SOUND OFF: GALAVANT Gallops Forth With Risque Guffaws, Golden Melodies & General Goofiness

By: Pat Cerasaro Jan. 04, 2015

Today we are looking at the highlights of the premiere episodes of ABC's fresh new musical comedy series GALAVANT.

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A generous portion of THE PRINCESS BRIDE, a hearty helping of ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS, a serving or two of TANGLED and a dash of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, all as viewed through the wildly popular contemporary medieval revival prism of GAME OF THRONES and THE LORD OF THE RINGS franchise, the wacky and winsome GALAVANT is an unabashedly idiosyncratic series that is nearly impossible to accurately categorize. A meta mash-up of genres, styles and tone perfectly befitting of the meta age in which we live today, GALAVANT largely represents the next step in episodic musical entertainment, arriving the very same week as the premiere episode of the final season of the innovative game-changer that started it all, GLEE. Of course, in the interim since GLEE's debut we have endured the wildly uneven two seasons of NBC's Broadway-set musical dramedy series SMASH as well as two major live network musicals thanks to NBC's presentations of THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! in 2013 and PETER PAN LIVE! last year, not to mention the many movie musicals released recently - ROCK OF AGES and JERSEY BOYS on the flop side, with LES MISERABLES and the current INTO THE WOODS box office champs, along with respectable business for the new ANNIE reboot, too. Now, with GALAVANT, Disney's TV network ABC joins the musical fold in full force, employing the multi-Academy Award-winning composer responsible for many of their 1980s, 1990s and post-millennial hits to shepherd it - the one and only Alan Menken. Along with creator Dan Fogelman, of ABC's THE NEIGHBORS - which also showcased a special musical episode during its run that utilized the seemingly endlessly inventive melodic genius of Menken - Menken has joined with witty and reliably off-the-wall lyricist Glenn Slater to ostensibly forge an entire new genre with GALAVANT: the medieval meta musical comedy series.

Overflowing with song, GALAVANT is populated by a delectable assortment of tunes - many that continually appear throughout the episodes in reprises both major and minor. Somewhat operetta-ish in its design, dialogue, action, song and dance are all given equal weight, with the first hour boasting more music-per-minute than perhaps any musical TV series to date. Surely a very unexpected foray into the musical comedy realm, ABC's new limited primetime series is a risk that has proven well worth it - and the lavish production values and smooth, sharp direction and editing make it a worthy companion piece to the network's own contemporary fairy tale reworking ONCE UPON A TIME. Will the two share a Sunday night some season soon should GALAVANT prove to be a hit? The similarities between the two may be enough to justify such a pairing, though the more frat house tone and guttural humor of GALAVANT may not prove to be ideal for the little Elsa emulators who watch ONCE UPON A TIME. And, with two strong female characters such as these, perhaps GALAVANT has something to satiate their desires, as well. One can never be too sure, though - anything is possible, and the success of FROZEN and the integration of its characters seems to have helped buoy ONCE UPON A TIME in the ratings. Sink, swim or shine, over the next three weeks a half dozen more episodes of GALAVANT will air on consecutive Sundays - two at a time - until the conclusion of the first mini-season. During that time, it will be up to the audiences to decide the fate of our easily lovable and appealing new musical entry.

"Tough, plus every other manly value," is how the title character of the frothy new musical comedy series is described in the effervescent, irreverent and quite surprisingly naughty opening song of the show, and that is precisely how charismatic and swarthy Joshua Sasse attacks the role. Dashing, chivalrous, sexy, goofy and, of course, gallant, Sasse imbues his characterization of GALAVANT with brio along with a boast-worthy vocal instrument. And, GALAVANT is no fool - he has brains behind the brawn and carefully maintained, GQ-ready beard, to boot. Plus, Galavant's intention to perform various valiant acts alongside the ravishing, mysterious and exotic Princess Isabella (Karen Davis) are all the more attention-worthy coming from a prince so undeniably, well, charming - table manners and various bodily function-related odors referenced notwithstanding. From the very first moments they share onscreen, the palpable rapport presented by the two performers is a delight - as is the hilariously awkward, clueless and dysfunctional relationship between his villainous counterpart and the love of Galavant's life, both now residing in the kingdom's castle; the latter stolen away with GALAVANT determined to rescue her from her horrible plight (whether she wants it or not). Also, on the note of chemical attraction, the affection and affability shared by the lovers in peril is notably succulent, even if she herself has seemingly decided to stay in the castle with the king. No doubt, more on that story in the coming weeks.

As these tales always go - and expectedly so - every great hero needs a worthy foe and the villainous King Richard (Timothy Omundson) provides a delectable foil. Daffy, devious and spoiled - played to a T. Accordingly, King Richard's scheming and glamorous wife, Madalena (Mallory Jansen), is the spitting image of the nefarious GAME OF THRONES queen of mean Cersei Lannister insofar as her (assumedly magic spell-motivated) nasty demeanor. "Frigid and demanding," to say the least. Case in point: the dinner table scene in Episode 2. Furthermore, Richard is provided with perhaps the most memorable showstopper of the premiere episodes, with the rollicking and riotous group number "She'll Be Mine". Similarly, the Richard/Madalena duet "Maybe You're Not The Worst Thing Ever" that grows into an off-handedly romantic quartet and the captivatingly epic "A Hero's Journey" both offer even further proof of the myriad of melodic gifts that Menken copiously possesses - and whet the appetite appropriately for the many musical glories and lots of lyrical guffaws hopefully still to come. Indeed, Slater's snappy, sassy and unexpected lyrics are some of the most risqué song stuff we are likely to hear outside of THE BOOK OF MORMON. Supremely saucy and effortlessly hip, and then some.

Yet another asset instantly apparent on the first two eps of the series is the reliably stalwart and ageless John Stamos as another of Galavant's foes, a character who makes his first appearance in the second episode as Sir Jean Hamm - and, given his recurring "yo mama" jokes and that wink-wink moniker, almost immediately fulfills the promise of his name. Ham with cheese, as the case may be. Then again, in a medieval-set series that skewers ROCKY's "Eye Of The Tiger" via "The Beast Within" sung by no less than 80s rock idol Sebastian Bach, references to MAD MEN's dapper star are certainly game for this anomalous and outside-the-box meta world. And, what a game it is - one decidedly worth playing, win or lose, especially with this much preponderant pop culture and this many jokes and songs per hour. An embarrassment of riches that fails to ever be embarrassing - and, boy, given the overall conceit, could this have been a real stinker. Instead, it's aromatic in almost all the right ways - and the same goes for the sights and sounds. Handsomely produced, this series could not have been cheap to create and the carefully constructed narrative along with sterling production values aid inordinately in making the whole thing come across as relatively flawlessly as it does. Is it deep? No, but, then again, it wasn't attempting to be. Is it fun? More fun than anything else on TV. Is it good? An hour in, very.

"And so begins our plot, of which there's quite a lot," the final song in the first half-hour episode of the two-part premiere posits, and the enjoyably breezy, light and airy pilot agreeably does not overload the viewer with cumbersome plot, backstory and character details - no doubt stemming from an active, intended desire to not over-gild the lily or explode with exposition right out of the gate, as is a common criticism of fantasy-based entertainment such as GAME OF THRONES and THE LORD OF THE RINGS - and that is its boon. Speaking of those other fantasy series, GALAVANT does have a tinge of magic and the dark arts suspended in its bewitching dramatic and comedic brew; the priceless emerald. Plus, a medieval series would not be worth its weight in iron and gold if not for some gratuitous sex and violence - and GALAVANT provides a somewhat shocking amount of both, especially early on. Never going too far, the rambunctious tone is not unctuous and the locker room hilarity never hits too hard. This is ABC TV at 8 PM on Saturday night, after all. What would GALAVANT be on another network? The point is mostly moot if only because not only does GALAVANT have the actual House Of Mouse behind it, but also the man responsible for the fantasy musicals an entire generation - now two - have grown up with and subsequently hold near and dear. Who would want it any other way, really? The levels of meta are almost never-ending the closer one looks.

How to sum it all up? "Epic, wild, a real butt-clencher," is how the penultimate line of the plucky title song describes the world of GALAVANT and those words certainly act as a fitting description of the type of humor and overall entertainment experience being offered by the show. Is it for everybody? No, but, then again, neither was GLEE and that certainly made a major mark on pop culture and racked up enviable ratings during its heyday (with perhaps a final sudden surge of interest still to come for the final 13 episodes kicking off this Friday). Certainly, SMASH showed just as much promise - if not more - especially in its early days, only to self-implode, so time will tell whether or not GALAVANT has the legs to gallop to victory and usher in a new musical series for the Broadway babies and theatre enthusiasts to latch onto and enjoy each week if they so choose. Frankly, simply daring to make a Mel Brooks-esque musical - bathroom humor, sex jokes and general frat house mentality included - with the man behind Disney's own most beloved contemporary family-friendly animated musicals in charge of the score from week to week was a gigantic gamble on the part of ABC and Disney to take on and for that alone all concerned should be commended - and, given the result, championed. The fact that the first hour of the series is just so much damn fun acts as solid evidence that this will be an intriguing detour worth investigating for entertainment enthusiasts in general - and, if it remains this incisive, meta and hugely entertaining without veering too far off into camp or dramatic vacuity over the course of the rest of the episodes, we may very well have a new musical TV dynasty to celebrate, analyze and heatedly debate for several seasons. More worthwhile than attending a medieval fair and much more filling than a feast fit for a joust, GALAVANT is very good and likely on the road to something great. Take the ride - horse and armor optional.

Photo Credits: ABC

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