If Buena Park’s stretch of Beach Boulevard seems like something from another era, then Medieval Times is the heart of the city’s kitschy tourist hub.
In a faux castle just past the Pirate’s Dinner Adventure and across from PoFolks restaurant, Medieval Times is a bit of campy dinner theater that recreates a Middle Ages knight tournament as part of an epic tale involving a king, princess, prince and evil knight.
The show ends in a climactic fight scene and a Shakespearean triumph of the monarchy over a turncoat warrior.
But the story is secondary to the show’s horse competitions and fight scenes, in which the audience is divided into groups that cheer on knights based color.
The show stealer might just be the falconer, who lets a bird soar over the crowd before showing how it would pounce upon prey.
The performance is solid, if not campy and melodramatic at times. It’s probably not for theater purists, unless they can suspend disbelief for a couple of hours.
And Medieval Times isn’t cheap: tickets are $58 for adults and $36 for kids under 12. Better deals can be found by searching online.
A dinner of soup, roast chicken and potatoes, a spare rib, garlic bread and a pastry is included. The eating is medieval style, with your hands. Beer and soft drinks are served in plastic steins. Servers dressed as wenches and serfs play up their parts. The food, though a little assembly line, is hearty.
The show draws a lot of locals as well as tourists. Medieval Times seems to appeal to two distinct groups—families with kids who get sucked up in the pageantry and drama, and young adult revelers who hit the bar beforehand and rowdy it up in the stands.
All of this makes Medieval Times an experience in and of itself.
—Michael Lyster
