Hack & Slash (2) (3) (4)
Hack & Slash X-Mas 2006 (2)
Hack & Slash X-Mas 2007 (2)
Hack & Slash X-Mas 2009
Hack & Slash X-Mas 2010
Slash
"A man who will not return your unrequited love because he's a big knight and you're just a lowly squire, admiring him from afar, longing for his warm, passionate embr-" - Slash describing Hack
Hack and Slash were a comedy sword fighting duo consisting of Sir Nigel Hack and his "faithful" squire Slash Montant. Hack and Slash were one of the very first acts that we became fans of, probably all the way back in 2001 or 2002, and we always enjoyed how well they worked together. They were together for over 20 years and amassed a huge fan following throughout that time to the point where you almost had to show up at least an hour before showtime in order to get a good seat.
Throughout a normal festival day, Hack and Slash would perform three different shows. The first one we ever saw was their Cruel and Unusual show, which had a finale where Slash would lie on a bed of 1000 spikes and Hack would break a cinder block on his chest. In their Comedy Crossbow show, Hack's view of the world was a little off kilter due to the fact that he deflected a cannonball with his head. Slash tried his hardest to make Hack look good through wooing women in the audience, a sword fight, and shooting an apple ala William Tell (though he did it already, and that would be redundant...). Their most popular show was their end of the day Ale Extravaganza which was their tribute to sword fighting and beer.
The annual Christmas Special production began as a joke at the Maryland Renaissance Festival in 2002. Even though their last show of the season was in October, they thought it would be funny to make it a Christmas Special and invited other acts from the faire to participate. The show eventually moved to a theater in December, and has been held annually since. It has gone through many incarnations throughout the years - a musical version of "The Christmas Carol", a spoof on tv specials of yesteryear, the feel good Hack and Slash: The Movie, and tributes to the 12 Days of Christmas and The Nutcracker. Each year highlights several other performers, both from the faire and not, and it's always something to look forward to.
Hack and Slash broke up around 2013, but Slash continues to perform at festivals around the country as Danger Slash, as well as do stand up and keeps the Christmas Special alive. It's always sad to see the end of an era, but we're happy to have been able to see their shows together for so many years, both at and outside of the festival. We have a lot of fond memories of Hack and Slash as a duo, and it's great to see their legacy live on to this day.
Photos
2007-2008