Ironworks Gaming Forum - Monty Python takes to the stage, in French

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/01/2...eut/index.html

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- If nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, then how about Monty Python's surreal humor brought to a London stage, in French, with English surtitles?

That is exactly what a French troupe has done in the first and only authorized stage version of the television series that earned Monty Python international cult status.

"It is like we have been adopted as knights of Camelot," said producer Remy Renoux, referring to "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" in which French soldiers taunt King Arthur and his companions with insults like "Your mother was a hamster!"

"If Python fans are a little anxious they should be reassured by the fact that the fathers of the series have adopted this version," he added.

Two of the original Pythons, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, approved of the hit show after seeing it in Paris and the rest of the ensemble have since given it their blessing.

"Frankly, it's better than we could do at the time. The text? Obviously inferior! The actors? Better than we were," decreed Gilliam when he saw the Paris performance.

The show, at London's Riverside Studios until February 19, features 25 sketches, including some of the most famous.

"The Dead Parrot" becomes "Le Perroquet Mort" and "The Ministry of Silly Walks" is renamed "Le Ministere des Marches Ridicules."

Renoux said that a surprising number of routines could be translated into French, despite the widespread perception that Monty Python is quintessentially English.

"The thing that is easy about Monty Python and the sense of humor they developed is that the French audience is used to surrealism and absurdity," he said.

"But there is a question of choice as well. A few sketches are not appropriate and some are so British, like the ones about the queen."