Ellis C. Dawson III sees laughter in ‘Spamalot’

In Southern California, there’s always something to do. There are always going to be places to go. Going to see the Broadway musical Spamalot could be a welcoming destination in your calendar of events to attend. 

Spamalot is a comedic spoof from the movie, Monty Python and The Holy Grail. For those individuals who are unsure of what the heck I’m talking about or don’t have a clue what the film entails, the subjects are set in the Medieval Times era where King Arthur and his Knights of the Roundtable are running things.   

No, Spamalot does not take on the soaring and majestic plot of Phantom of the Opera. Nor does it bring you a bit closer to the powerful historic ride of Hamilton. 

However, what Spamalot does do is get you to get in tune with your laughter belly button, which is exactly what people need right now, said Ellis C. Dawson III, one of the stars of Spamalot.  

“I think the big draw about Spamalot, physically, right now, especially in the times that we live in, I think that the world needs to laugh,” said Dawson, who plays multiple roles in Spamalot, including King Arthur’s sidekick, Sir Bedevere. 

“The country needs to laugh. It needs to be a bit of a breath. It’s a place, going to a theater to see the show, you can go and just let your mind just relax. You get to see people on stage being silly. It feels very communal. It feels like a spiritual experience where everybody comes for the same reason…to laugh and take a load off,” he added. 

Easing the burden of King Arthur is exactly what Sir Bedevere is called to do. But he has somewhat of a follow through problem which makes him not as dependable as he should be, Dawson said in a phone interview.

“I am one of the Knights of the Roundtable. I am the intellect of the group,” Dawson said. “I always say that Bedevere is like that friend who has incredible ideas, but not necessarily the best follow through. He gets ninety percent there, and then the last 10 percent, he drops the ball. So, throughout the show, you get to see him suggest really great ideas to help KIng Arthur to get closer to finding the Holy Grail, but he is always just a little short. So, it’s funny to watch him fail.”

When it comes to King Arthur, Sir Bedevere is supposed to be that guy. He’s the protector, the confidant. If anyone is supposed to have King Arthur’s back, it’s Sir Bedevere. 

That’s an element that every hero has at his or her disposal. Batman had Robin. Wyatt Earp had Doc Holliday. Sherlock Holmes had Watson. The Lone Ranger could not go anywhere without Tonto. Sir Bedevere was planted inside of King Authur’s inner circle.

That’s because he was fixated on what the king stood for, Dawson remarked. 

“I think Bedevere, he just  admired King Arthur is just so…he admired his trajectory to find the Holy Grail. I think he admires the tenacity, the drive that King Arthur has that he aspires to be something greater. I think that is what drives Bedevere to follow King Arthur around.”   

Dawson said what drew him to be part of the production was that he was looking to re-connect with the space that got him into theatre in the first place. And that’s comedy. Before joining Spamalot, Dawson was cast in Hamilton, a theatrical production quite opposite of the current show that he is a part of. 

A change of pace was what he needed, Dawson said. 

“The last show I did was Hamilton,” Dawson said. “Not funny at all. Really good show, but not funny. Not funny. So, getting to do comedy, which is what I..what initially drew me to theater was comedy. I kept getting cast in very serious things. So, it’s nice to go back to my roots and improv. There’s a lot in the show as well. That is what drew me in is the chance to just be silly on stage again.”

There are distinguishable differences between Hamilton and Spamalot. One production is as dramatic as they come. Busting a gut with laughter seems more appropriate for the other. 

Yet, Dawson has been able to piggyback off of what he learned from Hamilton and have applied this credit to his Spamalot characters. 

“In order to do Hamilton, you have to be extremely focused, because it doesn’t stop,” said. “Once it starts there’s no getting off the train. You just have to be ready to go. I think with this show (Spamalot), you have to be extremely focused, because people, though we have a script, people don’t necessarily say the same thing every night, because we’ve been given liberties to improvise in certain places or people deliver delivered the lines extremely differently or the audience responds differently. You have to be hyperfocused.” 

Spamalot has two stops during its Southern California run. From Feb. 17 to Feb. 22, Spamalot appears at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. The production will later play at the Hollywood Pantages in Los Angeles, California, from March 24 to April 12, 2026.