot” scene: Arthur’s ballad, “I’m All Alone”: “It’s hysterical in its presentation, but I also love the music — it has that kind of 11th-hour ‘Les Miserables’ feel”
On wearing King Arthur’s costume: “It weighs 25 pounds. It’s hard on the joints; when I wake up, I feel like a quarterback on Monday morning”
On his role on “Dancing With the Stars”: “One of God’s little practical jokes”
Side job: Part owner of the J. Peterman Co.
IF YOU GO
Monty Python’s Spamalot
Presented by Best of Broadway
Where: Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor St., San Francisco
When: 8 p.m. most Tuesdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. most Wednesdays and Saturdays; closes July 5
Tickets: $30 to $99
Contact: (415) 512-7770; www.shnsf.com
