Spamalot
★★★★☆ Joyous
Portobello Town Hall: Thurs 9 – Sat 11 July 2026
Review by Ed Boulter-Comer
The moment Josh Wood’s 17-strong band strikes up, it is obvious that Happy Sad Productions are not here to mess around. To play, certainly, but Spamalot at Portobello Town Hall is a show with polish, intent and purpose.
Monty Python’s sprawling tale of Arthur on his quest to find the Holy Grail is distilled into a night of pure entertainment in Eric Idle’s book and words. Amber Docherty’s direction is pacy and story-led, weaving the multiple vignettes deftly, whilst Roza Stevenson’s high energy dancers and knowingly silly choreography power the show forward.
Mhairi Goodwin, Stephen Donaldson and Laura Walsh. Pic Roza Stevenson
Stephen Donaldson as King Arthur is painfully English, in a production playfully aware of its Scottishness. A true leading man, with a fine, bright singing tone, he shines in his physical comedy. The precision with which he avoids Laura Walsh as the perpetually-overlooked Patsy during the number “I’m All Alone” is comic timing writ large.
Justyne Snyder purrs as the Lady of the Lake. With the singing chops to floor all in her path, her front-of-curtain return in the second act holds the room spellbound. With a wig-cap and rapidly emptying bottle of booze, she leaves no doubt that there is only one diva in town.
suspiciously glossy hair
The bears of Edinburgh have a new icon in Hunter King as Lancelot, in a belly-first, brusque yet tender interpretation. It acts as a superb counterpoint to Jay Brown’s vocally daring and weakly optimistic Prince Herbert and the pair provide the romantic heart of the show.
Jack Mailer’s reveal as Sir Galahad is a glorious, pre-Raphaelite vision, with suspiciously glossy hair which rightly has choreography of its own. Mailer’s depiction of preening vanity punctuates the bluster of the other knights perfectly.
Stephen Donaldson and Justyne Snyder with the cast of Happy Sad Productions’ Spamalot. Pic Roza Stevenson.
In a show driven by cameo after sharply drawn cameo delivered by the talented ensemble, Ryan Guthrie brings a school-boy quality to his petulant French Knight. There is also a moment of genuine sympathy for his faithful retainer Concorde, as he is killed by a stray arrow. Calum Philp governs his scenes like a ring master, whether as the exasperated Tim the Enchanter or Herbert’s stick-in-the-mud father.
Prop and Puppet Maker Jake Keenan and the rest of the production design team make a virtue of resources, delivering a school-hall, technicolour take on the multiple mythical happenings. Inventiveness is rooted as part of the joke, whether that be via God’s face in the clouds or the ludicrous moment Andrew Lodge’s Black Night loses his last two limbs.
intelligence as a director
Docherty’s intelligence as a director shines through. With source material that can veer towards the homophobic (and certainly has in some professional productions) LGBTQ+ folk are centred and celebrated in the joke, rather than being the punchline.
In a time when councils south of the boarder are openly excluding LGBTQ+ people from public spaces, here Happy Sad Productions has an answer. An evening of whole-hearted, grass-roots, queer-led joy.
Running time: Two hours and 30 minutes (including one interval)
Portobello Town Hall, 147-149 Portobello High St, Edinburgh EH15 1AF
Thursday 9 – Saturday 11 July 2026
Evenings: 7:30pm; Sat mat: 2:30pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
Happy Sad Productions Facebook: @happysadproductions
Instagram: @happysadproductions
Linktree: @HappySadProductions
The cast of Happy Sad Productions’ Spamalot. Pic Roza Stevenson.
ENDS
