First Spamalot. Now Not the Messiah. Eric Idle is bringing a classic Monty Python film, The Life of Brian to a new stage: “the comic oratorio”: “Provisionally titled Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy), in a nod both to Handel and one of the film’s best-known lines, the project will be Idle’s second Python musical.”
Exactly what the project is isn’t clear–the article at the Times calls it an “oratorio” and a “musical” at various points. Frankly, I’d rather see the former than the latter.
I wonder if Idle could secure the involvement of George Lazenby, the Pythons’ original choice to play Jesus in The Life of Brian. (The joke here is their intended tagline for the film was “George Lazenby is Jesus Christ!” I can’t type that without giggling.)
Not the Messiah will debut in Toronto this summer.