Medieval show marks milestone

Walk the Excalibur's main floor on a Friday night and casino dancing girls gyrate to Nelly's "Hot N Herre" across from a place called Dick's Last Resort, where grown-ups, not kids, wear wacky party hats.

But down in the basement? A midway arcade still bombards you with bells and buzzers before you enter a 900-seat arena to find a flurry of hoofs, "Huzzah!"s and knightly jousting in "Tournament of Kings."

It's the fourth-oldest show on the Strip (unless you nitpick that before 1999 it was the somewhat different "King Arthur's Tournament"). It's the only show with a theme matching its host property and a reminder of that summer in 1990 when it seemed Las Vegas would reinvent itself as a family destination.

The cast and crew recently marked the show's 20th anniversary with a 300-pound cake shaped like the castle. Hotel president Felix Rappaport cited 12,300 performances for more than 7 million people, and said the Excalibur is "the largest purveyor of Cornish game hens in the world," when it comes to ye olde dinner, served sans utensils since day one.

"This will be totally different than anything else you can see in Las Vegas," late producer Peter Jackson claimed in a 1990 Review-Journal story that also noted, "The Excalibur is banking on a long-running alternative to the feather-and-sequin production shows."

"Tournament" is still unique, even if no one saw Cirque du Soleil coming or realized the family thing would not survive much beyond shows. Family-friendly titles in fact held strong in the recession; people still tend to spend money when their kids are involved.

"Tournament" hasn't had a major makeover since 1999, and its future has been in limbo. It's long been rumored Cirque will seize the room, but that talk has cooled for a venue that can't expand because of physical barriers.

Producer Patrick Jackson, who took over after his father's death in late 1998, says he has two plans: a roughly $1.5 million upgrade of the familiar show -- new lighting, costumes and scenic improvements -- as well an entirely new concept more in the $5 million ballpark.

MGM Resorts International hasn't been too excited about the latter, and has until the end of the year to make the decision about the more modest upgrades and a contract extension. "There are more things we're happy about than not happy about with (the show)," Rappaport says. "The one thing we want to do better is marketing." Ongoing technical upgrades don't have to run hand in hand with new artistic content, he adds.

"We're very lucky because it's medieval," Jackson says with a laugh. And the show may be stuck in time, but he isn't. If it runs another 20 years, "By then I'd be 78."

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.