Here’s one of the better reviews of Monty Python Live (mostly) from London. There have been a few very good reviews, and a few from critics who didn’t seem to “get” Python at all, and probably were not the best choice to review it. No matter.

It reminds me of something that John Cleese once told me about critics. He said that there are some good, knowledgeable critics who know their subject well, and seem to write very honestly, whether you agree with them or not. There are some rather terrible critics–often with the British tabloids–whose reviews feel as though they are dictated by an editorial mandate, which is often to build someone or something up until they decide it is better press to then tear them down. And, there is a third group, inept in a different way, who are apparently afraid to take a position on what they are supposed to be reviewing, and whose reviews consist primarily of describing the show in much detail, and not much more.

This review from The Express is worth reading–not as much for its insights (how much insight do you need with a live Python show, anyway?), but because it also includes brief clips from the show. A show that, by the way, seems to be critic-proof.