enter the king
HBO drops trailer for new docuseries about Texas Renaissance Festival
Viewers at South by Southwest got a sneak peek, but haven't been able to share with their friends until now.
One of the highlights at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2024 was the debut of Ren Faire; a fictionalized docuseries, you could call it, about a heated succession battle at the Texas Renaissance Festival. Although viewers have suffered without a trailer to share, one finally arrived on May 21. The series premieres June 2 on HBO.
Many Houstonians not only make the trip to attend the festival, but they appear as performers, vendors, and staff. This faire claims to be the largest in the country, and it certainly dwarfs Austin's small, but charismatic neighbor in McDade, the Sherwood Forest Faire.
SXSW attendees previewed the full first episode of the three-part series, which lays out an impressive amount of Shakespearean interpersonal drama in its hour-long runtime. In short, an eccentric leader, George Coulam (a.k.a. King George), discusses his end-of-life plan: to find a much younger partner, to pass off ren faire operations to someone else, and to die on schedule. (Details TBD on the last thing.)
"Someone else," in the first episode, is either sycophantic general manager Jeffrey Baldwin, who loves the faire nearly to the point of fetishization; or kettle corn entrepreneur Louie Migliaccio, who loves capitalism ... almost to the point of fetishization. The ensuing power struggle is one that pits pathetic passion against manipulative money — it would be cynical, if the filmmakers didn't have such a great sense of humor.
Since SXSW viewers didn't get to watch more than the first episode, they haven't been acquainted yet with elephant trainer Darla Smith, who the trailer positions as the third contender for King George's throne. In a series full of overt archetypes, it seems Smith will play a femme fatale role, featured in a sheer mourning look, sipping a martini, making threats, and brandishing a blade.
Viewers will likely notice about halfway through that this docuseries is not beholden to reality. Although the general arc of events are true — as South Floridian director Lance Oppenheim confirmed at the talkback after the premiere — they're embellished by cinematic filming, ostentatious editing, and even dramatic reenactments of key moments. (The real-unreal drama is surely amplified by famous producers Josh and Benny Safdie, known for writing and directing 2019's Uncut Gems.)
Although the festival looms large compared to others, it's still a regional endeavor in a niche community pursuit. Immediately after the premiere, people took to social media to discuss their experiences with cast members. The trailer has unearthed more of these. Many were not favorable.
"No matter how crazy George comes off in this, I can assure you, he's worse," wrote dianeschluter9995.
"Everything I've ever heard about Texas Renneisance Festival management from the shop owners and staff make them seem like the worst people," said CaptainAtMan.
Some commenters on the inside, though, pushed back.
"This is not a fair and accurate representation of the character of the people I know in this film," wrote amberyates7152. "Please please know that.
"Heaven help all of us booth owning artists and the management of most Renaissance Faires that will have to spend the next 10 years explaining to the patrons that most of us are not at all like this," said sandrahebner8561. "That most faires are not at all like this. That most craftspeople and artists are not like this. That we are just normal people with mortgages and insurance and kids trying to make a living."
CultureMap has not verified that these social media commenters have real experience with the subjects of the film.
Some discourse has also compared the series to two other hyper-dramatic and hugely popular series: Tiger King and Succession. (Hey, we said the first one!) Filmmakers, though, made the connection to Shakespeare's King Lear most obvious, so this docuseries has that time-tested dramatic edge.
Ren Faire makes its public debut Sunday, June 2, from 8-9 pm Central on HBO. Viewers can also stream on Max. Episodes two and three will air back-to-back the following Sunday, June 9.
