“Brilliant!” is the only way to describe the Boothbay Playhouse's season opener “Spamalot.” The play is a satrirical look at Arthurian legend, “lovingly ripped off” of the Monty Python 1975 cult classic film, “Monty Python and The Holy Grail.” Pythoner Eric Idle wrote the script, blending scenes straight from the film with inventive new twists.

Audiences are taken back through time to A.D. 932 in Britain. King Arthur (John Adams) is in search of knights for his round table back in Camelot. He is traversing the plague-ridden countryside with his servant Patsy (Nick Mirabile) on horseback – sort of. King Arthur rides an imaginary steed made real – sort of - by Patsy simulating the sound of horse hooves in a cantor, trot and gallop - with a pair of coconut shells worn around his neck. Arthur eventually finds his knights and throughout the show, whenever the coconuts are heard, the Knights of the Round Table appear “riding” behind King Arthur, each with their own riding style.

The knightly recruits are not what one would expect. Robin (Roosevelt Bishop) is a timid man whose job is to take away plague victims; Lancelot (Nicholas Carroll), a man with a penchant for physical force and bloodshed, has the job of gathering plague victims to bring to Robin. The musical number “I Am Not Dead Yet,” featuring Not Dead Fred (Andy Luke), who is dragged on stage by Lancelot all the while protesting he isn't dead, is a knockout. In the number, Fred demonstrates, in song and dance, that not only does he not want to go on the dead cart, he really is feeling better.

Galahad (Joel Biron) is an intelligent peasant, who with his mother (Donna Griffin) has quite radical political ideas for the Middle Ages. They question how Arthur became King. When Arthur relates he was given the sword Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake, Galahad questions how “some watery tart” could make one a king and how such action could then give such an individual the right to rule the masses.

Bedevere (Cole Domeyer) is an intelligent yet incompetent man with great ideas, but lacks the ability to see them through to completion. He is also, we discover, strangely flatulent.

Arthur summons The Lady of the Lake (Emily Moore), one mighty potent force, accompanied by her Laker Girls (Courtney Chaney, Devin Domeyer, Sophia Thayer, Genevieve Taylor, Nellie Kelly and Malerie Jo), to make a knight out of Galahad. Galahad, suddenly keen on the idea, departs in the mist with the Lady and Laker Girls.

After being "knighted" by the Lady of the Lake, Galahad and the woman he had previously referred to as a “watery tart” sing the absurdly funny “The Song That Goes Like This.” A song that goes on and on and on ... much to their chagrin, but to the delight of the audience.

In Camelot, the entire company joins the Arthur and the knights in the song and dance number, “We're Knights of the Round Table.” The choreography is nothing short of splendid with some impressive gymnastics thrown in for good measure.

The King and his knights are forced to sober up, however, when God crashes the party and descends upon them. God tells Arthur he must find the Holy Grail. That is his quest and he has no choice but to accept it – and get a move on.

They encounter a French castle and some rude French guards (Nick Azzaretti, Jay Lewis, Christopher Reynolds and Roger Reed). Head French guard (Azzaretti) throws insult after insult at the “English dog pigs,” emphasizing his general displeasure with the King and knights by eventually catapulting a cow at them.

The second act chronicles the adventures of each knight and Arthur, with the passage of time cleverly depicted through human scroll murals and seasonal “prop-age.”

Colorful characters encountered on their quest are the Knights of Ni, The Black Knight, Tim the Enchanter and …. a killer rabbit (manned by Michael Burrell).

More standout songs, choreography and performances fill this act: Patsy's “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” the hysterical “Brave Sir Robin,” by the Minstrels (formerly the French guards); Robin's “You Won't Succeed On Broadway,” the Lady of the Lake's “The Diva's Lament,” and “His Name is Lancelot,” by Herbert and Lancelot.

Script-wise, the show can't miss. But, characters and dialogue that look and sound good in a script are only as good as the actors that flesh them out. At the Boothbay Playhouse, each actor is at the top of his or her game breathing life into the Pythonesque character(s) they portray.

This company of actors, led by director/music director Ginny Bishop, is perfectly cast. Every actor, singer, dancer is, in short, brilliant. Yes, there's that word again, but this production of “Spamalot” is just that. Actually, it's bloody brilliant.

Moore is enchanting as the of the Lady of the Lake, capturing her character's vast range of emotions and personas with ease and with a voice that dazzles. Joel Biron, Nick Mirabile, Roosevelt Bishop, Andy Luke, Nicholas Carroll, and John Adams are nothing short of perfection.

The choreography, by Moore, is outstanding with nary a performer missing a step, as a friend who accompanied me to the second night show noted, highly impressed.

Costumers Sue Ghoryeb, Susan Domeyer and Suzanne Jones were inventive and on the mark.

The amazing sets were designed and painted by producer Susan Domeyer, from castle, to forest, to Las Vegas-ish Camelot. Domeyer's artistic talents add depth to every show.

The Boothbay Playhouse production of “Spamalot” is cracking good. Having seen the Maine State Music Theater's production a few years ago, I can honestly say the show I saw at the Playhouse surpassed it.

The only, the singular, bad thing to be said about this show is that it has to end. This opening show of the 2013 Boothbay Playhouse season will remain on stage for only a fortnight: June 29, July 3 – 6, 10-13 at 8 p.m. and one 4 p.m. matinee on Sunday, July 7. Call the box office at 207-633-3379 for tickets.

For more information about the Boothbay Playhouse, visit www.boothbayplayhouse.com.