Disney's On the Record

[DisneyWorld30th]

Hello Everyone,

I recently went to see the new show broadway-style show Disney's On the Record.

Personal Background
I went with my wife, her mother and boyfriend. My wife and I are true Disney fans. We go to WDW once or twice a year!

Before the Show
We had very good seats for the show. It was a Saturday evening show. We were seated on the left in row K. As we were sitting there reading the Playbill, I noticed that the dates of the show were changed. The person in front of me said she had tickets for the previous weekends show and they cancelled it. The show was orginally scheduled for 2 weeks and it was reduced to 5 days. The theater was not crowded at showtime.

And the curtin rises
The curtin rises to display what looks like a large recording studio. Ashley Brown (playing the roll as Kristen) starts singing A Dream is a Wish your Heart makes. The rest of the cast comes in and joins her. My wife taps me on the shoulder and says, "Is there no dialoge?". I said, I have no idea!! If you are curious, there is no dialoge!!

My personal review
I thought the cast was great! Ashley Brown is terrific! (My wife ran into her mother in the ladies room during the intermission).

The story was somewhat confusing. They tied several Disney songs together to make a story! There are a total of 64 Disney songs sung during the performance (Including some not listed on the Playbill - ie Tiki Room).

I don't think the show is for kids! There were two familes in front of me that left before the intermission (We moved to there seats after!! :animwink: )

There were several really good spots in the show. One of them was the Be Our Guest song were they recorded the songs in five lanuages. The audience was clapping and laughing out loud!

In Closing
If you are a Disney Fan...see this show! Your non-Disney friends...leave them at home!


If anyone has seen the show, I'd love to hear what they thought!!!

Offical Information
http://disney.go.com/disneytheatrical/ontherecord/

Current Schedule
Charlotte (4/12/2005 - 4/17/2005)
Ft. Lauderdale (4/19/2005 - 5/1/2005)
Tampa (5/3/2005 - 5/8/2005)
Ft. Myers (5/10/2005 - 5/15/2005)
Atlanta (5/17/2005 - 5/22/2005)
San Antonio (5/24/2005 - 5/29/2005)
Houston (5/31/2005 - 6/12/2005)
Kansas City (6/14/2005 - 6/19/2005)
Dallas (6/21/2005 - 7/3/2005)
Green Bay (7/6/2005 - 7/10/2005)
Omaha (7/12/2005 - 7/17/2005)
Denver (7/19/2005 - 7/31/2005)

 

[DisneyWorld30th]

The Show is offically cancelled!!!!

I just came across this news!

From Playbill.com

Disney's On the Record to Close July 31
By Andrew Gans
26 Jan 2005


The new Disney musical On the Record, which features songs from both classic Disney films and Disney's Broadway outings, will close after its July engagement at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

A spokesperson for the production confirmed to Playbill.com that the musical, which currently co-stars Kaitlin Hopkins and Brian Sutherland, will play its final engagement July 19-31 at the Denver Center's Buell Theatre.

Disney Theatricals President Thomas Schumacher told Daily Variety, "[On the Record] captured the people who love the Disney catalog, but once we got into a market, (business) didn't expand from there. We don't get walk-up business. . . .There is no reason to stop [the tour] today. All of these theatres need nine to 12 months to announce a season." He also added that there is the possibility that the show may play venues overseas.

The national tour of On the Record began performances Nov. 9, 2004, in Cleveland. Emily Skinner, who began the tour, was recently replaced by Hopkins. The cast also includes Ashley Brown and Andrew Samonsky as well as company members Meredith Inglesby, Andy Karl, Tyler Maynard, Keewa Nurullah, Josh Franklin, Leigh Ann Larkin, Koh Mochizuki and Lyn Philistine.

On the Record, according to production notes, "is the story of a recording session that changed the lives of a young unknown who is about to get her big break, a pop diva who is about to meet her match, and a matinee idol who is about to meet the 'new kid' who could take his place."

Directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom, the musical's creative team comprises Natasha Katz (lighting), Robert Brill (scenery), Gregg Barnes (costumes), David Chase (musical supervision and arrangements), Chad Beguelin (scenarist) and Acme Sound Partners (sound design).

The On the Record itinerary follows:
Feb. 1-6 at the Landmark Theater in Richmond, VA
Feb. 8-27 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit, MI
March 1-6 at the Wharton Center East Lansing, MI
March 22-27 at the Clowes Memorial Hall in Indianapolis, IN
April 19-May 1 at the Broward Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
May 3-8 at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Tampa, FL
May 10-15 at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Ft. Myers, FL
May 24-May 29 at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX
May 31-June 12 at the Hobby Center in Houston, TX

A CD of the musical is currently being recorded

 

[DisneyJill]

I'm not surprised. I thought the show was pretty weak, compared to their previous productions. I was blown away by Beauty and the Beast. I loved the music in OtR but I thought the set (notice not setS, just the one), costumes, (lack of) plot and dialogue weren't very impressive. It's a shame that it's closing though.

 

[BRER STITCH]

Thanks for the info DISNEYWORLD30th!

This show was doomed from the beginning. Elaborate sets, costumes and chopreography are what Disney fans have been trained to expect.
This show had none of that.

If ABBA, Billy Joel, and Queen music (among others!) can be turned into enjoyable story lines, there was no reason the awesome Disney catalog of music could not have been treated the same.

This production was rushed and cheaply produced, and this is the result.

Hopefully someobody will put the pen to the paper and do a better job next time around. Disney music deserves a much better showcase!!!

 

[DisneyWorld30th]

Thanks for the info DISNEYWORLD30th!

This show was doomed from the beginning. Elaborate sets, costumes and chopreography are what Disney fans have been trained to expect.
This show had none of that.

If ABBA, Billy Joel, and Queen music (among others!) can be turned into enjoyable story lines, there was no reason the awesome Disney catalog of music could not have been treated the same.

This production was rushed and cheaply produced, and this is the result.

Hopefully someobody will put the pen to the paper and do a better job next time around. Disney music deserves a much better showcase!!!

I totally agree with you!!! This show could have been soo much better!

I feel like writing a sympanthy card to the cast! They did a great job with what they had to work with!

 

[mickey04]

I for one really liked it. I saw it Sunday night at the Colonial in Boston, btw. I also bought the soundtrack, which to me is amazing. I mean it has every song you could ever want on it. I'd highly recommend it for any die hard Disney fans.