Funny man Joe Pasquale will make his West End debut in Monty Python’s Spamalot later this month following some casting matchmaking from his forthcoming Lady of the Lake, Bonnie Langford.
The famously squeaky voiced stand-up, who will take over the role of King Arthur from 17 June, came to see the epically silly show 13 years after he and Langford starred together in a production of Peter Pan. Spotting some comic potential in her midst, the musical theatre star suggested the idea of Pasquale joining the cast to the producers.
“I’ve known Bonnie Langford since we worked together doing Peter Pan in 2000,” Pasquale explained. “The Spamalot Knights recently strong-armed Bonnie into joining twitter and she amassed over 1000 followers in her first week. When I saw she had joined up I sent her a message to welcome her as we’d lost touch for years. She invited me to see the show and I loved it so much that I went backstage afterwards to congratulate the cast. It was then that Bonnie said she thought I’d make a great King Arthur and the next thing that I knew, the show’s producers spoke to my agent and it went from there very quickly.”
One of the country’s most-loved entertainers, Pasquale’s 20 year career has seen him perform numerous acclaimed comedy shows including Live And Squeaky, Twin Squeaks, Bubble And Squeak and, as a nod to everyone’s burning question, Does He Really Talk Like That? The Live Show.
As well as stand(ing)-up on stage, Pasquale has also acted on stage appearing in touring productions of The Wizard Of Oz, Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead and The Producers. The multi-talented entertainer is also equally known for his television work including presenting The Price Is Right, taking part in 2013 Dancing On Ice and his royal title-winning appearance in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
Talking about his latest challenge, Pasquale said (or squeaked, according to his live shows): “I’m now looking forward to a great summer of making audiences laugh at the Playhouse theatre during six weeks filled with killer rabbits, flying cows and coconuts.” While this may seem strange to people who haven’t yet seen the show, others will know this is not all the eccentric props his six weeks will be filled with; Eric Idle’s loveably ridiculous tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table also features medieval cheerleaders, a host of tunes “more magical than a Camelot convention”, impressive facial hair and flatulent Frenchmen.