Family : Manly, Magical Days of Yore : The Laguna Playhouse Youth Theater Spins an Imaginative Version of the Arthurian Legend

In the Laguna Playhouse Youth Theater’s “Sword in the Stone,” a man becomes a fish, a boy turns into a sparrow and a sword pierces a boulder swiftly and effortlessly.

These slices of fancy from Arthurian legend are appealing enough, but it’s their Middle Ages setting that’s even more toothsome to modern viewers--a once-upon-a-time era in which knights were valorous, ladies were virtuous and chivalry was its own reward.

But this mostly involving production is no spun-sugar “Sword.” The two one-acts were created years apart by Kathryn Schultz Miller and presented together by Youth Theater director Joe Lauderdale for the first time. Sunday’s matinee performance was manly enough to hold young audiences, including a large showing of school-age boys.

Though this production and Disney’s 1963 animated version are spinoffs from T. H. White’s book, Miller’s work is strikingly different from the movie, an entertaining but mostly featherweight film that--as Christopher Finch described in his book, “The Art of Disney”--”totally misses the tone” of White’s story.

The biggest difference can be seen in Merlin, the ageless sorcerer and teacher who serves as Arthur’s mentor and adviser throughout his life. Instead of Disney’s testy, bungling eccentric, Miller’s Merlin is wry, intense and cloaked in mystery. He reserves his considerable magic to school his young pupil and guide him through difficulties during his reign. Lauderdale handles the moments gracefully while encouraging children to use their imaginations; his use of swirling silk to suggest wind and water were especially effective.

Tim Dey leads the cast admirably as Merlin. At 33, Dey is the oldest in the show (the other actors range from 15 to 18) and he has considerable stage experience; his Fagin at the playhouse’s production of “Oliver!” last year was incredible. Dey’s Merlin is just as memorable, brooding and just dark enough to be intriguing, with a dusting of dry wit.

As Arthur, Brad Bredeweg handles nicely the task of aging his character from a wide-eyed youth to an aging king. Michael Tryon starts out a bit flat as Lancelot, but gathers steam quickly. Jenny Rees’ Guenevere is comely and has a pleasant touch of sass.

Well-schooled by fight choreographer Rand Hudson, the cast presented several stirring fight scenes complete with clashing swords and rousing battle cries against a dramatic backdrop of sound and light.

The piece’s first act follows Arthur, a feisty 12-year-old squire to his older brother Kai, as he is groomed by Merlin to assume the crown of a troubled England. The famous scene in which Arthur pulls Excalibur from the stone and hence earns the throne binds the two acts together; it closes the first and is repeated in the opening moments of the second.

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Act 2 carries on the story, relating some of the high and low points in Arthur’s life, including his alliance with Lancelot and his Knights of the Round Table, his marriage to Guenevere and his trials at the hand of the sinister witch Morgana.

Of course, it takes a fair amount of talk to pass on the wisdom of the ages, and while Miller’s dialogue contains some beautiful and sometimes funny passages, by the middle of the second act it started to wear thin with young viewers. The problem is compounded by the fact that in Act 2, Miller has tried to compress decades of Arthur’s rule into less than 40 minutes. And she often shifts tenses; some events are presented as if they are happening currently, others seem to be recollections shared by Merlin and Arthur.

However, because Miller intended each of the acts to stand alone, you can’t blame her for occasional unevenness; perhaps Lauderdale could have eased the flow by trimming and blending the two scripts more.

David Hudnall’s lighting design and David Edwards’ sound design back up the action effectively, especially in the battle scenes. The six weeks that Hudson spent working with the cast were fruitful; the conflicts are exciting and the movements surprisingly graceful. (And yes, in case you were wondering, the swords are real. The edges are blunted but the tips, as evidenced by a flesh wound or two among the cast, are sharp.) Brigitte Harper’s costumes ran mostly toward the coarse fibers typical of the Middle Ages, with the exception of Merlin’s beaded collar and cape lining.

After the show, Lauderdale invited audience members to sit in with cast members and crew in an open discussion he calls StageTalk. The program will also be offered after the evening shows Friday and Saturday.

“Sword in the Stone” is the first of four shows to be presented in the Laguna Playhouse Youth Theater’s 1994-95 season. Also scheduled are “White as Snow, Red as Blood,” an adaptation of the Snow White story by Virginia Glasgow Koste (Feb. 10 through 19), Thomas Olson’s adaptation of Johana Spyri’s “Heidi” (April 7 through 16) and Louis Sachar’s “There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom” (June 9 through 18).

* “Sword in the Stone,” Laguna Playhouse Youth Theater, Moulton Theater, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. (714) 494-8021. Tickets: $10 for adults, $7 for children 4 to 13. Children under 4 are not admitted. Running time: Two hours with one intermission. Tim Dey: Merlin

Brad Bredeweg: Arthur

Jenny Rees: Guenevere

Michael Tryon: Lancelot

Jennifer: Cohen Morgana

Athena Gam: Lady of the Lake

Matthew Gibson: Kai

M.J. Sieber: Spike

Brett Chapin: Knight

Presented by the Laguna Playhouse Youth Theater. Adapted by Kathryn Schultz Miller. Directed by Joe Lauderdale. Fight choreography: Rand Hudson. Sets: Jacquie Moffett. Costumes: Brigitte Harper. Lighting: David Hudnall. Sound: David Edwards.