This is home. Here Henry VIII rules with wit, wisdom and the threat of a sword across the back of one's neck. Hawker's and craftsmen alike are very skilled in their accents and acting and tend to pull an unwitting faire-go'er into an impromptu act. Three main pubs are available to quench the most insatiable thirst, and entertainers are also around to keep the drunken sots occupied with songs, stories and rhyme. Traveling musicians wander the grounds and include celtic harpists, bagpipers, singers, and storytellers. The food is excellent (fried cheese might quickly become one's basic food group...) and the shopkeepers take great pains in making their wares intriguing and true to period. There are several singing acts including Capprizzio, Full Measure, The Rogues of Scotland and the Pyrates Royale, all of which are crowd-pleasers and sure to tickle your funny-bone. The jousting teams are very well-trained, and the human chess match is often hysterical to behold. Inside jokes run rampant and poking fun at the royalty is almost encouraged. Hecklers are usually silenced with a witty comeback and it's a challenge to make the performers step out of character, if even for a moment. Shows include skits based on Shakespeare, the infamous Mud Show, the pub sings, fire-eaters, sword-swallowers, mimes, madrigals, street performers doing impromptu skits and magicians tending to their art. If you're around during the season, check for me and my troupe at The White Hart pub (our home at home) by simply looking for the loudest, most obnoxious bunch of drunks around. More than likely, that will be us. God Shave the King!
Page Update: The actor who played Henry VIII, Bill Huttel, passed away in the fall of 2001. He will be sorely missed by anyone who had the priviledge of knowing him. God Save The King...
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