Las Vegas Weekly

June 22, 2010 · 9:39 AM

Photos: Excalibur, Tournament of Kings party includes 150-pound cake

By Robin Leach

The 20th anniversary celebration of Excalibur and Tournament of Kings on June 18, 2010.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

It was an official double celebration at Excalibur last Friday as the resort casino marked its 20th anniversary in tandem with the 20th celebration of the Tournament of Kings. A 4-foot-high cake weighing 150 pounds was carried after the show to the Knights of the Round Table, and the cast, crew and arena servers were invited to take a slice.

Mike Hartzell, Excalibur entertainment director, joined Excalibur and Luxor President Felix Rappaport and Jean George, senior VP of national marketing, and they presented producer Patrick Chambon with a 200-year-old Huzzah sword.

The night of high-speed action, stunts and riding skills was topped only when Felix showed his own wizardry by donning Merlin’s top hat. The below-casino arena was packed for the celebration, and the audience cheered along with the charges and jeered along with the jousting. Contributing photographer Tom Donoghue captured it all for this great 20th anniversary photo gallery.

To do stunts on film for cameras and editing-room magic is one thing, but this is a brutal, no-holds-barred battle live, close up and feet from your face. When the spears break and knights are sent tumbling from their steeds, it’s all for real.

The fighting and fisticuffs are for real, too, and stand clear of the javelin throws and the fire-dragon gang. You can feel the heat instantly increase the temperature.

I sat with Felix to watch the thrill-a-minute horse races that lead to the nonstop thrills, spills and chills as the bare-chested hunks battle for the new king, a handsome hero on a victorious white horse. Felix told me that there will be an updated look and feel to the hit spectacular over the next few months.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

The 20th anniversary celebration of Excalibur and Tournament of Kings on June 18, 2010.

Congratulations and Happy 20th! If you’ve always thought twice about seeing this kind of production, think again. It pre-dates Cirque du Soleil’s Mystere, and with its adventure, theatrics and production is still running strong with fans.

More than 7 million guests have seen 12,300 performances since its debut. In its two decades, 125 people and 160 horses have worked on the show. That also means Excalibur has served 7 million Cornish hens for dinner with the show, making it the largest buyer of the birds in the world!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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