King Lou in Portland

"Who so pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king born of England."

According to legend, only one true king would be able to pull out the sword mentioned in the quote above. If you remember your bedtime stories well, you'd know that Arthur, the young king-to-be who was mentored by Merlin, would be that fateful person. After removing the sword from the stone, he would grow up to be the storied King Arthur, who, along with his Knights of the Round Table, would bring honor back to Britain.

After many theatrical depictions of this mythological story, King Arthur again returns to the stage in Portland. The challenge, though, was to find the right person to portray King Arthur. This person would be expected to embody honor, chivalry and bravery, as well as inspire the romantic in all its viewers. After searching far and wide, only one person could be found to capture the essence of the Royal Arthur: Lou Diamond Phillips. Yes folks, none other than Lou Diamond Phillips will be delighting Portland theater-goers as King Arthur in Lerner and Loewe's, Camelot.

While the memory of him in Young Guns, as the Native American and spiritual leader of the Regulators, may prevail, it was his portrayal of Richie Valens (really Ricardo Valenzuela) in La Bamba that really captured the hearts of Americans. But if his serenading Donna in La Bamba didn't cement his name in Hollywood history, his performance as a high school drop-out and gang member, who overcomes all obstacles to become an honor roll calculus student, must have surely sealed the deal....for the genius of Lou Diamond Phillips is undeniable.

This was only the start of Lou's career, though, as his star was only just beginning to shine. He later went on to wow audiences in the eventual sequel to Young Guns, cameoed alongside Michael J. Fox in an episode of Spin City, and made a compelling appearance in Brokedown Palace (the mega-hit starring Claire Danes). Lou was even considered to replace Fox Mulder in X-Files, but was apparently over-qualified for the TV roll. His fame has most recently peaked with an occasional appearance on the show, Numb3rs, and now on stage as King Arthur. Fans of Lou must be proud to see how far he has come and, no doubt, will show their support when he performs in Camelot this week, October 2-7, at the Keller Auditorium. You can get your tickets at Fred Meyer or call Ticketmaster at (503) 790-ARTS.