Medieval speak in ye olde tongue; dresses and drapes made of leather and silk; a royal court sitting on a throne; all at Ayala’s annual Madrigal Feaste. Lasting from Thursday, December 5 to Saturday, December 7, audiences were amazed by the immersive experience where they sat, feasted, and watched Christmas carols based on medieval times.

This year’s Madfeaste has been marked as their 25th and thus the quality of such an important milestone had to be more polished and perfected. Students began practicing their songs vigorously in order to fulfill the higher expectations. Twice a day, during their choir period and after school, students gathered in the choir room to sing a variety of notes and strings. 

“For me personally, it’s not as much mental pressure about it being the 25th anniversary as Davis is cracking down on a lot of different things. How specific you have, how detailed you have to be for your songs and how hard it is to check stuff off and the details on setting up for Madfeaste,” Soprano 2 leader Jenny Luo (11) said.

The school’s entrance in the B quad portables was decorated for the medieval times, with an aisle of flags hung on the walls beneath the stone crown one would see atop a castle. As the exterior featured stone pillars, velvet curtains, wreathes, and candlelight, the interior showcased a candlelit chandelier looming over the many round tables with properly positioned silverware and glasses. Throughout the waiting period, choir students dressed in medieval dresses and vests would interact with the audience, addressing guests with the lingo of old English.

Slowly the seats filled and, at the helm of the elevated floor, the show began with the mixed choir group composed of students who sang at the beginning before becoming waiters for the show’s remaining. They opened Madfeaste with the song “Good Cheer,” and continued with “In the Bleak Mid-winter.” 

Down the red carpeted aisle was the Lord and the Lady followed by the very elegantly dressed King who wore a big, heavy crown and dark cloak and the Queen who too wore a crown, and a black, floor-touching dress with a large golden stripe going down it. As the choir sang, they sat down at their thrones and watched the performance.

Mr. Robert Davis and choir put much labor and effort towards producing each years’ Madfeaste —but this year especially, Davis has run a tighter ship and raised choir’s standards.

“Davis is being a lot more strict now with our roles, but I think it helps with the authenticity and I think the audience is really gonna love it,” Janelle Medina (12) said before the performance.

Ayala Dance Production also performed in a courtly fashion. The dancers coordinated steps parallel to the person in front of them, and crossed each other swiftly without either bumping or getting out of rhythm.

One of the most anticipated segments of the show included audience participation. With the men’s ensemble leading the classic carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” the audience sang along to the familiar lyrics to this song; however, once the men’s ensemble reached “four calling birds,” students began mixing up the lyrics. They began singing “six geese a-laying” and “three French-hens” at the same time. As more students began to get mixed up, several began singing other songs such as “Jingle Bells,” “The Dreidel Song,” and at one point they all pointed at the ceiling and at the same time sung “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” briefly before returning to the chaos. Both the audience and singers were smiling at such an insane mash-up song. The sight of this calamity was hilarious yet impressively organized.

When the song finished, the king’s jester announced the table competition. Each table was assigned to a day’s lyrics based on their table number. The winning table is the one that is able to make the most noise, exciting the audience and causing yet another cheerful uproar.

This winter night of more festive song, food, and merry performances ended with large applause for everyone who worked on this 25th Madfeaste.

“They put so much work into it and their effort showed completely in the finished product,” attendee Alex Klump (12) said. “My favorite part was probably just having them perform all around you and being able to hear them from every direction.”