Rent Not the Messiah: He's a Very Naughty Boy (2009)

Not the Messiah: He's a Very Naughty Boy review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Monty Python’s The Life of Brian is easily one of the comedic troupe’s most controversial feature films. The premise satirized religious zealotry and took poking jabs at the nature of religion and Roman history. Naturally, it gained quite a bit of ire from the Christian community, leading to many church leaders and icons denouncing and banning the film in certain communities. There’s a fascinating interview between two cast members and two religious figures upon the film’s release. But time has a funny way of accepting such controversial takes. The Life of Brian was taken in by The Criterion Collection and was easily rentable from my local video stores. And now that same film has been adapted into quite the operatic music experience.

Not the Messiah takes one of the grandest live approaches to bring more Python to the stage. In this case, Eric Idle adapts the story into an epic oratorio, complete with a full band, scores of chorus singers, mariachi singers, and even some bagpipers for good measure. Idle himself even jumps in with a guitar and harmonica to parody a bit of Bob Dylan. Remarkably, Idle can play pretty well. But, then again, everything at play here is incredibly exceptional, to the point that the immense experience of the tenors and orchestra practically dominates the comedic angle.

This performance pretty much adapts the same story except stages all of it through song. Considering there’s really only one memorable melody from The Life of Brian, these are all new songs that are epically scored. They’re so well staged with astounding vocals that it’s easy to forget one song is meant to be all about how Brian is being hounded by zealots. But even the music manages to wrap some familiar silliness into the mix. Python fans will recognize the Easter Egg insertions of lyrics reflecting The Meaning of Life and The Lumberjack Sketch.

Idle is the only one present for the entire program as a skilled trio of singers take on the center roles in their dominating voices. A few familiar Python members do show up. Terry Jones pops up for a brief number. Terry Gilliam waltzes on stage with big applause for a mere two-sentence line he milks for claps. Michael Palin is by far the most present, dressing up as both a woman and donning his iconic garb for the role of Biggus Dickus, lisp included.

The enjoyment of such a production all depends on how much love you have for...well, the production. The comedy is not as frequent or fast and I expected as much with an orchestra comprised of dozens upon dozens of instruments and voices. This is one of the biggest live Python performances and I’m still kinda blown away it even happened. But if you’re coming into this concert expecting this to be a faithful recreation of The Life of Brian, you may be disappointed with how this feature favors the vocals more than the funny.

If you’re into the oratorio experience, Not The Messiah is quite enjoyable. It gives Life of Brian a certain robust dignity, dressing it up in a tuxedo and giving it some wondrous panache. There was never a moment that I found myself laughing as much as the film, mostly because I’ve seen these bits before. But there was a smile on my face throughout and a rare sense of awe I didn’t think I’d have for anything Monty Python.