Eric Idle's "Greedy Bastard Tour" to Come to Mainstage on Nov. 9

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Jam Theatricals will present Eric Idle in "The Greedy Bastard Tour" at 8 p.m. on Nov. 9 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts on the University at Buffalo North (Amherst) Campus.

A founding member of the renowned Monty Python comedy troupe, Eric Idle was born on March 29, 1943, in South Shields, England. After attending boarding school in Wolverhampton, Idle studied English at Cambridge University, where he also served as president of the famed Footlights comedy group in 1964. Idle met future Python collaborators John Cleese and Graham Chapman while appearing on the 1967 sketch comedy series "At Last the 1948 Show." The troupe, also consisting of Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and American-born animator Terry Gilliam, was contracted by the BBC to produce their own 13-week program; "Monty Python's Flying Circus," a weekly sketch comedy series, premiered that October, becoming a major hit throughout Europe and later a cult phenomenon overseas as well.

Idle was one of "Monty Python's" chief writers, and in addition to the group's television series, yielded a series of hit films and albums. Idle typically played bizarre singers and other entertainer caricatures. In 1975, he published his first novel, "Hello Sailor," and with the Bonzo Dog Band's Neil Innes created another sketch comedy series, the short-lived "Rutland Weekend Television." Following the last official Python Project, the 1983 film "Monty Python's the Meaning of Life," Idle accepted small roles in a number of films and focused on writing until accepting the lead in 1990's "Nuns on the Run." He also wrote, produced, and starred in 1993's "Splitting Heirs." In 1999, Idle inexplicably accepted a supporting role on Brooke Shields' sitcom "Suddenly Susan;" after the show was abruptly canceled, he mounted a solo tour in support of his album "Eric Idle Sings Monty Python."

In the Spring of 2000, Idle toured North America with "Eric Idle Exploits Monty Python," a very silly evening of sketches and songs ripped off or entirely stolen from the sacred canon of the British comedy troupe.

He now is back on the road with "The Greedy Bastard Tour," which will feature new material from his latest Rutland Isles CD, as well as old Python favorites. There will of course be lots of very rude sing-along opportunities.

Tickets for Eric Idle are $35. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For Group Sales, call Karen at 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a TicketFast location.