An Evening with John Cleese and the Holy Grail

Some thirty-odd years ago, my eighth grade English teacher opened my eyes to adult entertainment of sorts: fiction writers like Stephen King and British comedy. He would tape episodes of Fawlty Towers off of the local PBS station and play them in class at times. I loved the absurdity of the humor! From there, I discovered Monty Python, the original version of The Office, the IT Crowd, Little Britain, and other classics. When I heard a few months back that John Cleese was going to be at Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota, I had to go. It was my chance to meet a comedy legend that I'd been a fan of for three decades and counting.

I made my way to a parking garage at the U of M campus last night in time to run into a couple of other Python fans who were unfamiliar with the building layout. We ended up asking a student where the auditorium was, which was just a few blocks away. We talked for a while and submitted audience questions for Cleese while waiting for the auditorium doors to open.

The evening began promptly at 7:30 p.m. with a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's been a couple of years since I've seen the film, but the funniest moments come right back to you. The mostly packed house was laughing right along with me.

Right after the movie, local radio announcer Brian Oake introduced Cleese, and a healthy discussion began. John answered questions about Python and the movie, as well as topics like lemurs, cats, Donald Trump and Cleveland, among other things. Everyone in the audience was applauding and cracking up at different times, and it was a great stress reliever for a frantic week.

While most of the audience left, I stuck around for the post-show meet and greet and photo opportunity with Cleese. I went up front to shake his hand before we got in line, and he was very nice to everyone. I got to chat with him briefly while our photos were being taken, and I even got to teach him a new swear word!

I got home on a rainy night with my smile etched on my face. I finally got to meet a member of Monty Python and the co-creator of the brilliant Fawlty Towers series! Another item to check off of my bucket list!

Well, that's all for now. Got a few more concert experiences coming up, so stay tuned. Until then, enjoy your weekend, everyone!