“A
cause for celebration for fans, Life
Of Brian meets Handel’s Messiah at
The Royal Albert Hall to mark the Ruby
Jubilee of Monty Python with the
magnificent, hilarious, and very un-PC
musical Not The Messiah (He’s
A Very
Naughty Boy)...”
IF YOU LOVED MONTY PYTHON'S cult film Life Of Brian and you
enjoy the best of musicals, you'll be shaking with laughter in your living
room at the melodic wit of Not The Messiah (He's A Very Naughty
Boy).
Inspired by Handel's Messiah and based on Monty Python's Life Of Brian,
Not The Messiah is in five parts for orchestra, soloists and chorus.
Described as a "comic oratorio", this venture between Eric Idle and John Du
Prez marks forty years of Monty Python and is a one-off musical that was filmed
live at The Royal Albert Hall on 23 October, 2009.
In 1979, Life Of Brian turned the Biblical epic on its head. God, as
we know, has a sense of humour and the amusing storyline of Brian being mistaken
for the Messiah and being unable to shake off his followers was milked for all
it was worth. Now Eric Idle and John Du Prez, the creators of Spamalot,
have set the essence of the hilarious Life Of Brian to glorious classical
music with a sometimes bawdy, sometimes poignant but always gleeful riot of
operatic song.
Dramatic music highlights the performance as the story opens with chaos and
confusion as many people believe that the world will end, awaiting the promised
Messiah to save them. When Brian appears on the scene, they tell him emphatically
You're The One and strike out against the Romans with What Have The
Romans Ever Done For Us. Mandy's Lament and We Love Sheep
are also a joy.
“Not The Messiah
is fantastically funny,
wonderfully visual and
must be seen
to be believed...”
There
is some great prose with the question "Is it AD yet?" being answered by "About
a quarter to!" just before the arrival. As you will remember from Life Of
Brian, Brian has an over-bearing mother. Although she is married to a Mr
Cohen, Brian's natural father was a Roman soldier. It is her words "He's not
the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy" that have given this musical version its
name.
The dialogue includes the worship of the "holey shoe" and Brian's liaison with
Judith — a member of The People's Front of Judea — all delivered by
soloists with beautifully expressive faces. Not The Messiah (He's A Very
Naughty Boy) is fantastically funny, wonderfully visual and must be seen
to be believed. And who could ever forget that while we are hanging around waiting
for life to improve we must remember to Always Look On The Bright Side Of
Life…
This comedic masterpiece combines all of the unforgettable humour of the Python's
most celebrated film with the overblown grandeur of operatic soloists, full
symphony orchestra and chorus. The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus is lead
by Andrew Haveron, Conducted by John Du Prez and Produced by John Goldstone.
The performance includes the Pipes of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, a wonderful
sketch with Eric Idle as Bob Dylan, some Mounties and the unforgettable Lumberjack
song. Not The Messiah (He's A Very Naughty Boy) delivers the magic of
an historic performance by members of the Monty Python troupe and features a
rare on-stage reunion of Python's Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and
Terry Gilliam with Special Guest Appearances by Carol Cleveland, Neil Innes
and Sanjeev Bhaskar.
Also featured are Andre Jacquemin and John Altman. Director of Photography is
Eugene O'Connor; Music Producer is John Du Prez; Producer is Geoff Foulkes and
the performance is directed by Aubrey Powell. Soloists are: Shannon Mercer (Soprano);
Rosalind Plowright (Mezzo); William Ferguson (Tenor); Christopher Purves (Bass)
and not forgetting Eric Idle (Baritonish!!!). Story is by Eric Idle.
The story is by Eric Idle, who stars in and introduces the performance. The
narrator is "Betty" Palin (a wonderfully OTT Michael Palin). Not The Messiah
(He's A Very Naughty Boy) is a brilliant amalgamation of classic music,
witty Pythonesque repartee and lyrics telling the story of the Life Of Brian.
Thoroughly entertaining and great fun.
• Monty Python fans will be delighted to get
the best seat in the house to enjoy the ninety minutes of merriment as Life
Of Brian gets the musical treatment in Not The Messiah (He's A Very Naughty
Boy). This historic, one-night-only live show is released on Blu-ray, High-Def
and DVD on 14 June 2010, courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Certificate:
12 | RRP: Blu-ray £22.99; DVD £15.99 | Running Time: 91 Minutes.
"And some will say this is crap; And religion is a trap…" — Eric Idle,
from Not The Messiah
"Not The Messiah (He's A Very Naughty Boy) is fantastically funny, wonderfully
visual and must be seen to be believed" — Maggie
Woods, MotorBar
DVD Special Featuresinclude The Road To The Albert Hall Featurette:
A 30-minute behind-the-scenes documentary featuring interviews with the cast
and crew in rehearsal and preparation | Showtime! Featurette: A unique look
at the fascinating backstage mechanics of the show including last minute nerves
and excitement, backstage near misses and mayhem and hasty moustache adjustments
| The Bright Side… Featurette: Composer Eric Idle talks us through writing this
surprisingly upbeat comedy classic song; Six Sing-Along Songs including You're
The One; Take Us Home and Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.
The Blu-ray disc also exclusively features movieIQ+sync, a new and immersive
BD-Live movie-watching experience that uses a connected, real-time movie database.
With a movieIQ-enabled Blu-ray Disc and an internet connected Blu-ray player,
movie fans can dive into continuously updated information on cast and crew while
exploring relevant trivia such as production facts, music and soundtrack information,
all tied to scenes within the movie. Additionally, movieIQ+sync gives viewers
the full movieIQ experience on their computer or iPhone by linking to the Blu-ray
Disc.
“A
cause for celebration for fans, Life