King Con
Starfury's recent Xena convention in London presented a feast of stars, costumes and laughs. Darryl Curtis reports on the memorable event.
Official Xena Magazine: Issue 14
More than 600 fans gathered at London's Radisson Edwardian Hotel at Heathrow Airport over the last weekend of September 2000 to celebrate all things Xena. The venue was buzzing with enthusiasm from fans and guests. Xena stars walked freely amongst fans, nodding polite hellos and even engaging in conversation with attendees over a pint in the bar.
The stars of the show were Ted Raimi and Hudson Leick, but supporting guests Tim Omundson, Adrienne Wilkinson and Paris Jefferson went down just as well. Each had an hour-long turn on stage on both the Saturday and Sunday afternoons, with Tim Omundson setting off the proceedings each day and Hudson Leick acting as the finale.
Omundson, who played faith healer Eli so memorably in seasons five and six of Xena, came on stage sporting an Elvis-style haircut, and proceeded to sing a few lines from ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’. Omundson related some of his most memorable anecdotes from the set, including the trick Ted Raimi, Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor played on him on his first day, a well-known story which was a treat to hear from the man himself.
One of Omundson’s funniest anecdotes concerned the scene in Chakram in which Eli and Ares have a confrontation. When the scene was shot, Eli actually beat Ares to a pulp, but Kevin Smith asked that the scene be taken out as he didn’t think the audience would buy the God of War being beaten up by Peace and Love Boy! “If he can’t handle being beaten up by Eli like a Iittle girl, I feel sorry for him!” Omundson told the audience in mock outrage.
Next on stage was Paris Jefferson, who made the role of Athena her own in fifth season episodes such as Amphipolis Under Siege and Motherhood. Jefferson was fairly nervous on stage, revealing that this was her first convention appearance, but the fans were extremely supportive of the Australian actress, asking her questions about her character and her various appearances on the show.
Jefferson shocked the audience a little by asking them if they wanted to know if Athena and Ilainus (played by Musetta Vander) had kissed in their tent in Amphipolis Under Siege! She teased that the two actresses had their own idea as to how to get the issue of the subtext raging. “Musetta was going to come out tugging a little hair out of her teeth!” she joked.
Adrienne Wilkinson was the next star attraction. The 23-year-old US actress had unfortunately been struck down by a case of the flu, but Wilkinson still found the energy to get up on stage and talk in depth about her experiences on the show.
It was clear that Wilkinson is delighted to be starring in Xena's sixth season, although she did admit that it was more than likely this season would be the show’s last. However, the audience demonstrated how keen they were to see more of Eve following the show’s conclusion by suggesting Renaissance Pictures produce an Eve spin-off show!
Wilkinson revealed that her favourite moment in Xena so far was in the scene in Livia with Augustus, in which Livia acts very loving and devoted towards him when they are face to face, but as soon as Augustus’ back is turned, you can see how cunning and duplicitous she really is.
Ted Raimi’s on stage appearances were some of the most memorable of the weekend. The character actor delighted the audience with his impressions of each and every member of the cast, in particular Rob Tapert, as well as his usual amusing anecdotes from behind the scenes on the show.
Raimi’s impressions of him persuading Lucy and Renee to wind up Tim Omundson were easily the highlight of his appearance. The audience was in stitches as Raimi pretended to get on the phone to Lucy Lawless, faked her New Zealand accent, then pretended to dial Renee O’Connor and put on a Texan accent. Raimi thought the plan was extremely amusing and worked a treat, although he admitted he was still waiting for his comeuppance from Tim Omundson!
When Raimi appeared on stage on the Sunday, he came on with a tea tray, proclaiming his love for the English beverage, and then decided that as he’d already treated the audience to his many anecdotes the day before, he’d try something new. He proceeded to invite members of the audience on stage to act out a typical movie audition session, with some fans as producers and some as potential stars of the film: ‘Mata Hari She Wolf The Musical’! Audience members were tasked with such diverse activities as howling like a wolf and dancing like chickens!
The final star to appear on stage was Hudson Leick. Callisto’s real-life alter ego wowed the audience with her dramatic entry, which was greeted with rapturous applause. Before talking at length about her experiences on Xena and Hercules, Leick flounced up and down the stage for five minutes, posing for the camera and enjoying the attention. However, her stint was soon interrupted by the appearance of another Callisto - Ted Raimi in a blond wig - who claimed that Hudson was an imposter and tried to get her off the stage!
Leick’s talk went down very well, with the actress often responding to questions in the style of Callisto, playing up to fans’ compliments and enjoying the attention immensely. Her exit from the stage was greeted with disappointment, but Leick was a fitting finale to five hours of talking and entertainment from the popular Xena guest stars.
As well as the on-stage attractions, the convention also offered fans the chance to watch some of their favourite Xena and Hercules episodes, featured a dealers’ room where collectors could buy all manner of Xena paraphernalia, and of course gave fans the chance to interact with other, like-minded people.
One other event stood out as a highlight of the weekend however: the costume competition. While in most convention costume parades, fans get up on stage alongside a host of other hopefuls, show off their costumes and wait and see if they’ve been lucky enough to win a prize. Chariots of War offered much more.
We were told that Ted Raimi, Hudson Leick and Tim Omundson would be judging the proceedings, but the three actors were there to do much more than just judge. Each of the 29 entrants came on one by one, and as they did, one of the three panellists interacted with them on stage. The audience was treated to scenes being acted out between the real Callisto and a
Xena look-alike, the real Eli and a Gabrielle look-alike, arm-wrestling competitions between Hercules and Ares look-alikes, and more. After an hour and a half of entertaining antics, everyone retired to the local tavern while the judges made their decision. The winner was dressed as the archangel Lucifer from Heart of Darkness, sporting very realistic, life-sized wings.
The weekend was an outright success, and the 600-strong crowd were able to return home, happy in the knowledge that Starfury’s 2001 Xena convention was already on the cards, with the promise of even more stars from the Xenaverse.