The New York Times organization would do well to mandate attendance for its Editorial Board, columnists, and staff at sponsored staff retreats to regular performances of Medieval Times.
I had no idea this even existed--now I want to go!
1
I have worked with Monet Lerner and Quinn Coffman in many productions in Dallas. They are both very talented and very kind. I have seen the look of awe in little girl's eyes when they meet the "Queen," and that look tells me it is high time for Queens to rule, even imaginary ones. It can begin a narrative of empowerment that can last a lifetime. The world needs more female empowerment narratives, especially for our youths. Yaaaaassssss, Queens!
5
Just a reminder that modern day feminism isn't about equality, but resentment and dominance.
1
Well, the specially bred horse is very handsome.
Everything else is pathetic and hokey beyond belief, and the food looks simply awful -- awful! -- $60??? in low cost areas like Dallas and Orlando, that could be a pretty nice meal for FOUR people -- something like good ethnic food.
This is my idea of hell.
2
Oh, so problem solved, then?
1
But one of my kids asked to go one more time before he reported to boot camp!
And, of course, we went.
Yeah, its dumb fun.
I'll read more Proust in hell.
7
Yeah, okay. Medieval Times is kitschy and hokey as all hell, but it's a good time. I can't help but love it. And going as a kid in sixth grade to the Florida Castle left me with a lifelong fascination with the Medieval era, so it does have it's good points.
7
People making a living in the service industry. It is mildly interesting to hear that the kings have been replaced with kings...
2
It's all about the horses.
9
I hope the photos are not representative of the show overall: queen and knights all white. "Wench" and folks in the kitchen persons of color. Hmmm...
10
@Ann Mellow There are people of color acting in the shows in my location! I would hope that is the same at others. I know many who work there and they are treated well no matter what their position!
Dinner and dirt.
1
Sounds like the same strongly gender-biased narrative, simply from another perspective. Want real transgressive? Try a Medieval Times concept from the serfs' point of view.
9
My son had me watch a few of the most recent episodes of Game of Thrones with him over Christmas break (I had never before watched G of T), and frankly this Medieval Times plot change seems more like a nod to the tv series than to the MeToo movement. From what I saw at Christmas, the world of Game of Thrones seems to be dominated by strong women ruling the kingdoms and ordering the men about. From what I have read, the story line didn't start out that way, but it looks that way now.
What interested me in this article is the statement that the Queen's horse was "specially bred for the show". Could someone elaborate on that? Was the horse truly "bred" for the show, or simply "trained" for the show. I have never heard of any animal being "bred" for a legitimate entertainment enterprise (cockfighting chickens are clearly an example of something that is or should be illegal).
Please, sir, more about the horse!
6
Yeah the gorgeous dappled gray horse is the most interesting thing here. I agree, I think the horse was trained for this job, and not "bred specially". That makes no sense. It doesn't even sound like the horse does tricks or anything -- just that he is trained to be calm despite the noise and crowds.
I agree on "Game of Thrones" as well. I read the original novel when it came out in 1996; the TV series has departed from the story considerably by now. It definitely skews the story to be more about women, and is even MORE violent (and the book IS very violent) and graphic sexually.
It says more about US as a society than about the book.
Laugh all you wish, high minded academic elites--Medieval Times & other similar productions--Cavalia etc--are successful live entertainment productions, which hopefully fire children's imagination, expose them to beautiful horses, perhaps stimulate their interest in theater/performing arts and last not least give a LOT of actors/crew a paycheck along with the chance to hone their craft. Let's not forget that --back in the day--Shakespeare wrote to entertain, amuse & please the masses...
15
A Medieval Feast ? Not exactly
corn? tomatoes? potatoes? none of these were available in Europe in the Middle Ages. They were introduced into Europe from the Americas in the 1500s.
21
They are actually very American foods! from the New World! so I guess it depends on "what year is this supposed to be"? The 1500s were the Renaissance, not truly the Middle Ages. And potatoes, corn and tomatoes were very recently introduced by Columbus at the very END of the 1400s and were slow to catch on.
People back then ate roast mutton mostly -- the most common meat -- and bread, root vegetables like turnips, and of course, cabbage. Spices were very expensive (except of course for royalty!) and most food would have been bland. No refrigeration, so a lot of the food was spoiled by our standards. They did have sweets though, mostly made with honey & nuts.
2
What a HUGE PR FAIL!
First of all, Medieval Times is a heinous waste of money. I know, as a teenager I was suckered in to the one in Orlando shortly after it opened. Being make believe 'queen' to a bunch of tourists in paper crowns who eat bad chicken with their hands hardly qualifies as a coup d'é-tat or an epic score for feminism. Phleeeeze!!!!!!
11
I'm not sure the company was trying to claim this was some "epic score for feminism" - even if the article seems to portray it that way. And hey, a win is a win - no matter how small. :)
7
At $61 per person, a family of four would have to spend $254 (!!!) to eat a really lousy bland unappetizing meal with their HANDS in a dirty arena watching a show about jousting.
This sounds considerably more costly and less interesting than your average Medieval Faire and those dot the nation every summer.
1
So, Kitsch still sells in the U.S. Whoda thunk?
6
The worst birthday of my life was being taken to one of these Medieval places by a misguided girlfriend. Corny, horrible food. I can't imagine how these places stay in business. And having a queen instead of a king would be fixing anything.
8
American ‘culture’ at its’ best? At Barnum famously observed, ‘There’s a sucker born every minute’.
6
Shhh, don't tell the people going to the Toronto outpost. Also, don't tell them that it was created in Spain (but I'm guessing that you didn't actually read the article, you just wanted to make your pithy comment).
4
Ah, shades of the Artist Formerly Known as Dixie Stampede, aka "Civil War Medieval Times." It's basically the same show, but instead of knights and queens there are soldiers and southern belles. Dolly Parton, who owns it, recently announced that "Dixie" will be dropped from the name, and yeah, there's some squirming about the whole plantation romance thing thanks to Slate outrage, but like Medieval Times it makes a ton of money selling a fantasy that never existed.
6
I love Medieval Times. I went there twice when I was stationed at Fort Hood and twice going on field trips back in Illinois. My favorite part about the place though:
"Can I have some spoons, please?"
"We don't use spoons, this is Medieval times!"
"Ok fine, can I have a Pepsi?"
"Sure!"
40
I think what would of been nice is to have a queen and king alternate thru out the week so it would be equal to each side and give the show some randomness for people who go often.
5
Performing at Medieval Times is not a career job. Its something people do for a few years and then move on. Many more attractive young women are available to play queens than young men to play kings. Also, the women will work for less pay.
3
I’ve been to the Midieval Times in NJ and my wallet was depleted by the time I left. Considering that these “castles” are glorified warehouses, the company must make money hand over fist - they should pay the kids profiled in this story better. And, yes, the shift to a queen from a king is an interesting and welcome change.
8
I'm going to Tuscany in May to see real medieval stuff.
7
Thanks for a delightful article! Here's how working actors, waiters, and chefs make a living. Even if the foods served are all wrong.
29
With examples ranging from Joan of Arc to Matilda of Tuscany to countless female Vikings, there is nothing anachronistic or historically inaccurate about women in armor doing battle.
31
A mass consumption institution in red state country that serves its ravenous guests healthy portions of generic food and mindless entertainment makes a subtle change to address obvious massive sexism in their culturally void theatrical performances. Customers respond with Vapid or hostile stares. Great article though. It's not exactly Shakespeare but I would go for the experience. Much more interesting than the story line is the reaction whereby some (male) audience members think the changes lessen the story. The original patriarchal story was relevant to only the most unaware male part of the population. The changes are obvious improvements touching upon very relevant social dynamics that affect all of us every day. Medieval Times I applaud you!
5
even thou my son has entered adulthood he still loves going to Medieval Times
It's just plain fun.
10
Ms. Lerner, Mr. Calloway, and all the other people working at Medieval Faire strike me as examples of what make this country truly great. Its people.
Maybe this particular job, or this particular performance, fails to meet some people's standards for historical accuracy or gastronomic excellence. But the customers like it. It provides a relatively affordable evening of dining and entertainment for literally millions of people. If it lets a young woman rent a condo and buy a good used car, doing an acting job, and waiting for her dream role - then more power to Ms Lerner, her co-workers, and the people behind the business. Medieval Faire, and about a million other such enterprises - and their tens of millions of hardworking, good, decent employees, are what make living in this country so comfortable, enjoyable, and entertaining.
God Bless them all.
42
Dona Maria Isabella- interesting choice for a name for the Queen. I just finished reading a biography of Queen Isabella of Spain ("Isabella: the Warrior Queen", by Kristin Downey). You may have heard of her- among many other things, she was one of the monarchs who financed the voyage of Christopher Columbus. The idea of a queen commanding knights is not a new one, by any means. If you want to criticize Medieval Times for anything, try the menu, although I suspect most modern people would not be very interested in real medieval food.
15
As a an academic medievalist, I have always been interested in visiting Medieval Times to see the jousting, but I don't live very close to one, so have not been there yet. I'm disappointed that the menu is not more authentic--tomatoes, potatoes, and corn are all New World foods. How about vegetable soup (without tomatoes or potatoes), roast chicken, green beans, and a pilaf made with farro or barley, both grains that medieval people grew? I realize that some people visiting these attractions aren't that interested in historical authenticity, but having a more historically accurate menu would be a way of teaching them more about the period.
52
And the paprika and cayenne -- also New World. Not to mention the soy. And I'm betting the three-bean soup was made with three New World beans.
Conveniently, we have thousands of actual medieval recipes, many of them quite tasty. If you want a meat stew, try chicken in brewes, or egredouce (sweet-and-sour, with vinegar and currants). In place of the potatoes, try turnips. And so on. The ingredients don't need to be expensive, not the results weird.
5
Since one of the premises of the performance is that the meal be eaten with the fingers, some of the items on your suggested more authentic menu (e.g. pilaf) would be problematic.
8
That's a good point, but do the guests at Medieval Times eat soup with their fingers? Medieval people did have spoons (and knives, of course!). Forks came later, but the idea that people in the Middle Ages lacked eating utensils is wrong. Perhaps the more accurate menu could come with a (souvenir) wooden spoon!
12
See here, sirrah, I come to throw down the gauntlet, to joust a bit over the tone of the bellibone Ms. Severson, the fadoodle of PC terminology, and perchance to get in a cheap shot at Trump. And faugh, my comments have yet to see the light of day, as the Lord intended. I am most wroth.
27
Prithee, Dan, how doth thou carve thine words so finely into the parchment that is mine?
I can but wonder in amazement!
4
Less wroth now, I wonder why the mere mention of the medieval age incites within me the urge to battle. Must be that Scots ancestry or something.
1
Setting the whole gender issue aside, more equality is just better in my mind, no I am looking at the business here: "Medieval Times", what the hell is it?! Looking at this with an European POV, I am just baffled, it looks just weird and tacky, oh and the food, why corn? Corn wasn't "invented" yet in the high middle ages. The costumes look silly and I don't know it all just feels like a scam.
11
@ Himmelganger Norway
Do not forget the long US-Hollywood tradition of distorting world history, to suit the ephemeral tastes of the public.
4
If you are concerned that this is not historically 100% accurate, you are correct. But it is just for fun, so I wouldn't get so worked up about it.
16
It's on par with the "medieval" shows I saw in German and French theme parks.
8
Unfortunate title, but I guess it works as click bait. If anything, because the change was planned before the current feminist witch hunt, it is an example that suggests the destructive "men are guilty until, well, men are guilty" feminist propaganda wasn't as necessary has the NYTimes would have you believe.
10
Caption for third pic: "Female servers are called wenches."
And this is called progress?
Look it up. More than one meaning. Not all of them "good."
10
Pshaw sirrah, it's called "medieval". In medieval times, waitresses were called wenches, because the word waitress did not exist. Later meanings added on to the word, don't make it necessarily a bad word. So relax.
5
And waiters are called "serfs" . Total nonsense. Serfdom was a condition, not a title. They could call them "villains", but only if they had any regards for historical accuracy. Which I doubt very much.
3
Medieval Times you are Awesome! This is the kind of stuff that makes America so great! Wacky Wild Wow! My first stop in Dallas! Right on Texas!! Where's the Bud Light???
7
Now if we could only get Queen Latifah to replace King Donald the Last.
38
Fabulous! Glad to see Medieval Times are keeping up with the 21st century! Even better than the queen, I see a "serving lad" in the photos- when we went in Toronto 15 years ago, it was a "serving wench."
7
There are reasons why Queen is the most powerful piece in Chess
31
What's wrong with crowd pleasers that serve mass-produced but tasty food? Does everything have to be high art?
Like Katy Perry, I've been to Medieval Times and enjoyed it.
To me, it's like Oscar bait-movies. While I think many are over-hyped, I look forward to the end of the year when they flood out. But aside from profits, most people do not want to see only serious, high minded movies. There's a reason James Bond and the Marvel Universe series are popular.
They'd better be well-made, but if they are, for two hours, fun is fun. And yes, if you enjoy the premise, Medieval Times is well-done.
2
Whether it's a king or queen, I'll think I'll be dining in tonight.
6
And yet a third thing! They should definitely have changed the menu long ago, because it has corn on it, and in Medieval times, as far as Europeans, Africans, Asians, South Americans, Australians, and other people knew, there was no such thing as corn.
13
Or tomatoes, or potatoes.
3
Oh geez (rolling my eyes) here we go. Now we even have to ‘fantasize’ with gender equality in mind. I do think it’s a great idea to rotate the monarch positions from male to female but to dethrone all the kings and replace them with all queens is beyond overkill. Just when you think things can’t get more politically correct you read a story like this. I’m glad I’m not a male child growing up in this day and age. They’re being inundated with negative male stereotypes. Chivalry is dead.
7
Boys going to this show have 6 knights to admire. They have had kings there for over 30 years. How is taking one leadership role and giving it to women a deathblow for chivalry? It's not even parity.
4
I have no objection to having queens AND kings... I do not believe in exclusion of one sex over the other, although this has been the default setting for males since forever. we're back to a weird separation of the sexes, which I do not see as a road to cooperation, amity or true equality. even in something as ridiculously simple as a faux medieval banquet.
5
How about they give females the top role for 30 years, just to equal it, and then alternate? And while I’m at it, I’d love to see 200 years of role reversal in Washington, DC. What a different world this would be.
2
I've always wondered about Medieval Times, and this article was a fabulously written explanation. Now I know!
26
If you want to check out a great story about female empowerment at a renaissance festival, read "All's Faire in Middle School", by my daughter's favorite author Victoria Jamieson. It is a terrific 'tale' about how a child actor in a faire learns to be herself in the face of peer and social pressures!
9
I guess this is the answer to which is more important: being Politically Correct or Historically Correct.
Some American Indian tribes are finding out that being politically correct is preventing the non-approved (no legal permission) use of a phrase with a meaning that might be referring to Indians, has the unintended consequence of making the Indian tribes disappear in the American public speech.
1
I hope this wasn't just a cheap ploy to save money. Are the Queens paid the same as the Kings?
49
The Medieval Times powers that be assured me that they were.
32
Sub minimum wage all round for these rubes, I reckon.
2
Nothing says currentness like women's empowerment among steeds, plate armor, lances, and tabards.
Pretty sure just meeting a woman doctor, lawyer, scientist, politician, etc. would be more transformative to someone's (especially a young girl's) beliefs than spying a pretty lady in a queen's costume at an expensive restaurant.
That said, I do like Medieval Times and I think their doing this is a nod in the right direction, shows a willingness to change.
12
Hello...there were several Medieval queens of note as is well established in the historical record. The fact that a cheesy dinner theater is demonstrating this fact (and basically just borrowing from popular Renaissance faires with QE 1 as it’s figurehead) is just not news. Sorry.
7
We've had some fantastic TV series on New Zealand Freeview TV. 'The White Queen' and 'The White Princess' being just two well produced and excellent TV series, about powerful intelligent woman in British history.
It's a start. However, when we took the kids, my 10-year-old son loved the entire experience -- show, food, all of it. 13-year-old daughter wanted to know why there weren't any women among the combatants. When Medieval Times starts hiring women as jousters, that will be much more of a blow for equality. And there are a lot of very good women riders in Texas and the Plains states, where barrel racing helps them develop their competitive riding skills. Why not reach out to that circuit and modify the story line to include women joining the competition to find the best knight in the land?
45
And as we know, From Game of Thrones, sometimes the best knight is a woman.
3
Oh, my gosh, you took the words out of my mouth! “Call me when they hire female jousters.” And there’s no need to go into the rodeo circuit, where both the riders and horses are built for speed. There are already female jousters and women used to working with big cold and warm bloods.
4
I've caught the ads for this, and I think the average commoner won't care. Queens are more interesting than Kings, usually, even when it comes to NYC boroughs, and certainly in the case of chess.
However, there's a misconception, Medieval times had ruling queens, as did earlier eras (eg: Cleopatra). America has never had a ruling queen, although we've got a would-be-King now.
So yet again, America gets beat to the punch on having a woman in charge, and this time it's not even a nation doing it, but an event-type restaurant.
14
The audience that night may not have sensed the significance of Medieval Times' move, but lots of other ladies sure appreciate it! I wish I didn't live 400 miles away from the nearest location -- that roasted chicken looks pretty good.
8
Not that strange or anachronistic. Recall the exchange in "Wolf Hall", when complains that Henry's only heir is Mary, and that a woman can't lead an army.
"Her grandmother did", replies Cromwell.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_I_of_Castile
6
Corn on the cob, aka maize? Roasted potatoes? Surely those weren't introduced from the New World until after Columbus?
18
Nor was the tomato.
The meal was not medieval -- it would have been eaten off a trencher -- a large slab of bread that soaked up all the juices. Medieval banquet cooking was very sophisticated but probably would not have been much to modern tastes.
2
I don’t think they had Diet Pepsi either.
5
And furthermore, forsooth! This line struck me as uncalled-for, "(On the other hand, the show still refers to its waitresses as wenches.)". This is completely appropriate because, hello, it's medieval times, and serving-girls were known as wenches, affectionately, and probably called much coarser terms by the commoners. Boys were squires, men were knights, knaves, or serfs, older women were matrons, then crones.
Don't try to overwrite history with PC silliness, please. At Medieval Times, waitresses should always be known as wenches, it's not a slur.
15
One of the funniest classified ads I ever saw was "Ford bumper with wench attached".
The New York Renaissance Faire has had a queen for absolutely ages... but due to the fact that it is nominally based on Elizabethan England.
7
What does a used Nissan Sentra have to do with women's rights. This article is simply mocking working class, unsophisticated people; an easy target now that we're living in tRump world.
HRC lost because she too mocked these people; tRump made them feel heard and empowered. I don't think the democrats really want to lead; they, like most politicians, are most interested in feeding at the trough of political campaign contributions and avoiding controversy.
5
I'm sorry you read this story as mocking. I absolutely enjoyed my time with the crew in Dallas and had much respect for the passion with which Ms. Lerner does her job. Details tell a lot about a person, and she was very proud she was able to buy her new-to-her car because of her job. This story was not about presidential politics. It was about American culture. Specific details help tell any good newspaper tale.
75
Kim, I absolutely loved this story. Fantastic job.
20
Well said Ms. Severson, and I think people are on a hair trigger about mockery generally, in the current winter of our discontent. I think too that people who enjoy such re-enactments (Medieval Times, Renaissance Faires, Civil War re-runs, Zombie Chases) are sensitive about being accused of foolishness.
2
Any attempts by Americans to do a British history series fails as it is best for each nation to stick to their own history and do a series about that. The USA has done some wonderful films about American history such as Roots and that one with Mel Gibson in it.
Medieval history is the grandparent of American history as it is important for Americans to watch the well produced 'White Queen' and 'White Princess' tv series to see that strong woman who were fighting the odds in a mans world in those days could hold their own and were powerful and intelligent. There's also 'The Red Queen (the cousins war), series going to be made as well. These series are about the House of Lancaster and The War of the Roses. (One house had a White Rose as their symbol and the other house had a Red Rose as their symbol and were both competing to be rulers of England)
Medieval English history precedes American history and they were your ancestors, in some cases and with interracial relationships today, it's all part and parcel of what makes the USA what it is. Whether desended from slave ships, or immigrants medieval history is part and parcel of USA history.
3
Medieval Times still does not allow women to become knights - a friend of mine is well qualified in fighting and riding (and doing both at the same time) but it unable to apply for that position.
Queens mean nothing to me. It's lip service and nothing more.
8
Medieval Times have their process and gimmick locked down with an original package of food and entertainment. It's not a history lesson--an often cited argument for why institutions can't change.
I really don't think anyone is going to notice to much if they swap up the gender of a few characters.
7
Depends on the exact time period but a few thoughts
Boadicea
Elizabeth I
Mary
Anne
Isabella
Joan of Arc (not a monarch but still)
Am sure others can add to the list.
5
Queen Victoria
Queen cleopatra
Queen Catherine the Great
De Medici queen of France
History tells us of countless queens who ruled through their husbands which isn’t clearly taught in us schools. Without queen Anne Boleyn, the great Thomas Cromwell couldn’t have completed his reformation.
2
Exactly - many of the best and most famous monarchs have been women, after all.
4
Sure thing, Cleopatra, Catherine the Great, Boudiccea, Jadwiga, plenty of women ruled nations in olden days.
1
Tell me about queens or kings, and watch me turn away in disinterest. Fortunately I can eat well without having to think of Henry VIII or Lady Macbeth and the like faux royalty.
7
"When she heard that some audience members didn’t seem to grasp the larger social significance of replacing the king with a queen — and that some even wanted the king back — she seemed slightly crestfallen."
Right, because the average American who would even go to a MT restaurant is going to pick-up on the subtle social clues, of a Queen for a King character swap. That's the crowd that goes to a Medieval Times, socially conscious and seekers of subtle messaging.
More like if it was pointed out, 1/2 would never come back.
16
There is no need to look down on people who go to Medieval Times and every little bit of help is important. Maybe some child sees the Queen and recognizes that hey, women can also be in leadership roles and not just the damsel in distress. Oftentimes, kids and adults get messages that don't stick the first time but repeat it enough and show it in different circumstances and eventually, some will get it.
I've never been to Medieval Times but I'm thinking of going to see what the act is about. My field is medical education: did you know it takes 17 years on average from the time a medical advancement is proven to it being implemented by the average MD? In the meantime, we use a variety of means (journals, online talks, in-person visits by experts, financial incentives, etc.) to try to educate clinicians. Change takes time but it does happen. Why would we expect anything less when it comes to educating about and changing the roles of women in kids' and adults' minds?
In 2015, Rifle Papers published a calendar with women leaders throughout history and across countries (including Asia and Africa). I still have it hanging on my wall. (Rifle, make a new one please!)
26
Ms - because there are a lot of Queen leadership positions for little girls to go into these days. Outside of make believe.
You know what I meant. I stick by it.
Yes, there is a real movement underway to try to show women as brutal as men.
It is time for some true "reality" shows that depict what women's lives were really like - even queens.
Suppression of women's power and rights are the hallmark of the catholic church and other religions. It is centuries past time to shelve the archaic "male" understanding of the world that is supposedly "romantic". It's barbaric.
Time for a new look at the world where women take one-half the power to bring balance and relative peace to the hate-anger-fear-destroy-rape-pillage-plunder-Lies,Lies,Lies-WAR model that seems to thrill much of the male population.
There are better ways to live.
7
Treat a person with brutality [of either gender] and that's what that person will show to the world.
4