By Staff Writer, Vanessa Villavivencio
“Kill him!” roars a seven-year-old child. The heady aroma of juicy, roasted chicken, hot spare rib, and spiced baked potatoes fills the air. A falcon swoops close overhead. Down in the arena of sand and blood, a red knight holds his bright sword against the neck of the blue knight, awaiting the verdict of the “noble guests” to determine the blue knight’s fate.

Medieval Times is an entertainment chain that started in Majorca, Spain in 1973. It is a dinner attraction heavily based on the medieval custom of royal families inviting guests to feast and watch knights compete on horseback.
As soon as guests step onto Medieval Times property in Buena Park, they are inundated with all things “medieval.” From the architecture down to the medieval jargon of the workers, the franchise has perfectly recreated an era lost in time.
One of the buildings is named the Hall of Arms. Within its dim recesses, complete suits of armor costing as much as $9,000 are set up within every few feet along one wall. A set of swords is mounted along another wall. The next wall is covered with lambskin parchments of original hymns from the period. The other doors lead to the arena and the other to stands where vendors sell wooden and real axes, swords and shield, jewelry, tarot cards, and costume props.
The king’s minister appears right before the show to set down the rules and to direct the differently colored cardboard crowned guests to their tables.
The arena is a wide area about half the size of a football field. The guests are arranged in circular, descending formation surrounding the area where the performance takes place. The view is clear and unobstructed with not a single seat significantly better than the other.
Medieval Times spares no expense in its light and sound effects. The sound is heard loudly and clearly and reverberates within the area. The only detraction from this is the use of microphones by the actors. Sometimes, the speech is blurry, making it difficult to follow the story in the beginning. The light effects simulate the thunder and the spotlight is flawless as it tracks the actors. Candles set at every table also simulate the effect of torches.
The Medieval Times show is made into one cohesive whole as a story. It is composed of a number of sequences beginning with a procession of knights and kings in horseback and squires on foot. Afterwards, there is a not-so-impressive show of equestrian stunts and a falconry show demonstrating how birds were used in medieval hunts. The worst performance is the periodic appearance of the castle wizard trying to be dramatic but coming out corny. Thereafter is a sequence of horsemanship by the horsemaster Lady Victoria and by the guards-of-honor. The highlight of the evening is the competition between the knights.
The competition tests the knights in the accuracy of their lances, their spears, and, of course, their battle prowess. For example, one contest requires each knight to slip a tiny ring around the point of their lances while their horses are running at full tilt. The winners receive several flowers to distribute amongst their same-colored guest “supporters.” Young girls often receive the flowers from their smiling knights. The battles come towards the end of the competition, usually beginning with a joust and ending in a fierce battle on foot. At times, the audience decides whether to have the defeated knight killed or sent away, but most matches end in “fatalities.” While the contest itself is expertly done, some of the moves in battle are quite obviously scripted. One knight practically threw his sword away while pretending to be disarmed by his opponents, and most knights jumped off their horses while pretending to be unseated during jousts.
The servers begin almost immediately as the guests sit down and the meal is served throughout the course of the play. The guests are served with metal dishware. No utensils are provided, as the guests must dig in with their hands or sip the soup from the bowl to recreate the medieval experience. The drinks comprise of two tankards of Pepsi, beer, or coffee, and the meal, served in order, consists of delicious vegetable soup in a just-so serving, a large slice of warm, tasty garlic bread, an entire leg of hot, mouthwatering, roasted chicken, a small slice of spare rib and half of a small baked potato that is nevertheless spiced to perfection. Towelettes are served at the end of the main meal followed by a tasty dessert of apple pastry.
Overall, Medieval Times provides a great evening entertainment worth $47.95. Admission includes dinner, beverages, and the show. The only real problem to Medieval Times is the long drive through the traffic ridden Freeway 5 to get there.
Located at 7662 Beach Blvd., schedules, admission tickets, and discount coupons are available online at medievaltimes.com/2006/cahomepage.html. Knott’s Berry Farm is one block north and Disneyland is 10 minutes away.