Anaheim: When nights were bold

Swords with that Sir? Medieval Times dinner theatre. Photo / Supplied

Ye olde England is joyously turned on its head for a fun outing in entertainment land, writes Liam Dann.

Dinner theatre is not generally my idea of a good time, so I'm a little wary as we wander up to the faux castle on a wide palm-lined boulevard just a few hundred metres up the road from Knott's Berry Farm theme park.

Happily, it turns out that what Medieval Times offers bears no relationship to the hammy acting and slap-stick comedy that typically makes for a bad dinner and bad theatre.

Dinner sports would be a better description. The whole experience of Medieval Times has more in common with a high-octane pro-wrestling event.

There is dinner involved, but the theatre plays out in a sawdust-filled stadium with professional stuntmen riding draft horses, jousting and battling in full sets with an array of dangerous-looking, hard-edged metal weapons.

From my point of view, it's a surprisingly impressive and entertaining affair. For my weapon-and battle-obsessed boys — aged 6 and 8 — it is literally the greatest live performance they've seen in their life.

Their eyes are bulging out of their heads from the moment the first trumpet sounds. The crowd around the amphitheatre is divided into four colours — or royal houses — and we are invited to cheer for the knights representing our team.

A small army of wait staff staying dutiful in "ye olde England" theme attend to all our dining needs, which includes bringing large metal tankards of beer, and soft drink for the kids.

Dinner is nominally a four-course meal. The memorable bit is the half roast-chicken main course that we are invited to rip into with our fingers — another big winner with the boys.

It may be fake sports but it is beautifully choreographed. Real sparks fly as the weapons clash. There is a high level of athleticism and skill involved and apparently real injuries are quite common.

One wonders if LA's ready supply of odd-jobbing stunt men and movie extras makes this franchise, of what is now a country-wide phenomenon, that little bit extra special.

The show makes effective use of modern lighting effects and epic cinematic soundtrack to the proceedings.

And just like professional wrestling fans, the crowd is also happy to suspend disbelief, cheering, leaping out of their seats and screaming at the warriors as they leap down from their jousting horses to battle in hand-to-hand combat. For a spectacle based loosely on ancient English history, this is a wonderfully American experience.

It is a completely over-the-top, no-holds-barred performance.

Our hero, for the blue team, is vanquished eventually but it really doesn't matter much in the end. By the time the last knight is left standing, the dinner is done and we are exhausted and have shouted ourselves hoarse.

Despite the ancient European theme, it feels like we've experienced something uniquely American.

Checklist

GETTING THERE
American Airlines flies directly from Auckland to Los Angeles.

DETAILS
For information on Medieval Times, go to medievaltimes.com.