Today saw the long-awaited (well, for the last two days at least) press conference from Monty Python, and the comedians have announced the details of their grand reunion. With the help of Warwick Davis, the comedy troupe announced (after a couple of fake-out jokes) that they’ll be having a single performance at London’s O2 arena on July 1, 2014 — bad news for anyone hoping for a tour. Tickets for the one-off show go on sale on Nov. 25, and range from £27.50 to £95, and Eric Idle joked that they’ll be advertising the event as “£300 cheaper than The Rolling Stones” after the aging rock band’s notoriously expensive London shows.
Finally explaining what form the show will take, the Pythons explained that they’ll be performing a selection of their finest sketches, along with some new material. Their age has been a bit of a limiting factor, however, with John Cleese admitting that his knee and hip replacements would make a performance of the ‘Ministry of Silly Walks’ sketch “impossible.”
The comedy troupe kept a light-hearted tone throughout the event, beginning by sitting in each other’s chairs and referring to each other by the wrong names throughout. When asked if they might visit America, Idle responded, “only if they’re still open by then,” while Australia was later ruled out on the grounds that “there are planets closer.”
With the promise of classic sketches, new material and spectacular staging, fans of the Pythons will be delighted by the prospect of the event. They’re likely to be less delighted by the news that there’ll only be a single performance, which is sure to leave the overwhelming majority of fans disappointed and unable to attend. With the stars making no shortage of comments about their own advancing age, it’s hard to hold out too much hope that there will be repeat performances or anything outside of London, which will leave tickets for the show in very high demand. I, for one, will be there at 9 a.m. next Monday refreshing the ticketing website furiously. I suspect I won’t be the only one.
Watch plenty of comedy on Popcorn TV via FilmOn:
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