Spamalot: Hannah Waddingham assumes the role of 'The Lady of the Lake'

Hannah Waddingham makes her Broadway debut today (13 Jan 2008) when she assumes the role of 'The Lady of the Lake' in the Broadway production of Spamalot.

Update: Please note, Hannah Waddingham joined the Broadway cast on 18 Jan 2008 - the original report stating she joined the cast on 13 Jan 2008 was due to wrong information in a press release.

Hannah Waddingham was, until last week, performing the role of �The Lady of the Lake� in the London production of the musical. She has exchanged roles with Broadway's Marin Mazzie, who assumes the role in the London production on 14 Jan 2008.

Hannah Waddingham's West End credits include 'Lautrec', 'The Likes of Us', 'Grease' and 'The Beautiful Game'.

Spamalot opened at Shubert Theatre on the 17 Mar 2005 following previews from the 14 Feb 2005. The show is currently booking to 13 Apr 2008.

Spamalot, a new musical ripped-off from the internationally famous comedy teams most popular motion picture, 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', features a book by Eric Idle, based on the screenplay of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' by Monty Python creators Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, with an entirely new score featuring music and lyrics by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, along with three songs from the 1975 film.

The musical opened to excellent notices. The New York Post wrote "Bloody fantastic. Gorgeously silly. Superlative and better.� The USA Today said "Somewhere on the mythical Isle of Avalon, King Arthur is rolling over in his grave � and laughing till his armor rattles." and NewsDay printed "Eric Idle and Mike Nichols have indeed fashioned a Holy Grail of a big, crowd-pleasing Broadway musical comedy. The show slays 'em like Excalibur."

Spamalot tells the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and their quest for the Holy Grail. The musical features a chorus line of dancing divas and knights, flatulent Frenchmen, killer rabbits and one legless knight.

The musical, directed by Mike Nichols and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, currently features Jonathan Hadary (King Arthur), Rick Holmes (Sir Lancelot), Martin Moran (Sir Robin), Michael McGrath (Patsy), Lewis Cleale (Sir Galahad), Brad Oscar (Sir Bedevere) and Tom Deckman (Historian/Prince Herbert).

Spamalot, is produced on Broadway by Ostar Boyett Productions. The production is directed by Mike Nichols; choreographed by Casey Nicholaw; sets and costumes by Tim Hatley; lighting by Hugh Vanstone ; and musical direction by Todd Ellison.