Ren Faire

[DanaK]

Quote

The HBO Original three-part documentary series REN FAIRE, produced and directed by Lance Oppenheim, executive produced by Elara Pictures, and co-created by Oppenheim & David Gauvey Herbert, debuts SUNDAY, JUNE 2 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. Episodes two and three will air back-to-back the following Sunday, June 9.

Synopsis: For half a century, 86-year-old George Coulam, known to his employees as King George, has reigned with an iron fist over the Texas Renaissance Festival, the largest such "faire" in the world. He has power, as the elected mayor of the town he incorporated. He has glory, as the undisputed employer and self-proclaimed ruler of thousands. He has vast wealth, as the majority shareholder of the festival. Now, he is ready to give it all up and spend the last years of his life in the quest for a romantic companion. But before he retires, George will finally choose which of his longtime employees will take his crown.

Blending documentary verité with fantasy, REN FAIRE - a three-part docu-fantasia - invites you behind the curtain of the famed Texas festival to reveal a tense and comical succession drama. Featuring individuals self-styled as Shakespearean characters, the series details an epic power struggle between an actor, a former elephant trainer, and a kettle-corn kingpin, all vying to claim George's throne. As King George's idiosyncrasies mount, the series' tension over who will be chosen ascends to increasingly operatic heights, against a backdrop where the employees imagine themselves in a real-life "Game of Thrones."

Full press release http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2024/05/21/hbo-original-documentary-series-ren-faire-debuts-june-2-46113/20240521hbo02/

 

[SVNBob]

As someone who regularly attends TRF, has worked there in the past, and is friends with someone who is friends with one of the "stars" of this show, this series is going to be interesting.

 

[meep.meep]

A bit over the top.  Helps to remember that a lot of these folks are actors.

He's wrong about it being the first Renaissance Fair if it started in 1974.  Both Los Angeles are and San Francisco area had Ren Fairs that started in the late 60s.

[Irlandesa]

It was over-the-top but kind of fun.  It definitely felt like a real situation with semi-fictional dialogue.  But I have to admit, I got a kick out of the general manager telling his wife to say she serves George.  So ridiculous but kind of great, especially followed by the surreal phone call. 

[Shrek]

Is this for real. I accidentally caught the second half as I was merrily flicking through the tv line up looking for something to watch and ended up watching it & then staying to watch the first half afterwards.

I spent yesterday trying to remember what it reminded me of & and it dawned on me last night, it reminded me of the first time I accidentally came across the first ever episode of The Office in 2001 on BBC2. The "this looks like a documentary but" train of thought, as it turned out The Office was a spoof & a brilliant one at that, is this one for real or another in the same vein as The Office? 

[DanaK]

3 minutes ago, Shrek said:

Is this for real. I accidentally caught the second half as I was merrily flicking through the tv line up looking for something to watch and ended up watching it & then staying to watch the first half afterwards.

I spent yesterday trying to remember what it reminded me of & and it dawned on me last night, it reminded me of the first time I accidentally came across the first ever episode of The Office in 2001 on BBC2. The "this looks like a documentary but" train of thought, as it turned out The Office was a spoof & a brilliant one at that, is this one for real or another in the same vein as The Office? 

I’m pretty sure it’s real but that doesn’t preclude some recreated scenes (I think the director mentioned one in an interview) or these folks, who are performers, playing things up

[meep.meep]

what a surprise!  (not) George doesn't sell, doesn't pick a successor, and manages to screw over three people who actually believed in what he has built.

I couldn't figure out how Jeff lost about 200 pounds between getting fired and getting his job back as drama director.

[Maurina]

Ugh. I have had bosses like George.  They are the fucking worst.  All ego, endless verbal abuse, ridiculous demands, and ad hominem attacks.  Bite me, dude.  You literally could not pay enough to work for another one of those assholes. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

I couldn't figure out how Jeff lost about 200 pounds between getting fired and getting his job back as drama director.

He said he had weight loss surgery.  And I believe I read that this documentary was filmed over the course of more than a year. 

I've been reading some of the stuff on reddit from people who attend this festival and who have worked there.  It sounds like George may be even worse than he appeared in this doc.  And Louie is apparently a horrible boss that he just had a bunch of people quit on him. 

I think this could have been half as long.  I was intrigued for the first hour but once I realized where it was going, and the theatrics, I started suspecting it was more and more staged. 

 

 

[CherryMalotte]

I've been to the seasonal Ren Faire here and enjoyed it so much, even though it's expensive.  

I can't even imagine working for/with George.  It's not just he control freak thing, but what comes out of this dude's mouth - he's got to have lawsuits.  Why would any woman work for this idiot?  And really, he would find fault with anyone, no matter how hard they worked for him.  That sale was never going to go thru, to the Sherwood people or to that staff member.  He'd never be able to live it down if they ran it better than him. 

Now I want to see a doc about the actual workers and performers at any Ren Faire.

[Linderhill]

silly me, I thought this would be about the whole Renaissance Fair organization, nation wide.  Instead it was a an misogynistic ass control freak with majorly bad decorating taste.  A rocco bathroom? yikes!

[SVNBob]

5 hours ago, Linderhill said:

I thought this would be about the whole Renaissance Fair organization, nation wide. 

There's no such thing.  Most faires are independently owned and operated.

There is the faire "circuit", where performers and merchants travel from faire to faire throughout the year to ply their trades.  But which faires are on the circuits are up to each individual act and company.  (Plus with the internet and Etsy in particular, there's less need for many of the people who sell their own hand-made crafts to attend a lot of faires, so they'll tend to go for the bigger and/or more attended faires.)

[aghst]

More than one reviewer comparing it to Succession.

Justified?

[merylinkid]

Jeff was gone as GM as soon as he talked about bringing ideas back from Germany.    No one is allowed to have ideas except George.  You could see it in George's eyes whenever Jeff talked about Germany.

George wants a companion then keeps looking on "Hot Girls R Us."   He would have better  luck hitting up bingo night at the local retirement home.   but he was gross talking about sex all the time.

Of course he was never going to sell.   Anyone who expressed interest in buying and taking over would automatically be labeled as disloyal.  Although Jeff was an idiot, both he and his wife's income depended on one narcissist.   great way to wind up homeless and broke.   George has built a company town and everyone better kiss George's ass or be gone.  

[anniebird]

Was Louie pounding Coors Light nonstop or was that something else in cans?

[SVNBob]

Bud Light is one of TRF's sponsors, so....

[T Summer]

As a once avid Renaissance Faire goer I was so delighted and intrigued when I saw the promo for a series  called Ren Faire.

 

I never want to attend the TRF. I don't give a damn if it's the biggest or longest running (don't now if they actually stated that), I'd never put a penny in the pocket of that insufferable little toad!

The way George had totally incoherent outbursts yelling nonsense over the women especially who work for him. What's the book YOU need to get? Why I need to read more... that's the book you need to get, he railed. The man is deranged.

Never have I ever seen so much expensive decor: stained glass, carved wood, gilt, oil paintings,  statues... freestanding and in  niches look quite so garish and so tacky. Some university gave him and "art degree"? Their doors should be shuttered immediately.

 

 

[Shrek]

33 minutes ago, T Summer said:

As a once avid Renaissance Faire goer I was so delighted and intrigued when I saw the promo for a series  called Ren Faire.

 

I never want to attend the TRF. I don't give a damn if it's the biggest or longest running (don't now if they actually stated that), I'd never put a penny in the pocket of that insufferable little toad!

The way George had totally incoherent outbursts yelling nonsense over the women especially who work for him. What's the book YOU need to get? Why I need to read more... that's the book you need to get, he railed. The man is deranged.

Never have I ever seen so much expensive decor: stained glass, carved wood, gilt, oil paintings,  statues... freestanding and in  niches look quite so garish and so tacky. Some university gave him and "art degree"? Their doors should be shuttered immediately.

 

 

Undecided about him then? 

[SVNBob]

8 hours ago, T Summer said:

I don't give a damn if it's the biggest or longest running (don't now if they actually stated that),

Physically it's the largest.  55+ acres of territory; covering the festival village proper, parking, camping, and other space.

Longest running?  Definitely not.  That honor goes to the Original California Renaissance Pleasure Faire, the mother of all Ren Faires in the US.

 

[TattleTeeny]

On 6/24/2024 at 4:33 AM, SVNBob said:

Bud Light is one of TRF's sponsors, so....

It was Red Bull; he said he no longer drinks. 

Did he claim it was the longest-running? I thought I heard him say that he'd attended another one before he ever created his own.

Edited August 4, 2024 by TattleTeeny

[aghst]

Sounded like Louie didn’t really have the money George wanted or George kept raising the price.  The other buyer was haggling over the closing costs and that deal fell through.

If it was the big cash flow machine that they make it out to be, there would be more potential buyers than one employee and a vendor.

Meanwhile, for all the books George says Darla should read, it doesn’t sound like he ever hired a professional, someone trained in hospitality as well as business disciplines like marketing and finance, to run the place.  For one thing, a professional with in demand skills would never put up with his abuse.

It’s also possible that the cash flow is great for George because he doesn’t have debt but a buyer who pays $60 million wouldn’t be able to pay the loans from the cash flow and have a good annual return.

Obviously many scenes were staged, like Jeff talking to the guy in the dragon mask and other scenes where the camera frames them at weird angles or up close and they’re addressing the camera.

I guess these scenes, like Jeff telling George not to sell to Louie — why would George listen to him? — injected more drama than a straight documentary style.