Yellowknife (Nov 24/06) - In a medieval courtyard, a lone figure grabs hold of a sacred sword, buried deep within a less-sacred stone. With a single pull, he removes the weapon, hoists it into the air and is crowned King of England.

Ian MacDougall and Alberta Holden prepare for the Chapel of Peril in Sir John Franklin high school's production of Knights of the Rad Table at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre - Adam Johnson/NNSL photo

His first regal decree? "Look at this cool sword I found!"

For some time, Sir John Franklin's drama department has had a penchant for entertaining parody and last week's production of Knights of the Rad Table was no different.

The play pits Artie (played by Tim Edwards and Walker Redshaw) and Gwen (played by Alberta Holden and Victoria Sputek) against the mythos of King Arthur, after they are taken back in time by a recently-awakened Merlin (played by Stephen Kruger and Nick Hurst).

Things only get more ridiculous from there.

When the ragtag group happens upon the fabled Sword in the Stone, Artie removes it without a thought, becoming King Artie, and leading his Knights of the... Rad Table to, well, he doesn't really know what to do next.

A plot device emerges from the irreverence, as the witch Morgan Le Fay (Jessica Wheaton and Courtney Northrup) kidnaps Artie and freezes Merlin.

The play turns its focus from Artie and Gwen to Sir Lancelot (Ian MacDougall and Luke Balint) and the other knights of the round table, as they face dragons, a Black Knight, ghouls and the horrors of bridge construction.

Between scenes, the play featured an intricacy of choreography sets to modern songs. While a little jarring, the pieces showed off the skill and co-ordination of the players involved, such as a long dance routine from Janet Jackson's famous Rhythm Nation video. I'm still not sure why it happened, but it was very well done.

The play was also enhanced by A Knight With Lucy, a classic rock cover band that played versions of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin classics during pauses in the action.

In all, it made for an entertaining evening of magic, music and silliness, made all the more believable by impressive costuming and detailed sets.