NEW YORK — Eric Idle sometime gazes up into the heavens and wonders about something if we ever make contact with aliens: Will they have a sense of humor?

“I think the answer must be yes, because it’s about self-awareness," says the founding member of the comedy group Monty Python’s Flying Circus. "It’s about laughing at yourself and your own death and your inevitable end, which you can do nothing about.”

Until there's some intergalactic meeting, Idle's mission on Earth has been to make us laugh, and he continues that crusade with a national touring version of his hit musical “Spamalot,” which begins in Ohio this week.

“I think laughter is essential, and it’s both a relief and a corrective on how to look at life,” he says.

The tour will travel to more than 30 cities in its first year in

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