by Quinn Brown.
ARMONK, NY - Audiences left this weekend's local Armonk Repertory Playhouse production of Monty Python’s Spamalot wondering if the vocal performance from King Arthur, played by local thespian Andrew Simok, was bad in a hilarious and ironic way, or in an annoying and, frankly, sad ways sources have confirmed.
“I thought I did great!” exclaimed Simok, still in costume. “Not to toot my own horn, but I think it really takes a great actor to make the house laugh throughout the show. Especially when they’re laughing when they’re not supposed to! That just shows how many levels my performance functions on.”
Audience members weren't so sure.
“I don't know what to think of it,” said audience member John Almar. “I was cracking up during King Arthur’s solo in Act II, cause this dude sucked, but the lady next to me seemed very engaged with the performance, almost on a spiritual level. The man on the other side of me was snickering too, but it might’ve been something on his phone. I’m lost,” he added.
Critics came to a more concrete conclusion about the possible nuances of Simok’s performance.
“The vocal performance was very experimental; almost in a Yoko Ono sense,” writer Edgar Loginzer commented in the theatre reviews section of independent paper The Armonk Herald. “It was inspired comedy, and the strained, jarring vocals evoked a strong sense of emotion as Simok sang about loneliness, love, and eating ham and jam and spam a lot. I guess I could be wrong though, in which case... poor guy.”
Those involved in the production admitted they were confused as well.
“I never told Andrew to sing badly,” said music director Elena Marsh. “I was about to give him some notes on it after rehearsal one night, cause this dude sucked, but a bunch of his co-stars went up and started patting him on the back, telling him how funny it was. I think he really was trying his best, though,” she added.
Audiences hope to receive a more uniform conclusion on whether Simok is a genius or just shamelessly bad during the theater’s Spring performance of Parade.
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