The actor who has been standby for Arthur, Lancelot, Galahad, Robin and Bedevere will take the stage at Broadway's Shubert Theatre.
Hoch has previously been seen on Broadway as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (as well as in the national tour) and as Arthur Holmwood in Dracula. Other credits include Babes in Arms, Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, A Connecticut Yankee, Palm Beach, Private Fittings and Picasso in Picasso at the Lapin Agile.
He joins the current cast which includes Harry Groener (as King Arthur), Lewis Cleale (Sir Galahad), Martin Moran (Sir Robin), Steve Rosen (Sir Bedevere), Michael McGrath (Patsy), Lauren Kennedy (Lady of the Lake) and Christian Borle (Historian and Prince Herbert). Marin Mazzie (as Lady of the Lake) and Jonathan Hadary (King Arthur) will join the cast on Oct. 31.
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Mike Nichols ("The Graduate," "Angels in America") directed and Casey Nicholaw (The Drowsy Chaperone) choreographed the show inspired by the 1975 feature film comedy "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," which landed at Broadway's Shubert Theatre for a St. Valentine's Day (Feb. 14, 2005) start and a St. Patrick's Day (March 17) opening. Spamalot tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table on their quest from God for the Holy Grail - with a short stop in the dazzling Spam-filled land of Camelot.
The musical features a book by Eric Idle based on the screenplay he co-wrote with Monty Python creators Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The new score — with music and lyrics by Idle and composer John Du Prez ("A Fish Called Wanda") — includes songs ("Brave Sir Robin" and "Knights of the Round Table") from the original film as well as Python signature "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."
Spamalot took home prizes at the 2005 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Direction (Nichols) and Featured Actress (Sara Ramirez). The original Decca Broadway cast album earned the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. A national tour launched earlier this year from Boston's Colonial Theatre and performs as venues across the country through Aug. 2007. A Las Vegas run (at the Wynn Las Vegas resort's forthcoming Grail Theatre) is in the works.
The show website can be found at www.montypythonsspamalot.com.
