Sunday, October 21, 2007
Medieval Times
New York Times: "THERE was a time long, long ago — or so the tale begins over the loudspeakers — when a wise king and his stalwart knights stood fast, an enemy army broke, a brother fell in battle and someone was bereft of something. The words are difficult to make out back behind the curtain at Medieval Times, amid the sand and wood shavings and hoofbeats."
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9 comments:
This was kind of a depressing article. It sounds like Medieval Times used to be a tight-knit group of people who were really into being knights. Then the it got polular and so they corporatized it. Now it's just like a dinner theatre with athletes instead of actors. I've never been to Medieval times, so I'm sure that it's not that bleek, but it just seems like the 'good old times' are gone.
I love medieval times, but I have to agree with Chapel. It is a bit depressing that its becoming corporate and the tight-knit group that it once was no longer exists. Though I have been there quite a bit since I was little and haven't seen much of a change, other than the hair.
I'm glad to see that they are standing up for their rights. I would hope that the corporation would be able to give them more pensions or health care coverage.
To a certain degree, it seems as if it was once a life style and has now turned into a job. I would hope that the job aspects would appeal to young atheletes. it's a great opportunity for them to continue with those skills. And while I would call it highly entertaining, i'm not sure if it could be considered traditonal theatre.
Medieval Times always seemed to be one of those places that sprung up from a bunch of guys who did re-enactments every first Saturday of the month. It's a shame that their hobby turned lifestyle has been ripped of its fantasy and turned into a more corporate machine. I thought it was also interesting how the younger knights all seem to be like a professional wrestler: part athlete, and part performer. It's good to know that some people like Alvin are involved the "good old fashioned" way, even while so many of the newer generation of knights are just athletes recruited for their skills.
I loved going to these when I was young. What am I talking about, I still love to go. It's surprising how such a small company can grow into such a money making machine as most theatres have. I really do wish that the actors still just went out to have fun and be a knight for the night. It's no fun to just watch people fighting for a paycheck. Man am I hungry for chicken now...
For people loving the medieval story and knighthood, this is indeed a good job. However, it is not an easy job like acrobats. The knight at the Medieval Time had the real combat, but this is just a show. The good fight choreography and the rehearsals are therefore very important. Beside, the fog is a lot, as seen in the film; it might be difficult to see the coming sword at times. These knights should be well paid and be offered the reasonable insurance.
I've been to Medieval Times before and I enjoyed it. It felt like a group of history buffs getting up and doing what they liked best. There didn't need to be an emotional investment on the part of the actors. It was just simple fun.
I'd only heard bad things about Medieval Times before, but this article put it in a new light. I think that the way it started out is really cool, with guys that wanted to be knights. I'd be less inclined to go to it now, since it's become really corporate.
And I thought our industry was small. Having never been to a Medieval Times I had no idea the amount of production value that goes into the shows. I always thought it was a couple of guys on horses in the sand. It would seem to me that keeping ticket sales up would be and issue. The show doesn’t seem to change and the castle certainly doesn’t move. Tickets are not cheep enough to operate as just a restaurant either.
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