I like to ride the tramalot.

Competition!

The 11th, 12th and 13th of June 2010. This is Triliteral weekend. These have always been the dates on which we have planned to hold our beloved festival (decided way back in December- the bleak, frozen Nottingham of then seems far away from the sunny spring idyll of Nottingham today). Of course, we always assumed that nothing else would be going on to distract anyone from coming along on this sunny weekend and taking in a show or nine. But it turns out we have competition. As I strolled past the Theatre Royal the other day, what should I see but a series of brightly-coloured banners displaying the distinctive artwork of Mr. Terry Gilliam hanging over the front of the building. Yep, Spamalot is coming to town. A discovery that should have excited me* instead turned my insides to a lump of grit as I beheld the dates of this show. The 7th-12th of June.

So, prospective audience member, it seems you have a choice. When this fated weekend finally rolls around, sure- you could spend your Friday or Saturday night seeing this spectacular Tony-award winning musical which has wowed audiences from Chicago to Melbourne; you could be listening to several toe-tapping and hilarious songs such as ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’, ‘Knights Of The Round Table’ and ‘The Song That Goes Like This’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-fG8c-CMoU). You could indulge in this loving tribute to the beloved British film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which according to the Sunday Times ‘raises silliness to an art form’. Or, you could come and take in some newly-written Fringe theatre in the venues of Hockley. Not a hard choice, I’m sure. I’ll see you there.

Also, it appears our Saturday shows also clash with an obscure sporting event known as ‘The World Cup’. Someone called ‘England’ are playing someone called ‘U.S.A’. But I can’t imagine it will be that much of a threat to us.

Richie G

*Being a lifelong devotee of the Pythons, naturally.