What do you get when you combine knights, breaking the fourth wall, and the music of the impeccable Alan Menken of Disney fame? Our next show highlight is a cabaret of entertainment, comedy, lyrical, masterful tunes, and the explosion of story spectacles. The theme song opener sums it up: “Way back in days of old, there was a legend told, about a hero known as…GALAVANT!” Welcome now, princesses, heroes, and poor servants to my second Show Highlight!
In early 2015, ABC (which is owned by Disney of course, lol), Galavant was created as a mini/limited series (8 half-hour episodes) to play between seasons of the extremely popular, Once Upon a Time, which I also love. To quote one of the actresses, her description fits it wonderfully: “the bastard child of Monty Python and The Princess Bride.” The show has the same whimsy, fun, and humor as other Disney properties, but it titters on PG14-PG16 a few times. It makes you hoot, but since this is a family site, I wanted to give a proper rating.
Now, to continue our gallop through the history of Galavant!
The show was only supposed to be one short season, a placeholder, but it was so beloved, it got renewed for a second season/10 episodes the following year. IN FACT, the ending of the first season was even CHANGED to fit the surprising fact to the crew and actors got renewed for the second season! HA! AND, the opening number for season 2 is called “New Season” and talks about what WILL happen in the series with tons of pop culture references, the fourth wall breaks, and the best part, the characters stunned their show got revived!
This alone ropes you! But, this musical show (and you know how much I love Glee and musicals) has a great, epic tale to spin. Galavant is your stereotypical dashing, brave, powerful, romantic, worshipped, and partly egocentric knight. Everyone adores him. He falls in love with the most beautiful maiden in the village, Madalena. The two are going on a date when the King of the land, Richard, sees her while Galavant goes to buy her a baby piglet. King Richard falls in love at first sight. He asks for her hand, but when she declines, Richard kidnaps her. Galavant, the hero he is, mounts his noble steed and races to save his darling on the day of the forced royal wedding, the rocking ballad matching the pace of the horse and story perfectly. Galavant reaches just in time, telling Richard he will drop his sword because he loves Madalena that much.
YET! Here’s the twist: Madalena admits she loves her handsome knight, but she decides to marry the king, literally choosing “fame and fortune” over him! Galavant’s crestfallen face and King Richard’s power fisting yes in the background make this surprise even better!
Now, about two years later, Galavant is the shell of who he was, always drunk, and has a pop belly, being an annoyance to his once eager squire, Sid (who is darling and has the raddest hair). Things may turn around for our washed-up hero when a pleading woman, Princess Isabella, begs for Galavant, the gallant knight she had heard legends about, to help her save her parents and kingdom, all whom King Richard had kidnapped and/or destroyed. She even offers him the sacred jewel of Valencia, the only wealth her land has left. Galavant shoos her away, but once he realizes that, according to Isabella, that Madalena was crying for him, he agrees to the quest. The trio are now on their way!
Don’t let this fool you! This trio is a scream, their dynamic is incredible and sends you in giggles. Isabella is a warrior princess through and through, beautiful and mighty. Her family makes me cackle too. Sid is a doll and really gets the short end of the stick, but he believes in his master deep down, the spring in his step and tenor of his great voice makes me want to be his bestie. He got a few special scenes, but he really deserved more. Then our star, Galavant, is everything a knight should be, but he is relatable, going through character growth. His voice is as warm and velvety as his smile, the actor doing a brilliant job between being a hero and a manly dummy at times. How he reacts with the other stars, all their dynamics, really helps the show run smoothly.
Back at the castle, Richard, who is a ruthless king, but at the same time, a wimp and not good with ruling or being brave (even though he is the bad guy, your heart goes out to him somehow, ha,) has been doing everything to please his queen, Madalena. She has grown very accustomed to the royal lifestyle and takes advantage of Richard with her looks, wanting as many riches as possible. Her attitude has completely flipped since her tender days as a village girl, she not afraid to get what she wants. I must admit, as a side note, her actress is fantastic being deliciously evil and I want her spunk, lovely hair, and clothes so badly!
Richard also has his childhood best friend and protector, Gareth, what one would imagine a bald Barbian looking like in D & D with the armor, very low gruff voice, and scars he shows off with pride. The two are an odd duo but work well together. Gareth is not scared to get his hands dirty to help his king achieve his goal of wooing the Queen. But, King Richard has to kill Galavant first, since she always compares Richard’s shortcomings to her former handsome lover.
That is how all the crazy begins. Rapport triangles encircle you, comedy gold tickles you, the series oozes entertainment every possible second. The story goes all over the place, but it is still simple enough to follow since it is just to get you jazzed. It feels like a singing Ren Faire with modern tropes and flares was gifted to us and others need to know about it! The costumes are to die for too!
Even the minor characters add so much glitter and pizazz! The adorkable, bucktooth cook boy that works for Richard and the Queen’s handmaid that he has a crush on are too precious. How they sing about the awful life of a peasant in medieval times in upbeat melodies is fantastic. Then there is the jester, who gets the pleasure of…rolling in the hay with the now wicked Queen but also has to help King Richard make Madalena laugh to get on her good side. The actor has an angelic voice and sings several of the storytelling/recap tunes. My Lord! The talent in this show is awe-inspiring! The best of all is Tad Copper! You have to believe in him! All I’m going to say. HA! ^o^
This series also has a bonus delight, a roulette of awesomeness: cameo guest stars! And most of them sing, which makes it even better! Weird Al, John Stamos, Ricky Gervais, and Kylie Minogue (her song, “Off With His Shirt,” is my jam) are my favorites, just to name a few.
This adventure is charming, endearing, and a riot, a real feast for the eyes! Some of the side quests you will experience are enemies becoming friends, unicorns, gravy on flower shirts, ‘dungeons,’ dollhouses, secret missions hushedly telling boys to ask the queen to see her ugly feet, singing monks, fake marriage improvs, Grease play, a war against dwarves and giants over an uneven bridge, and the iconic land pirates! Just to name a few. You will never know what you’re going to get; it’s watching a tabletop come to life with friends you’ve bonded with.
I think the gifs, pictures, and such I added will help you get absorbed into this land of enchantment and humor! ^_^
I must give a disclaimer: THE SONGS WILL GET STUCK IN YOUR HEAD FOR WEEKS! I shared the playlist below and it gives you a good feel for the styling, storytelling, and characters of this epic.
Soundtrack- LINK CLICK HERE:
Still, please give the show a watch. It USED to be on Netflix until fall last year, in the USA at least. But to buy all 18 episodes on AMAZON DVD for about $20.
I give “Galavant” TEN SHINY SWORDS OUT OF TEN every time! 😀
I will leave you with this: “Ah, so much to dump upon your doormat in our half-hour sitcom format, but we will try on ‘GALAVANT!'”
Stay brave. Belt out your epic battle ballad. Stay nerdy! 🙂
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Educator of young minds by day, super nerdy savior of justice, and cute things by night, Morgan Straughan Comnick has a love for turning the normal into something special without losing its essence. Morgan draws from real-life experiences and her ongoing imagination to spark her writing. In her spare time, she enjoys doing goofy voices, traveling to new worlds by turning pages, humming child-like songs, and forcing people to smile with her “bubbliness.” It is Morgan’s mission in life to spread the amazement of otaku/Japanese culture to the world and to stop bullying; she knows everyone shines brightly.
For more information about Morgan and her works, check out her website, which also has links to all her social medias: http://morganscomnick.com
