By Hannah Hacking Brown
One of the offerings from The Salt Lake Fringe Festival is The Sons of Arthur, a regal tale of glory and woe at The Alliance Theater’s black box in Salt Lake City. The Sons of Arthur is a delightful tale of brotherhood and the importance of family over glory.
The actors and Denali Linton devised this hour-long piece together. They combined the story of Gawain’s quest for knighthood (The Green Knight) with the story of the fall of Camelot. They chose to center the story around half-brothers Gawain and Mordred and their relationship with each other and their father, King Arthur.
King Arthur’s illegitimate son Mordred must travel with Arthur’s legitimate son Gawain to fulfill Gawain’s quest for knighthood. Unfortunately, when a kind Lord and Lady take the pair in for a few days, Gawain is swayed by the Lady into acting dishonorably and wearing a magical protection sash for his duel with The Green Knight. Upon their return, Arthur celebrates his son’s knighthood until Mordred’s mother reveals the magic of the sash, and an already aging Arthur loses his last grip on his sanity and drives his son Mordred into killing him.
Alison Rino makes Gawain surprisingly likable to me. The character has many faults, but they make his choices seem reasonable and understandable. Marie Jacobs as King Arthur impressed me with her mannerisms and movement. She fully embodies the character and exuded the air of aging royalty. Tommy Brown (understudy for Riley Trepanier) is very expressive as Mordred. His facial expressions and vocal variety really make the character feel grounded and realistic. Andrew-Elijah Schindler as the Green Knight and the Lord are surprisingly amiable, especially considering some of the plot points that may or may not be what we thought. I liked how well Rose Allen distinguishes her two characters, Morgana and the Lady, from each other so clearly. She gives them different posture, movement, and mannerisms.
The costumes (done by Genevene Schindler) are incredible. Each costume really feels like it contributes to the character. I was especially blown away by the monster’s costume about a third of the way through the show. The skull head and clicking bone claws mesmerized me.
There is little to speak of in the way of sound tech because there are very few sound effects and the actors easily project throughout the space with no need for microphones.
The set is limited to a chair, an ottoman, and a pillow, but between those and the lighting changes for the forest, they maximize the effect and get the best result with very few pieces.
Allen and Trepanier direct the show alongside Daniel Barton. They bring the heart to the forefront of the show.
The black box is a small theater. It’s relatively easy to find, with a sandwich board out front calling it “venue 2” to distinguish the buildings more easily for those who haven’t been before, but Google leads to the parking lot on the opposite side of the square. The parking is limited to street parking and parking shared with the stores in the area, so be sure to factor parking time into your travel. Note: This is on a Trax stop (600 South) and you can park at the Salt Lake Central Station and take Trax into town.
The show is PG-13 because they mostly stick to the source material when it comes to the Lord and Lady’s game with Gawain. Nothing untoward happens onstage, but it is heavily implied that it happens offstage. However, I had a fun time, and I would totally recommend this show to most anyone, especially if you’re already going to the Fringe Festival.
The Salt Lake Fringe Festival presents The Sons of Arthur.
Alliance Theater, 602 E 500 S, Suite E101, Salt Lake City, UT 84102
August 5, 2023 6:00 PM, August 6, 2023 7:30 PM
Tickets: $15 Ticket Link
Contact: 80-888-9638
Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival Website
Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival Facebook Page
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