King of the castles: Stephen Curry swaps The Castle for King Arthur

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TONY BOSWORTH | STEPHEN Curry has played plenty of memorable characters during his career, but now the much-loved star of The Castle is tackling a role carrying considerably more responsibility.

He’s becoming King of the Britons.

Curry will make his official musical theatre debut as King Arthur when Monty Python’s Spamalot gallops into the Coliseum Theatre, Rooty Hill, from October 22 to 25.

And if the actor is feeling any pressure about singing, dancing and stepping into one of comedy’s most famous roles, he’s disguising it remarkably well.

“I love a challenge,” Curry said. “If someone is going to offer me an opportunity to try something out of my comfort zone, I’ll take it in a heartbeat.”

Apparently, the timing was ideal.

“I was sitting in a dark room, rocking backwards and forwards in nothing but a pair of underpants,” he said.

“I thought, ‘I’ve hit rock-bottom here. I need a change.’”

The first call was allegedly from Married at First Sight. Curry declined because his wife “wouldn’t love it”, he told us. Then producer and director Drew Anthony rang about Spamalot.

His answer was yes - eventually.

“It was an immediate yes. And then it was a, ‘hang about - I can’t dance because I have the knees of a ninety-year-old’,” Curry said.

There was also the small matter of his singing voice, which he describes as sounding “vaguely like a greyhound being given a coffee enema”.

Fortunately, the script won him over. “It’s one of the funniest scripts I’ve ever read,” he said.

Spamalot, based on the classic 1975 comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, retells the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in suitably ridiculous Python fashion.

The musical features cows, killer rabbits, French taunters, village idiots, showgirls, and the famous song Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. Its original Broadway production won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Curry knows taking on Arthur means following Graham Chapman’s celebrated performance in the original film.

“The mission is to make King Arthur not only a homage to Graham Chapman’s 1975 performance in The Holy Grail, but also to bring a fresh perspective and an original physicality to the character,” he said.

He already has one advantage. “I’m an inch taller than Graham and I’m going to bung on a limp, in a vain bid to win a Helpmann Award.

“Okay - don’t tell anyone, but the limp is actually real.”

Curry is a lifelong admirer of Monty Python, describing the comedy troupe as “nothing short of kings of comedy”.

He is also well aware of what may happen if devoted Python fans decide he has desecrated the sacred text.

“If we succeed in our quest, we won’t be hunted down by angry hordes of rabid Python fans looking for blood,” he said.

“I’ve come too far to let that happen, so I suppose it’s time to learn some lines.”

Curry, of course, became part of Australian film history playing Dale Kerrigan in The Castle. This time he will be performing live, complete with singing, movement and choreography - skills he admits may not come naturally.

He recently discovered his limitations while humming Always Look on the Bright Side of Life and putting wood into a heater, accidentally leaving his other hand on the hot door.

“I burnt myself quite badly and had somewhat of an epiphany - I’m appalling at multi-tasking,” he said.

There was an upside. “I did, however, realise that I’m quite adept at spinning a plate on the index finger of my good hand.”

Curry believes bringing a major production such as Spamalot to Western Sydney is important.

“The Coliseum is a truly state-of-the-art theatre, a world-class venue that deserves to house world-class shows such as Spamalot,” he said.

“Fifty per cent of Sydney’s population lies in the west and for too long they’ve been starved of quality entertainment.”

There is another attraction.

“We will be indulging in the famous $1.50 oysters at the Rooty Hill RSL, so it’s win-win really.”

And for Western Sydney residents who loved Curry in The Castle but have never ventured into musical theatre?

“If you liked me playing an idiot in The Castle, you’ll be, at the very least, comforted by the fact that I’m playing an even bigger - and somewhat older - idiot on stage,” he said.

“The ensemble cast are sensational, but I’d just ask that whilst I’m on stage, please don’t watch them, because I’ll get sad.

“I’ve gone to all that trouble of putting the King Arthur costume on, so please … eyes on me.”

Despite the jokes, Curry admits there will be genuine nerves when he walks on stage.

“Nerves are a positive thing. It’s free energy,” he said. “It’s an excitement; unbridled joy in the honour of being allowed to perform this brilliant material on stage.”

Could King Arthur launch a second career in musicals? Curry hopes so.

“I genuinely hope this is the first of many musical theatre performances,” he said.

His dream roles? “The titular role of Oliver in Oliver, closely followed by the similarly titular role of Annie in Annie.”

Perhaps King Arthur is only the beginning.

SHOW DETAILS
Monty Python’s Spamalot plays the Coliseum Theatre, West HQ, 33 Railway Street, Rooty Hill, from Thursday, October 22 to Sunday, October 25, 2026. The production runs for approximately two hours and 10 minutes, including a 20-minute interval. Performance times vary across the season; Ticketek currently lists the Saturday, October 24 matinee at 2pm. Tickets start from $69, with full performance times and bookings available through Ticketek.

 

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