Jewish Gag Song in "Spamalot" Sparks Cast Discussion About War's Effect on a Joke in the Show

Spamalot, the Monty Python musical spoof of Camelot, King Arthur, and his knights, is back on Broadway.  

The war triggered by Hamas' invasion of Israel on October 7, and the open antisemitism of the last two months has led to an 'in-depth' backstage cast discussion about how to handle a joke about Jews in the entertainment business in the current climate.

As Nicki Gostin wrote in the New York Post,

There’s a song in the second act of the Monty Python musical called “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway.” It’s sung by Michael Urie and he brings down the house with the line, “We won’t succeed on Broadway if we don’t have any Jews.”

Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, who plays “The Lady of the Lake” in the show, told Page Six in an exclusive interview that producers were aware that the war in Israel, as well as the rising tide of anti-Semitism in the US, would affect how the gag lands.

They concluded that the best way to proceed was to infuse the number with joy and celebration. And the celebration of the Jewish contribution to the arts, which is huge.

Here's a subtitled video from the 2005 original cast production with David Hyde Pierce singing the song. Enjoy!

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