LONDON (AP) – The Monty Python gang is coming back for a reunion show at London’s 02 arena in July.
Eric Idle said Thursday that the London show was planned as a single event but that further engagements are possible. The show will be filmed for possible distribution.
The group had its first big success with the Monty Python’s Flying Circus TV show, which ran from 1969 until 1974, winning fans around the world with its bizarre sketches. The group branched out into movies including “Life of Brian” and backed theatrical shows such as “Monty Python’s Spamalot.”
The veteran comedy troupe – Idle, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones – announced the news at a press conference in central London.
Striving for a bit of anarchic humor, the five men sat behind incorrect name cards at the event, with one member answering questions addressed to another. They joked that they hoped some of their old material would seem new because the audience would have forgotten it.
Cleese said the group’s famous “dead parrot” sketch would likely be incorporated into the performance. Idle said the show would also include material that had never been performed live before.
The five surviving members last performed together in 1998. The sixth member, Graham Chapman, died of cancer in 1989.
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