Definitely not Dismayed at Dismayland!

Synopsis

So, my Readers, this review starts with a friend. She is an actress, and one of the most dramatic people I have ever met, and in the best way possible. She is the friend that will meow like a cat to distract customers you don’t want to deal with. She is the friend that will try to make you sing to 70’s music to make you smile.

Anyhow, so this friend of the Bat tells me that there is a new play out at one of my favorite local theaters, The Majestic. This play is a bunch of shorts, and they are all twists on Disneyland! She says it is right up my alley because they are labeled as Dark Tales from The park. She also says to dress in our Disney best, if we want.

On goes my custom Haunted Mansion-themed vest, Disney trading pins and all, and with the Dragon on my arm (or me on hers….whichever) off we go to Dismayland, Tales from The Park. These tales are written and directed by Troy Heard, who also owns the Majestic. This being said, I am fully aware that they could be one of those shows where the owner wants to play at being a writer and uses his theater to do it. And a couple of the shorts may have been a bit of that. But most of them were Awesome!

There were shorts about Disney characters, Disney visitors, and even Disney employees. They take you on a reality show about the Princesses, on a Pirates of the Caribbean ride in which a squabbling couple of riders are possessed by pirates. You go to the entrance of the exclusive Club 33, only to hear the hostess be flummoxed by a crazy person. A couple of famous ghosts stage an interview to live in the Haunted Mansion, but it turns into a bit of a sausage fest. Two of the skits are from the point of view of Disney Employees backstage: one a disgruntled Jungle Cruise Guide, another about a Friend of the Mouse, and a Janitor who have fallen into what seems to be an episode of the Twilight Zone. I’m sure there are a couple I haven’t mentioned, but I’m sure you get the idea.

The Good

The best thing about this show was the cast. I have it on good authority that all of them are Disney fans, and it shows! From Cameron Bass, the actor that did the intro in his very own Genie shirt to the Disney Princesses gone wrong, to the ghost that rocked a toga like he was born in it, every actor was enthusiastic and threw their all into the show. Also, the actress that did the parts of two different Disney Employees, Marisa Miller, was actually a former Disney Employee. You could tell that, although the words were someone else’s, the feelings were something she was very familiar with. Not everyone agrees with me, but I think an audience can tell if the actors in a play or haunt want to be there. A professional can do a good job, and I can appreciate their skill, but passion can throw a show over the bar for me.

The set was also a boon to this show. They built an actual castle on the stage. While the skits just used a few chairs and benches, the castle with the screen that changed for each skit drew the eye so much that it didn’t matter how much was on the stage. Just like a real visit to Disneyland, the castle draws your mind’s eye, no matter where in the park you are.

The skits themselves were hit or miss. None of them were bad, but not all of them were good. However, there were a few parts that definitely impressed me. The Rope Drop intro was wonderful. Not only was it written by someone who had opinions about Disneyland, but Actor Cameron Bass drew the audience into the show with every line. His enthusiasm kicked off the entire show on a hilarious high note. In Waiting for 33, Sean Clark did an entire monologue at top speed that seemed to make no sense at all, and yet somehow gave the impression of being completely logical. He didn’t miss a beat! Losing Your Knowledge featured two cast members, Bass and Miller, caught in a type of time warp. To bring this to life, they had to do the same two lines in the same tones of voice over and over as if the minute was repeating itself. They carried it off perfectly. It was eerie!

The Bad

There was not much that was bad about this show, but there were a few things that could have been done a bit better. Some of the costumes came off like Spirit Halloween costumes, and they didn’t seem to stay on properly, which was a bit distracting. I do understand that theaters have to work on a budget, but if the costumes can’t be flashy, take a few stitches to at least make sure that all the parts stay where they need to be.

I’m sure parts of each of the skits appealed to different types of audience members…..but this isn’t their blog. I love the Haunted Mansion. It is my absolute favorite ride in the park. So why did the two ghosts in the only skit about that ride have to be misogynist as*hats!? There are so many stories that could have been told about that ride! And they even misnamed one of the ghosts! The ax-wielding woman in the attic is not Marie Antionette, it is the Bride! If you can hint at so many other key parts of the park, you could at least attribute to her properly!

Overall

There were a couple of small parts that I didn’t like too much, but I would still recommend everyone to go see this show before it leaves the theater! I know, you only have a few more days, but so what! Go! Run!

These enthusiastic actors deserve an audience for their hilarious twisted hijinks!