Monty Python adds five more shows to reunion residency

LONDON, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- The famed Monty Python comedy troupe announced Wednesday it has added five more shows to its upcoming residency at London's O2 Arena.

Tickets for the first five dates -- July 1-5 -- sold out quickly after they were announced, so the Pythons said they would also perform at the venue July 15, 16, 18, 19 and 20.

The BBC quoted member John Cleese as saying the tremendous response to the reunion is "very silly," but he and his fellow entertainers are "touched that so many fans still want to see such old people perform."

Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones last performed together at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in September 1980. They last appeared on stage together when they participated in a panel discussion in 1998 at the Aspen Comedy Festival. Founding member Graham Chapman died of cancer in 1989.