The Adventures of Conan: A Sword and Sorcery Spectacular
The Adventures of Conan: A Sword and Sorcery Spectacular | |
---|---|
Universal Studios Hollywood | |
Area | Upper Lot |
Status | Closed |
Opening date | 1983 |
Closing date | 1993 |
Replaced |
The Land of a Thousand Faces (1975 - 1980) Castle Dracula Live Show (1980 - 1983) |
Replaced by | Beetlejuice's Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue |
General statistics | |
Attraction type | Stunt Show |
Theme | Conan the Barbarian |
Duration | 20 |
The Adventures of Conan: A Sword and Sorcery Spectacular was an attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood that ran from 1983 to 1993. It was a 20-minute live-action stage show, similar to the theme park's other "action spectaculars," that took place in an indoor theater and was loosely based on the film Conan the Barbarian. The show was designed by Gary Goddard.
Premise
The stage is decorated to resemble a ruined temple filled with treasure. A skinny young man and a young woman resembling Red Sonja descend onto the stage down a rope, with the intention of plundering the temple's treasures, and are surprised to find a "good wizard" waiting in the temple. While the man talks to the wizard, the woman becomes hypnotized by a large red gem set in a statue and dislodges it, accidentally releasing a trapped evil wizard in the process. The evil wizard summons henchmen, who sword fight against the man and woman and good wizard. The good characters prevail, but the evil wizard raises the henchmen from the dead, stronger than before, and destroys the good wizard with a fireball. The situation looks bleak, until the young man accidentally picks up a magical sword that turns him into the musclebound Conan. With his new strength and magic sword, Conan dispatches the henchmen, and then throws the evil wizard into a pit in the middle of the stage. The evil wizard re-emerges from the pit as a giant, fire-breathing dragon, and Conan and the woman fight against it, finally defeating it and sending it back into the pit. Triumphant, the two fill their packs with riches and ascend their rope out of the temple.
External links
- A "behind the scenes" video about the performance
- A review of the performance's soundtrack, with information about the soundtrack's creation and aspects of the performance
- Adventures of Conan page at theStudioTour.com, website about the history of Universal Studios Hollywood