After a decade of taking on dramatic roles in some of the most demanding productions in theater — including the lead in “Aida” on Broadway — Merle Dandridge might look today like she is burdened by the 10-pound wig and 50-pound costume required in her current role.

But actually, Dandridge’s part as The Lady of the Lake in a touring production of “Spamalot” has given the performer a rare opportunity to relax.

Currently starring alongside John O’Hurley and Ben Davis in the popular musical based on the “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” screenplay, Dandridge — no relation to the legendary Dorothy Dandridge — has gotten to know her role better than she ever imagined she would after being cast in the Broadway production two years ago.

Dandridge joined the national tour about a week after her stint on the Broadway production ended. While she’s been able to capture audiences through her more dramatic roles before “Spamalot,” her role as The Lady of the Lake is flooring contemporaries she’s worked with for the last decade, who have known her only as a dramatic actress. As for her friends and others close to her — those well aware of Dandridge’s zany side — they see the role as a perfect fit for her natural silliness.

“They love it, they tell me this is exactly the kind of show I should be doing,” Dandridge said, laughing. “I think they say that because they’d much rather I take my silliness out on stage than on them.”

The show’s current run at the Ahmanson Theater marks the first time the international hit musical comedy has been presented in Los Angeles. “Spamalot” is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian legend, but is quite different from the 1975 film on which it is based. The stage production recounts the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and their quest for the Holy Grail, but features a chorus line of dancing divas and knights, flatulent Frenchmen, killer rabbits, an armless and legless knight, and most importantly for Dandridge, a woman who emerges from a lake. The character, a fairy myth parody that is exclusive to the musical, is nowhere to be found in the film version of the story.

“The Lady of the Lake is the prize in this show,” said Dandridge in an interview this week. “If you’ve never seen this show, you’re not expecting The Lady of the Lake — she just comes out of the blue, and just when you think you know who she is and what her role is going to be, because of the beautiful, sparkling costume and the hair and the seaweed, then Bam!, she does stand-up and she completely turns the role on its head … and I love that.”

In “Aida,” Dandridge performed 11 songs. The performer found it liberating to go from such a precise and vocally demanding role to one that actually allows for improvisation. “This is such a wonderful and free-spirited show. You just let your hair down and laugh,” she said. “In person, out of costume, I can be a silly person, so it’s funny, because my contemporaries have never seen me use my chops on stage like this. So to be able to do this and in the presence of comedic geniuses like the Monty Python creators, it’s been an amazing experience just to see these comedic geniuses take their gifts to task.”

Dandridge was fully acquainted with The Lady of the Lake role when she first auditioned, because she had seen actress Sara Ramirez originate it on Broadway. “Sara was an incredible Lady of the Lake,” Dandridge said. “She is so unbelievably talented … she is a force and she’s beautiful, and that voice is just insane. … So to get the opportunity to step into a role that she created … it is quite an honor. … It’s so great to do something you love so much, and have so much fun with it. I love it.”

In New York, The Lady of the Lake was elevated out of the water by an onstage lift. While that doesn’t happen in the L.A. production, the weighty costume, big hair piece, flowing seaweed and sparkles that fill the theater upon Dandridge’s first appearance on stage transports audiences to the Arthurian period. And while most characters from that period are usually taken seriously, in “Spamalot,” it’s hard to take much of anything serious at all.

“And you’ll want to take them serious when the characters first come out, and especially when The Lady of the Lake steps on the stage, but almost immediately, you learn that you can’t take her seriously for too long,” said Dandridge. “She comes on stage with all this glitz and glamour and beauty, like a demanding presence, then all of the sudden she pokes fun at herself and what she’s wearing.”

While the comic portrayal hasn’t changed her love for drama, Dandridge said it has pivoted her career in a new direction, one that she’s looking forward to pursuing.

“Fortunately for me, it’s an easy fit,” Dandridge said. “There are times when you worry as an actress if you’re going to get to come back the next day, and all you do is try to keep up with the role. But with this one, I can go out there and just be as silly as possible. And for me, that’s the easy fit.”

“Monty Python’s Spamalot” runs through Sept. 6 at the Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. For more information, tickets or times, interested persons may call (213) 972-4400.