Watch Not the Messiah: The Road to the Albert Hall

Not the Messiah: The Road to the Albert Hall is a 2009 musical comedy film directed by Aubrey Powell, written by Eric Idle, and based on the oratorio Not the Messiah, which was itself based on the 1979 movie Monty Python's Life of Brian. The film stars Carol Cleveland, John Du Prez, William Ferguson, and Terry Gilliam and chronicles the journey of the oratorio from its inception to its premiere at the Royal Albert Hall.

The film opens with Eric Idle, who stars as himself, addressing the audience directly and apologizing for the fact that they are not about to watch Monty Python's Life of Brian, but rather an oratorio inspired by it. He then introduces the various members of the cast and crew, including composer John Du Prez and director Aubrey Powell.

The film then cuts back to 2007, when Eric Idle first came up with the idea of adapting Monty Python's Life of Brian into an oratorio. We see him discussing the idea with John Du Prez, who initially thinks it's a terrible idea, but eventually comes around to it. They then begin the process of writing and composing the oratorio, which involves a lot of back-and-forth between them as they try to figure out how best to translate the humor of the movie into music.

As they work on the oratorio, they decide that they want to put on a concert version of it, which will be performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London. They begin casting the various roles, including the title character of Brian, which is eventually given to tenor William Ferguson. They also bring in some of the original cast members from Monty Python's Life of Brian, including Carol Cleveland, who played several roles in the movie.

The film then follows the cast and crew as they rehearse for the big performance. We see them working on the various musical numbers, as well as the dialogue that will be interspersed throughout the oratorio. There are several moments of humor and absurdity throughout these rehearsals, as the cast members struggle to remember their lines and hit the right notes.

As the performance date approaches, tensions begin to rise among the cast and crew. There are concerns about whether or not they will be able to sell out the massive venue, as well as worries about technical glitches and other potential mishaps. Despite these concerns, however, everyone remains determined to put on the best show possible.

The film then reaches its climax with the performance itself. We see the cast and crew putting on an absolutely incredible show, with fantastic performances from all involved. There are several standout musical numbers, such as "Mandy", which is a parody of Handel's "Messiah", and "The People's Front of Judea", which is a hilarious send-up of political factions.

Overall, Not the Messiah: The Road to the Albert Hall is a funny, entertaining film that will delight fans of Monty Python and lovers of musical comedy. It offers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of the creative process involved in putting on a massive musical production, and the cast and crew are clearly having a great time throughout. While it may not be quite as uproarious as Monty Python's Life of Brian, it is still an enjoyable and worthwhile film in its own right.

Not the Messiah: The Road to the Albert Hall is a documentary with a runtime of 31 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.3.