Dark PerGron’s Manor of Mysteries [Game Thread] {Finished}

[TheOriginalTiki]

Team Legend Proudly Presents:
20,000 Leagues Ahead
An Immersive Theater Experience from the Mind of Dave Malloy

(Teaser Poster)

For this project, Team Legend wanted to put focus on an element of the Disney Cruise Line that we felt lacking in the overall line up that is a hot ticket for other cruise ship companies, that element being entertainment aimed primarily at adults. Looking to bring in some real immersive theater energy into a new "PG-13" musical aboard the Disney Cruise Line ships, the company set their sights on Dave Malloy, the writer and director of the breakout smash hit "Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812" which upon its Broadway premiere quickly became a game changer in how to tell a theatrical story for the stage in a way that completely immerses the audience.

Malloy's two signatures as a creative mind within the broader theater industry is his leaning into the immersive side of theatrical presentation as well as his keen interest in adapting literary classics in unconventional ways. A well known fact about The Great Comet is that it takes a roughly 70 page chunk out of the greater "War and Peace" novel and goes nuts fleshing out the conflicts and characters into its own package that feels like a totally complete story in its own right.

For the smaller, 50 minute presentations, Disney and Malloy wanted to set their sights on another literary icon that has been worked into the mythology of the company for a long time...Jules Verne and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The character of Captain Nemo captured Malloy's attention right away, leading to an exhilarating one act performance where guests step aboard the Nautilus as part of Nemo's crew during a pivotal event in the 20K Leagues narrative. An event that shapes the story and becomes a battle for Nemo's very soul. Click the PLAYBILL to experience the magic that Malloy and the Disney Theatrical company have conjured up in "20,000 Leagues Ahead".​

 

[Architectural Guinea Pig]

Click the PLAYBILL

Pointing out the link in case anyone misses it

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

This obviously won't count towards our final score, but for anyone unfamiliar with Great Comet I thought I'd throw together a quick playlist of the songs we used as inspiration for our show, just to give you all a taste of Malloy's style.

 

[PerGron]

I’ll get reviews up either later tonight or tomorrow, I had a bad case of “stay in bed and rot all day” today.

Anyway…

The Library
We remain in the library for this next round, the perfect spot to keep exploring the unique and exciting stories. Some of my favorites happen to occur this time of year.

Challenge Nine: Design a year-round winter holiday-themed land for a park of your choice.

This round is all about the holidays so many of us celebrate this time of year. I’ve always found that the snow, the lights, the music, and the vibes are so nice that I wish I could explore it year round.

With this prompt, you should pick a park to build a land to celebrate these holidays. You can focus it entirely on Christmas, or mix it with Hanukkah, or do a whole New Year’s theme, or if you so desire, head to India and celebrate Diwali with a land of its own. That part is up to you, as is your park.

HOWEVER, with this is the caveat, you must include at least one attraction dedicated to a retelling of a holiday classic. Any story from whichever holiday you pick, but it has to feature a classic story in the form of an attraction. Everything else is up to you, enjoy, and happy holidays!

After this round, we will take a couple day long break for Christmas and the days around it before jumping back in!


This Project will be due Friday December 22nd at 11:59 EST.

Each team will also be gaining a guest reviewer with Team Lore hosting @cdunlap and Team Legend hosting @Disney Warrior. @Disney Dad 3000 will be added to both groups for potential reviews as well!​

 

[cdunlap]

I’ll get reviews up either later tonight or tomorrow, I had a bad case of “stay in bed and rot all day” today.

Anyway…

The Library
We remain in the library for this next round, the perfect spot to keep exploring the unique and exciting stories. Some of my favorites happen to occur this time of year.

Challenge Nine: Design a year-round winter holiday-themed land for a park of your choice.

This round is all about the holidays so many of us celebrate this time of year. I’ve always found that the snow, the lights, the music, and the vibes are so nice that I wish I could explore it year round.

With this prompt, you should pick a park to build a land to celebrate these holidays. You can focus it entirely on Christmas, or mix it with Hanukkah, or do a whole New Year’s theme, or if you so desire, head to India and celebrate Diwali with a land of its own. That part is up to you, as is your park.

HOWEVER, with this is the caveat, you must include at least one attraction dedicated to a retelling of a holiday classic. Any story from whichever holiday you pick, but it has to feature a classic story in the form of an attraction. Everything else is up to you, enjoy, and happy holidays!

After this round, we will take a couple day long break for Christmas and the days around it before jumping back in!


This Project will be due Friday December 22nd at 11:59 EST.

Each team will also be gaining a guest reviewer with Team Lore hosting @cdunlap and Team Legend hosting @Disney Warrior. @Disney Dad 3000 will be added to both groups for potential reviews as well!​

I have a sort of Gothic/Dark idea for this featuring the all the evil spirits of folklore that are associated with the winter! I can flesh this out when I get research material! Another idea I have is an area based on the Aztec winter solstice celebration of Panquetzaliztli! https://calendariomexica.com/panquetzaliztli

 

[cdunlap]

or if you so desire, head to India and celebrate Diwali with a land of its own.

I might have to do this!

 

[PerGron]

Ho Ho Oh No…

It seems that visions of sugarplums are coming to visit Team Lore gifted over from Team Legend!

These holiday spirits are visiting to give Team Lore a new command going forward for this round.

It seems Santa Claus’s reindeer stables are out of commission and he needs somewhere to store his herd for this holiday season!

Your project must include a live reindeer exhibit. Please remember that reindeer are finicky animals and have special care requirements. They need large herds, large spaces, and cannot tolerate hot climates, so be careful picking your park to keep this in mind!

Happy Holidays from Team Legend!​

 

[PerGron]

A shadowy figure stands at the top of a hill and holds the monkey’s paw high. The voice is obscured but the wish is clear.

“I wish that Team Lore could not use Christmas in their project at all (except the reindeer, that’s required)”

Going forward, you cannot use Christmas in your land.

“Good luck!”- The Monkey’s Paw Guy or Gal​

 

[cdunlap]

You can feel free to integrate this man! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itztlacoliuhqui

https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/ask-experts/did-the-aztecs-have-a-god-of-snow

 

[cdunlap]

Here’s a visual for Itzlacoliuhqui!

 

[cdunlap]

(Yes, Team Lore, I’m actively trying to help you in particular with all this Itzlacoliuhqui, Aztec god of winter, business because fate has kinda messed y’all up this round so feel free to use him!)

 

[Architectural Guinea Pig]

(Yes, Team Lore, I’m actively trying to help you in particular with all this Itzlacoliuhqui, Aztec god of winter, business because fate has kinda messed y’all up this round so feel free to use him!)

How does Itzlacoliuhqui relate to live reindeer enclosures?

 

[cdunlap]

How does Itzlacoliuhqui relate to live reindeer enclosures?

So, fate has royally messed with Team Lore this round so I’m hoping that the Aztec god of winter, snow, frost, sin, and punishment can bless them and help them win this round! Besides, I’m no @Dark PerGron so I know nothing about animal enclosures!

 

[Disney Dad 3000]

Sorry to go awol on reviews for a bit. Been dealing with some health issues that has had me in the ER, various Dr appts, ongoing nerve studies, etc. This was the first project in a bit I felt I could really sit, appreciate, and opine and was glad to see the topic!

First off, will provide some feedback that I had in common for both teams in lieu of repeating myself. One thing I would have liked to see addressed is your plans from an organization standpoint. The Treasure is slated to have a 7-night itinerary when it rolls out next year and there are 3 shows locked and loaded for ship. Were you planning to replace one of those 3, or add in as a 4th show and how do they fit the currently planned line up? With 7 nights, there’s certainly space, but obviously a 4th Broadway caliber show adds in its own set of logistical challenges and is what you are proposing a compliment to what is there?

Team Lore’s Magical Mix-Up

Disney Cruise Line is definitely a fan of shows involving multiple IP’s. While there are standouts with Tangled, Little Mermaid, etc. they are no stranger to using their extensive catalog to take guests on a journey through multiple stories and characters with shows such as Disney Dreams and Disney Seas the Adventure. Your character lineup goes even further in that regard, but I like the variety you bring to the show and love the use of an original character.

The show follows a similar set up of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, but from that point on goes its on way in mixing up various worlds. It is a basic enough premise that families young and old could follow, and kids I am sure attach themselves to Rensie and many of the characters that make their way on stage. I could not help but think of the music from Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer, “We’re a couple of misfits” when seeing your title track, “Someday I won’t be a mix-up.”

Act 1 does a nice job of establishing the basis for the story/character before a bit of a cliffhanger heading into Act 2. I would have loved to see some personal set pieces (time allowing) or stage layout to break up the dialogue and act layouts. Would have really helped visualize some of the wackiness you had in mind. Acts 2 & 3 provide plenty of good mashup opportunities that I am sure would delight the crowd.

I will say for me, the ending of Act 3 feels a bit rushed and odd with Yen Sid consoling Rensie. I would have almost considered introducing Yen Sid earlier to have a bit more prolonged build up to fixing all the mix-ups. Or perhaps another character (Sorcerer Mickey even) shows up to assist in finding their way, and keeping Yen more on the stoic, authoritative side. Maybe a wink and a nod from him in the end perhaps. He has obviously got the skills to clean all of that up.

All in all, I think there are some good bones here to work with. I think the biggest thing for me was punching in some layouts and/or artwork to really make the show pop and tweaking the ending a bit. Perhaps as well finding some overlap with the ships offerings and characters already onboard to make use of props and costumes already in play from an operations standpoint.

Team Legend 20,000 Leagues Ahead

So, first things first. You were already in my wheelhouse the moment I saw 20k Leagues, and then mentioned The Great Comet. Attraction nostalgia for 20k holds a great deal of sway with me (why didn’t you mention the Periscope Pub that will be on the Treasure as a great tie-in??), and I absolutely loved The Great Comet. Love the soundtrack and saw it on Broadway when Josh Groban was still in the role. I may have had drinks with some cast after the show thanks to a bit of luck and being patient enough to hang out afterwards and chat with some of them who were generous with their time when exiting the theater stage door.

That said, a PG-13 musical on a Disney cruise? At first glance, I wasn’t 100% sold. I get the thought process, but there is a reason Disney does not go in that direction with their large-scale entertainment on board. You immediately nix a huge segment of the clientele on the ship. The thing you do have going for you though, this is a ship that sails 7 nights and the kid’s clubs/offerings are great. Is there enough infrastructure though to absorb them for adults to check this out? I am not sure, but you do at least have an itinerary that could pull it off, and the cruise clientele with Disney does shift to more of an adult skew various time of year.

The presentation itself is on point. Good to see the flipbook style still popping up from time to time in projects such as this. Lends itself well to the Playbill and I take a bit of pride in spearheading that a number of years back. Small touches like start time (in line with DCL entertainment schedule) are nice to see and give some authenticity. And glad to see I am part of the cast!

I love what you have done with the musical number descriptions throughout. It really helps visualize (in lieu of pictures/artwork) what is happening. Big fan too of writing original lyrics for your show. Stuff like that adds so much personal touch to these projects. Really good stuff there.

As far as the story itself goes, it would easily be different than any show Disney has put forth on a cruise ship, and for that matter probably in parks, etc. I can see the appreciation for Malloy’s style as well from a good bit of what is here. It is not overly complex from beginning to end but is set up really nicely with how the story is laid out. Guests may be caught off guard with the squid attack being the mid-point of the show and how things end, but as a snapshot into this point and time it is done really well. He is a super unique character and this type of story really works with someone like him.

From a project standpoint, you all absolutely nailed it. Only minor nitpicks with some typos here and there (Cremates?) As someone that loves musicals, character study, 20k leagues, cruises, etc. this hits a ton of great notes. Cannot say enough about how thorough everything is right down to the behind-the-scenes stuff and nods to the original film. The big question for me is would it work, and I honestly do not know if I can answer that. The reality is, there is going to be a segment of Disney cruisegoers that will be turned off automatically, even on the adult side as it would be a big change from what most will expect as entertainment on a Disney cruise. Part of that is art though too. Everything is not for everyone. Make this a limited engagement 5-6 months a year when the Disney cruise clientele shifts and I think you would have a better shot, especially if working to nab an established actor like Choksi (perhaps even as an initial Broadway/off Broadway run for some pub and legwork). A really well put together pitch though. Really enjoyed this!

 

[PerGron]

I will have reviews and results up tonight for the last round.

In other news, as of today @Mr. Tux has chosen to leave the game. We thank you for your participation and wish you the best going forward.

As for the rest of you, there will still be an elimination this round. Good luck

 

[PerGron]

Hey yall, I know I promised results up but I had a bad medical scare that has left me in the hospital all day. I was just discharged but I’m going home to rest. I’ll get reviews up when I’m able and results have been decided so I can try to get those out when I get home before I go to bed.

Sorry to disappoint, but I’m alright now.

 

[JokersWild]

Hey yall, I know I promised results up but I had a bad medical scare that has left me in the hospital all day. I was just discharged but I’m going home to rest. I’ll get reviews up when I’m able and results have been decided so I can try to get those out when I get home before I go to bed.

Sorry to disappoint, but I’m alright now.

Glad you’re ok!

 

[OSUPhantom]

Hey yall, I know I promised results up but I had a bad medical scare that has left me in the hospital all day. I was just discharged but I’m going home to rest. I’ll get reviews up when I’m able and results have been decided so I can try to get those out when I get home before I go to bed.

Sorry to disappoint, but I’m alright now.

Focus on healing up my friend! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Hey yall, I know I promised results up but I had a bad medical scare that has left me in the hospital all day. I was just discharged but I’m going home to rest. I’ll get reviews up when I’m able and results have been decided so I can try to get those out when I get home before I go to bed.

Sorry to disappoint, but I’m alright now.

Take your time and focus on feeling better!

 

[Chaos Cat]

Hey yall, I know I promised results up but I had a bad medical scare that has left me in the hospital all day. I was just discharged but I’m going home to rest. I’ll get reviews up when I’m able and results have been decided so I can try to get those out when I get home before I go to bed.

Sorry to disappoint, but I’m alright now.

So what your saying is that your avatar almost became reality?

(Seriously, though, glad your okay.)