Some six decades on from the boundary-breaking, side-splittingly funny debut of anarchic comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus, its tallest, quite possibly silliest, member returns to Toronto for three nights only this Fall.

The event, billed as “Not Dead Yet: John Cleese and the Holy Grail at Fifty”, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the troupe’s most beloved, and funniest, film, with octogenarian Cleese – last seen here for the 2019 premiere of the delightful documentary Assholes: A Theory – slated to regale audiences with anecdotes, remembrances, and more than a few silly bits.

Cleese is, of course, a legend, not only for his work on the original Flying Circus – which he left after its third series, though he would return again and again for Python film projects (Holy Grail, Life of Brian, The Meaning of Life), unofficial reunions (Time Bandits, Jabberwock, The Wind in the Willows), live performances (1982’s Live at the Hollywood Bowl, 2014’s Monty Python Live (Mostly)) – but for more traditional sitcom Fawlty Towers, which he co-created with then-wife Connie Booth, and his contributions to franchises including James Bond, Harry Potter, and Shrek.

He’s also earned a reputation as a delightful raconteur, happy to share behind-the-scenes stories, fond reminiscences of his colleagues, including his primary writing partner, the late Graham Chapman, and, without much prompting, opine on the issues of the day. (Cleese on MAGA: “I don’t think that Trump supporters care about what the rest of the world thinks. That’s because they don’t know where the rest of the world is.”)

For our money, Cleese’s best roles include Holy Grail’s Black Knight (“‘tis but a scratch!”), Flying Circus’s argumentative Mr. Barnard, infuriated pet owner Mr. Praline (“this is an ex-parrot!”), and, of course, the undisputed master of silly walks.

While the events – September 30, October 1, October 2, all at the Elgin/Winter Garden Theatre – are themed around Holy Grail, one hopes that Cleese will dive into some of this other territory as well. Who knows, maybe he’ll even show up wielding a fish, or an albatross.

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Not Dead Yet!: John Cleese and the Holy Grail at 50 tickets are available here.