John Cleese reminisces about career at Gallo Center

Former "Monty Python" cast member John Cleese started off his very funny performance at the Gallo Center for the Arts tonight by poking fun at Modesto. He said he knew the sold-out crowd at the 1,200-seat Rogers Theater must be wondering why such a great star as he was in town. "Did he make a wrong turn?" he said audience members must be thinking. "Is he looking for a secret place to commit suicide?" It's none of the above, Cleese said. "Frankly, I need the money." The 70-year-old star said he has been reduced to "amusing almond farmers" because of his recent third divorce. He's calling his stand-up appearances around the country the "Alimony Tour." Dressed casually in jeans and a sport coat, Cleese spent the rest of the 2-and-a-half hour show talking about his life, from his youth in what he described as a dull seaside English town through his Broadway debut in the 1960s, appearances in "Monty Python" and "Fawlty Towers" to his 1988 movie "A Fish Called Wanda." He showed still pictures and video clips throughout on a big screen behind him. The audience enjoyed some big laughs at the black knight fighting scene in "Holy Grail," a silly fish dance between generals in "Monty Python" and a problematic fire drill in "Fawlty Towers." "Oh I used to have such energy," he said when looking at the latter clip of him jumping around. Cleese talked about working with Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr and getting helpful film criticism from Steve Martin. In the second half of the show, he started to lose steam a little bit. A few times, he lost his train of thought. "I'm not tired, I'm just old," he joked with the crowd. "It's hard to tell the difference sometimes." He closed up his program with a Q&A, allowing a young female fan to hug him and signing golf balls for a man. The crowd left the theater energized and happy. Cleese still knows how to entertain a crowd more than 40 years since he got into show business. - Bee arts writer Lisa Millegan