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" 30 years after they last appeared on stage together, Monty Python finally reunited at the O2 last night for the first of a 10-night run. John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones wheeled out all their classic sketches and diehard fans - many in fancy dress - lapped it up. But what did the critics think of their performance? Here&amp;#039;s a run-down of the first reviews:  Digital Spy &amp;quot;One Down, Five to Go was never conceived as a bid to win new Python fans. It was always meant to be one last nostalgic hurrah, and in that respect they had a head-start knowing that the audience would be full of die-hard devotees. But you&amp;#039;re only ever as good as your last performance, and if this really is goodbye this time, then Monty Python are flying out on a high and in style after all these years.&amp;quot; The Guardian &amp;quot;As a fan, I have to admit to a twinge of awe and even an uncool microsecond of lachrymose emotion at seeing them together again - looking old, as old as the Four Yorkshiremen were supposed to be when they originally did the sketch as young men.&amp;quot; The Telegraph &amp;quot;They&amp;#039;ve still got it (just): this is an end-of-the-pier show fit for the funny, peculiar end of a comedy era, and at times, great wonder, this circus really flies.&amp;quot; The Express &amp;quot;Whether you think of this as &amp;#039;a pre-posthumous memorial service&amp;#039; - as Terry Gilliam called it - or a well-deserved boost to their pension funds, The Night Of The Living Pythons is comedy history in the making.&amp;quot;  The Independent &amp;quot;I was a fan of the Monty Ps from the start, and it pains me to criticise them. But this is a desperately lazy production, resting on its laurels, uninterested in showcasing new material, relying on TV footage and the whooping adulation of an audience who know all the words. And when the animations and the hoofing girls and boys are on, you wonder: where have the cast gone? Are they having a little lie-down?&amp;quot; Chortle &amp;quot;Moments that shone brightest were the rare times when the team became human beneath the big numbers and well-rehearsed script. A little corpsing here and there, a brilliantly-judged pause by Michael Palin in the guise of a &amp;#039;drab and awful&amp;#039; accountant seeking careers advice; and he and Cleese sharing a private joke in the midst of the cheese shop sketch. &amp;quot;The new filmed sketch featuring Professors Brian Cox and Stephen Hawking taking on The Universe Song worked well, too. Such touches suggest the team have still got it in them - as their solo projects attest - but too infrequently did they exert themselves here, or even seem like they were genuinely enjoying it. &amp;quot;The show does the least of what&amp;#039;s expected of it, but rarely even tries to offer more; which is a shame.&amp;quot;  The Mirror &amp;quot;Unsurprisingly it is the Dead Parrot sketch that gets huge laughs. And Michael Palin and John Cleese who star in it and try not to laugh themselves are the biggest stars of the show. With so many well-known gags It&amp;#039;s the comedy equivalent of seeing The Beatles play a greatest hits gig. But no-one seems concerned they know the punch lines.&amp;quot; Daily Mail &amp;quot;No opportunity was missed to milk this loyal public. Shops flogged Python merchandise, from \u00C2\u00A350 hoodies to \u00C2\u00A315 romper suits for babies. Several punters could be heard complaining about the cost of the programme (20 quid to you guv&amp;#039;nor for 48 pages). In the interval, an oh-so-jokey &amp;#039;Merch-o-meter&amp;#039; was flashed up on screen to mock the idea of the Pythons&amp;#039; greed. Ho ho! But laughing at yourself does not necessarily expunge the rapaciousness.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/comedy/news/a581679/monty-python-at-the-o2-reviews-round-up-what-the-critics-said/>