BY MICAH BECK

The WHS Off Broad Street Players has had to deal with masks and social distancing in order to perform shows safely this year. Though those may seem like setbacks, the Drama Department’s next production, Spamalot, which is a musical adaptation of the 1975 comedy film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” was rewritten to make these new obstacles a part of the story.

“Social distancing doesn’t really bother me,” said Mason Currens, who will be starring as the lead role of King Arthur. “It does restrict the amount of acting and interacting actors can do, since we aren’t allowed to be really close and touching, but our musical plays with that aspect, turning the social distancing into something funny.”

Fully named “Monty Python’s Spamalot – A Socially Distant Concert-ish Version”, the show’s publisher, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, describes the show as “intended to be played to a socially separated audience by a cast of socially separated actors, appropriately placed.” The idea of being in quarantine is worked into the plot, and social distancing is used as a joke.

The musical is also the first Off Broad Street Players show to be completely livestreamed. While their last production, The Rainbow Fish, did a livestream for their show, their performance was pre-recorded before being put on air. This means that Spamalot will be completely live online and in-person, with multiple cameras being used to ensure all action onstage will be captured.

“When it comes to performing, most of my on stage energy comes from the audience,” said Currens. “When I get good audience reactions, or see a full auditorium of faces, it pushes me to perform even better. Musical theatre is meant to be watched in person, so I’m nervous to see how it will turn out on a screen.”

Spamalot will be performed from December 3-5, 2020, to a small in-person audience of cast member’s family, and will be available as an online livestream at https://wadsworth.booktix.com/