Preview: John Cleese of Monty Python Comes to Smart Financial Centre

You might know him from A Fish Called Wanda, Fawlty Towers, or Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Maybe you remember him as Q in the James Bond 007 films, or as Nearly Headless Nick in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. But perhaps John Cleese’s most enduring and beloved film is Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

The Academy Award–nominated actor, writer, and producer is once again far from his London home — something he admits he prefers during the dreary English winters. This time, Cleese is bringing his tour Not Dead Yet: John Cleese and the Holy Grail at 50 to the Houston area, celebrating five decades of the cult-classic comedy that made him a household name.

When asked what fans can expect from the show, Cleese kept it uncomplicated.

“Well, it’s very simple, because it’s basically showing Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which a lot of Americans are very fond of,” he explained. “In England we think Life of Brian’s a better film, but in America they prefer Holy Grail, which suits me.”

He went on to say, “I come out and introduce it and I tell them a little bit about the circumstances in which it was made — and the fact that it’s a bit of a miracle. I think they don’t realize quite what a miracle it was, because it was made for 240,000 pounds, which is nothing for a six-week shoot in Scotland. And then we show the film, and then we have questions from the audience about the film and about anything else they want to ask me.”

The format, Cleese noted, is loose and fun. “That lasts a little bit over an hour, and everybody has a good evening and laughs a lot. And as I get older, I realize how important it is to laugh. Laughter’s good for people, and when you sit in an audience that’s rocking, you come out feeling good.”

Cleese also spoke warmly about his connection to Texas. “The first memory I have of San Antonio was when I was in New York and my friend, the screenwriter William Goldman, took me to see the Knicks and I saw the Twin Towers — David Robinson and [Tim Duncan],” he recalled. “But when I’m in San Antonio, it’s a place I feel very comfortable because Texans are very nice people. They’re hospitable.”

He went on to say, “The extraordinary thing is they have a reputation for being right wing. Well, Monty Python started in Dallas and when Eric [Idle] and I did a tour of America about nearly 10 years ago, the best audiences we had were in Texas. We thought that we might be a bit naughty, a little bit cheeky for Texan audiences — and we were quite wrong. The audiences in Texas just loved us.

That Dallas remark isn’t just a throwaway line. While Monty Python began on the BBC in 1969, its American fanbase truly launched in the mid-1970s when Dallas PBS station KERA-TV Channel 13 became the first U.S. broadcaster to air Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Texas audiences embraced it immediately, sparking the cult following that helped the show spread to PBS stations across the country. In a real sense, Monty Python’s American story did begin in Dallas. For Cleese, that love from Texas fans has never faded. “There’s a general relaxation and people are warm,” he says.

If you’re a Monty Python fan, this is one you can’t afford to miss — a chance not only to watch The Holy Grail on the big screen, but to laugh, learn, and speak with the iconic comic himself. John Cleese brings Not Dead Yet: John Cleese and the Holy Grail at 50 to Sugar Land’s Smart Financial Centre on September 19. Consider it a rare opportunity to share an evening of absurdity, wit, and laughter with one of comedy’s true legends.

Not Dead Yet: John Cleese and the Holy Grail at 50 at 8 p.m. September 19 at Smart Financial Centre, 18111 Lexington in Sugar Land. For more information, call 888-231-7859  or visit smartfinancialcentre.net. $60-$267.