Heading up, I was warned about delays on 80/94, so I went further up north to the Indiana toll road and ran into little traffic. Fortunately, Indiana's habit of never changing our clocks worked for me as it gave me an extra hour to get there, as it was put to good use. After self parking and schlepping everything up to my room, I had about a half hour to get to the theatre that was a block away. Made it in plenty of time.
As for the show, although it uses the original film Monty Python and the Holy Grail as the basis, it does liberally borrow from other Python lore. For instance, the "Fish Schlapping Song", the opening number, is based on the "Finland" song that the scholarly narrator comes out at the end and points out the play takes place in England. And act II has "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" from Life of Brian that the cast leads the audience in after the curtain call.
The play was a lot like a rock concert, in that the first sound of something familiar is greeted with enthusiastic applause. The clip-clop of cocoanuts, "Who ees eet?" from the French Taunter, and the "None shall pass!" of the Black Knight. The battle is moved over to act II, where thanks to some clever staging and an "alms for the poor" gag (Patsy the squire/cocoanut clapper puts the Knights arms in the monks basket) done while guard is set up against the castle wall for the leg dismememberment.
A welcome addition is the character of the Lady Of The Lake, played by Sara Ramirez, who is delightful, funny and sexy. She fills in for other roles as well, including the Witch and the Cow, who gets a torch song before a stand in cow is flung over the castle wall.
David Hyde Pierce was especially good as Sir Robin, who after King Arthur presents the Knights of Ni with a Shrubbery, is charged with putting on a Broadway show to pass through their woods, "a country that hasn't been created yet". Sir Robin leads a groan starting but amusing number teaching King Arthur that to have a successful show, you must have Jews.
I am trying to keep most spoilers out of my review, but to answer the questions does Guinevere appear and is there a love triangle with Lancelot, I will only say yes and no, respectively.
As far as souvenirs, at intermission the bar had bottles of Monty Python's Holy
As for the hotel, I was concerned at first about paying $150 for hotel, parking and taxes; but the Hilton Palmer House was well worth it. They put me on the 23rd floor, which is apparently a higher class room, as it had its own elevator with seat, view of some of the city, and free breakfast. Not just the usual doughnuts and container of milk and juice, there were all sorts of items to choose from.
Before leaving, I did a little sightseeing and saw some of the Christmas decorations, the Marshall Fields Christmas display, and the Picasso sculpture as seen in The Blues Brothers. All in all, a good time.
