AMERICAN THEATRE: Huzzah!, a new musical from Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe, is set at a Renaissance Faire. Its props include pavilion tents, turkey legs, and beer steins. Its concession booths boast names like The Rhythm of the Knight (instruments), Ale Mary (drinks), To Bean or Not to Bean (coffee), and The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smoothies. And an old whiskey barrel, suspended by a rope? That’s a ride for the kids, obviously.
2 comments:
I love a good renaissance fair. As someone who has gone to at least one a year in the past three years, I really appreciate how they look at renn fairs: “They were all silly, but they took their silliness seriously.” Renaissance fairs have so much drama built into them that they would make a great place to write about. The fact that Benjamin and O’Keefe have taken such a magical world and are creating a real “issue” that could be found in real life is quite interesting to me. The example names of the stands that are found in their world are brilliant and nerdy and exactly what one would expect to find at a renn fair. I enjoy that they are making the show about sisterly love/disagreements and community. I am sad that the premiere of it is happening in California because I am so intrigued by this show and am excited to see what eccentricities they decided to take from fairs and show them off. I am also excited to see how this show impacts the overlaps between the theater world and the renn fair world. I know that there is a lot of overlap already but this could introduce a lot of people to this world and I am very excited about that.
I love a lot of the puns for the booths that were mentioned and this seems like such a fun and well loved passion project. I think ren fairs are a place to feel transported and have a good time and dress up, and a lot of those same things can be said for musicals so it seems like a great fusion. I’ve heard great reviews from some of the first audience of Huzzah! (love that name) and that it was not only fun but well done. I think people love a good spin on medieval times and comedy- I think of the Ever After musical that I don’t think got super popular but was relatively enjoyed and in good spirits. I hope that they continue to have a well done and successful run and I am excited to see what journey this show takes both in development but also geographically and where it moves next.
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