PLANO, Texas, Nov. 9, 2026. Coconut shells, a killer rabbit and a knight who refuses to admit he has lost his limbs are heading into 2027. Monty Python's Spamalot, Eric Idle's musical comedy based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, has dates listed in three cities in the new year: Plano, Texas, in January; Phoenix in February; and Atlanta in April.

The show has been on stages across the country this fall, with runs in Boston, Norfolk, Des Moines, Memphis and Florida. In Memphis, Action News 5 described the Tony-winning spoof's return to the Orpheum Theatre as a dose of absurd comedy. The 2027 dates carry the show into the spring.

The 2027 stops

Plano offers the most choice by far, with seven dates spread over three January weekends. Phoenix is a single Saturday matinee. Atlanta is one Sunday evening in the city's largest historic theater. Seat maps and links for each city are on the Monty Python's Spamalot tickets page, which is organized as a calendar so readers can jump straight to a city.

From film to Broadway

Monty Python began as a BBC television sketch series, Monty Python's Flying Circus, in 1969. Its six members, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, went on to make films including Monty Python and the Holy Grail in 1975, a low-budget Arthurian comedy that has never gone out of circulation.

Idle wrote the book and lyrics and composed the music with John Du Prez. The production opened on Broadway in 2005 under the direction of Mike Nichols, with Tim Curry as King Arthur, and won the Tony Award for Best Musical that year. A Broadway revival followed in 2023.

The plot follows the film loosely. King Arthur and his knights set out to find the Holy Grail, meet French taunters, a three-headed knight, the Knights Who Say Ni and the Black Knight along the way, and eventually learn they will need to put on a Broadway show to finish the job. The script borrows from other Python material as well. "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," originally from Life of Brian, has become the show's best-loved number and turns into a full-house whistle-along.

The show wastes no time. It opens with a cheerful number set in Finland, until the narrator points out that the story was supposed to take place in England. From there the jokes come fast: Sir Robin's song about running away, Lancelot's surprising discovery about himself, and a cow that flies over the castle wall. Fans who can recite the film will hear plenty of familiar lines, but the show is built to work for people who have never seen it.

The other big songs poke fun at musical theater itself. "The Song That Goes Like This" mocks the soaring love duet, and "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" is a cheerfully tasteless showstopper. "Find Your Grail," sung by the Lady of the Lake, is a parody of the inspirational ballad that still works as one. In an interview with the Boston Globe this fall, Idle discussed why the show keeps finding new audiences two decades after it opened.

Choosing a city

Plano. The Art Centre Theatre sits on Summit Avenue. Its dates fall on three Fridays (Jan. 8, 15 and 22), two Saturdays (Jan. 16 and 23) and two Sundays (Jan. 10 and 17), which makes it the easiest stop to fit around a work schedule. Parking near the theater is generally simpler than at big downtown halls, but confirm event-night rules before you go.

Phoenix. The Hormel Theatre is part of the Phoenix Theatre complex on Central Avenue, in the midtown arts area near the Phoenix Art Museum. The Feb. 27 date is a 1:30 PM matinee, which suits families and visitors who want the evening free. Late February is one of the best months of the year in Phoenix for walking between a parking lot and a theater.

Atlanta. The Fox Theatre opened in 1929, built as a Shriners' temple and movie palace with a Moorish and Egyptian style interior and a ceiling made to look like an evening sky. In the 1970s, a public campaign saved it from demolition, and it remains a busy home for touring shows and concerts. Its Peachtree Street location is a short walk from the North Avenue MARTA station, which spares drivers the Midtown garages on a busy night.

About Monty Python's Spamalot

Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy with book and lyrics by Eric Idle and music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, adapted from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical. The site at montytickets.com is an independent guide to remaining tour dates, not a box office for the production or any venue. Its Spamalot dates and tickets guide lists each city, venue and showtime with links to tickets.