Ok, Monty Python is not everyone’s cup of tea. I’ll admit it wasn’t mine at first either, but then again I was only properly introduced to it in 2007 when a new friend who had the DVD of And Now for Something Completely Different sat me down to introduce me to the monolith (I am told that this work by the Python chaps was possibly not the best way to get to know them: I found the film rather disturbing, much like a surreal nightmare).
I didn’t grow up in the UK, and missed out on a lot of global culture while growing up in the ignorant idyll that was the family farm. When I went to high school, I heard peers refer to Monty Python, and I must admit that, having no idea what they were talking about, assumed it was a funny sitcom about a snake.
When my other half bought us tickets to see Monty Python: Live (Mostly) I wasn’t overly keen, but game nonetheless for a new cultural experience. Having still only seen And Now for Something Completely Different (I was too put off to watch any other Python films) I approached the evening with as much objectivity as I could muster.
What I wondered about the most was how Python was going to transition their performances from the media of TV and film (screen) to stage, and how well this would work for their sketches.
The show is mostly a re-performance of old favourites (à la the deceased parrot sketch, the Lumberjack Song, the Albatross, Every Sperm is Sacred, et al) with the performers older but still as funny and even more popular, and with some elements updated (contemporary cultural references, cameos by personalities such as Prof Brian Cox and Stephen Fry). It has received mixed reviews, and I can understand why: it is more an act of worship of the Monty Python glory days, and pays homage to this cult classic, the various characters in its sketches, and the actors themselves. A couple of times on the evening we went, John Cleese slipped out of character – something which is a complete no-no in traditional stage theatre – and this received exuberant applause from the audience.
The show struck me as a tribute act with a difference: it was performed by most of the original stars, and was not adventurous in terms of new material. It was not high-brow, but was a fun evening out, and was a bit like attending a live museum, displaying the highlights of an iconic part of the history of British comedy.
Joanne Pohl 
Ah, you are not a child of the seventies! The Pythons were cutting edge at the time and pushed out against the Establishment and, with a small e, what the established role of comedy was. Comedy was supposed to humor you, not get you to think as well as laugh. It was fun, it was anarchic and it crossed boundaries. Today’s humor I find crude, basic and unfunny. I can’t remember when a comedian on television last made me laugh – apart from Grumpy Old Men – or Billy Connolly!
You are right that the people attending were paying homage, it’s unlikely to attract new converts because unless you were there in the 60’s and 70’s it’s difficult to appreciate the circumstances under which it was produced and performed.