HBO has released the trailer for the upcoming documentary series Ren Faire, which dives into the world of the Texas Renaissance Festival. I just started watching this series, and it’s fascinating!
The doc puts the focus on 86-year-old George Coulam, known to his employees as King George. For half a century he has “reigned with an iron fist over the Texas Renaissance Festival, the largest such ‘faire’ in the world.
“He has power, as the elected mayor of the town he incorporated. He has glory, as the undisputed employer and self-proclaimed ruler of thousands. He has vast wealth, as the majority shareholder of the festival located in Todd Mission.
“Now, he is ready to give it all up and spend the last years of his life in the quest for a romantic companion. But before he retires, George will finally choose which of his longtime employees will take his crown.”
So that sounds like a unique, crazy, and interesting narrative for this documentary!
Blending documentary verité with fantasy, the three-part docu-fantasia “invites you behind the curtain of the famed Texas festival to reveal a tense and comical succession drama.
“Featuring individuals self-styled as Shakespearean characters, the series details an epic power struggle between an actor, a former elephant trainer, and a kettle-corn kingpin, all vying to claim George’s throne.
“As King George’s idiosyncrasies mount, the series’ tension over who will be chosen ascends to increasingly operatic heights, against a backdrop where the employees imagine themselves in a real-life Game of Thrones.
Ha ha. This looks super crazy and fun and wacky and of course, something that’d only happen in Texas. My local ren faire was never this crazy.
Ren Faire is now available to watch on Max!