They ham a lot in 'Spamalot'

Jeff Dumas as Patsy and Michael Siberry as King Arthur (seated) in "Spamalot," at the Opera House. (joan marcus)

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe.

Spam, spam, spam, spam - if you're already laughing, then "Spamalot" is the show for you.

Of course, if you're laughing really hard, you no doubt have already seen the movie that supplies most of this musical's funniest moments, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." And you may well have seen "Spamalot" already, too, either on Broadway or on its previous visit to Boston. But surely anyone with a taste for Spam finds the second or third or fifth helping just as yummy; at least, there were plenty of Python cultists happy to lap it up at the Opera House Wednesday night.

Like so many reheated entrees, this one is sprinkled with plenty of cheese. Tim Hatley's sets and costumes look as spangle-encrusted as ever; they're drippingly glitzy and winkingly tacky enough to make Vegas look like Des Moines. That's in keeping with Eric Idle's book and lyrics, and with the music Idle wrote with John Du Prez: There's never one silly rhyme when four will do, and the songs pile pastiche on top of parody on top of skit until you can barely see the original joke beneath the frosting.

Fear not, however, many of the old jokes are still here. You'll recognize them, even if you're not a devotee of Monty Python's original and inimitable brand of comedy, by the ripples of laughter that precede each one onstage. A procession of monks holding large books, a cry of "Bring out your dead!," a furry flock of knights emerging from the trees - before you can say "Ni!," the guy behind you is chortling and poking his companion in the ribs, relishing the impending gag before it's even begun to launch.

Don't get me wrong; a lot of those old jokes made me laugh, too. Again and again, though, "Spamalot" takes one good line or sight gag and blows it up into a whole musical number until it collapses under its own weight. By the third chorus, "I Am Not Dead Yet" just doesn't sound hilarious anymore.

What keeps "Spamalot" rolling along is also what threatens to derail it in the meandering second act: the parody of Broadway musicals that's piled on top of the re-created movie bits. "The Song That Goes Like This" is a delicious sendup of every Webberesque, "Miserable" love song you've ever suffered through in all its overwrought glory, and it even stays funny every time it's reprised.

It also benefits from this touring company's strongest member, Esther Stilwell. As the Lady of the Lake, Stilwell displays both a soaring, versatile voice and the comedic skill to make it sound ridiculous, full of gravelly growls and crazed-diva melisma. Opposite her, the serious British actor Michael Siberry's King Arthur seemed relatively subdued, while James Beaman's Sir Robin was dryly amusing but a little too obviously aware of the jokes in his big number, "You Won't Succeed on Broadway."

The dancing and pacing there, and elsewhere, also seemed a tad sluggish, perhaps because it's been a while since director Mike Nichols and choreographer Casey Nicholaw worked on the original show. That's the thing about Spam: It doesn't always keep as well as you think.

Louise Kennedy can be reached at kennedy@globe.com.