The following things, I learned last night, are all associated with a period of history known as “medieval”: bawdy limericks, Shakespeare, monks, chastity belts, the Irish, and Simon and Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair.”

Thirteen of us ventured (and that is the correct word) through the heart of the Big Dig to The Medieval Manor Theatre Restaurant, somewhere on the other side of I-93. We were there to celebrate Dan’s birthday, though he sadly escaped much personal ribbing from King Dominic, Shmutz the Oaf, Squeegie the Jester, and the various wenches.



We enjoyed the food, all eaten with our hands, from “cheese trenchers” (pizza, anyone?) to entire chickens. “Our beer tonight is Michelob Amber Bock,” Sadie said – why do I think that’s their beer every night? We each got a pitcher, which, when combined with the amount of food and the entertainment value, makes the $23 a head cost seem pretty reasonable. What impressed the most was the cast’s seriousness and commitment to the dramatic, boring parts of the show. As someone in the group said as we walked back to the T, “You know what, they didn’t make any mistakes!” It’s a strange thing to say at an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink faux medieval banquet and theater evening, but it was completely true. There was Colin Quinn-meets-Ryan O’Neal as Squeegie, Famke Jansseen-meets-the Biscuit as Lily, Chris Cooper after a few more years in the swamps on guitar, and Schmonz as Shmutz. After all that, though, I still can’t place the King – Brian Dennehy meets one of the guys from Car Talk? Not quite, but close.

We had a great time, though much of it was spent in disbelief at the ridiculous, surreal things people were doing on stage, and the bad, bad jokes. If you’re interested in hearing from people who actually didn’t like it, be sure to check out their Pan Mail.



Also, for further elucidation on the medieval theatrical phenomenon, check out the 1996 This American Life show in which Ira goes to Medieval Times with a medieval scholar.