Monty Python reunion sells out in 45 seconds; four shows added

Monty Python’s big reunion has sold out in less than a minute, leading the British comedy troupe to add four performances to its July engagement at the O2 Arena in London.

On Monday, Eric Idle tweeted that the July 1 performance sold out in 45 seconds. He wrote that the four additional performances -- July 2 to 5 -- also sold out in less than a minute.

“This pretty much took us by surprise, so we are talking about adding more shows. I apologise if you didn’t get seats. We’re working on it,” Idle tweeted. The Monty Python veteran said that he will be directing the stage production.

Last week, the surviving members of Monty Python held a press conference in London to announce their reunion. The last time the group performed together was in 1998 at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Colorado.

The group’s surviving members include Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. (The sixth Python member, Graham Chapman, died in 1989.)

Monty Python’s reunion production is expected to consist of a mix of new and existing material. It remains unclear if the group will take the show to the U.S. On a Reddit session last week, Cleese indicated that they may “possibly” take the show to New York.

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