I'm surprised Orlando has never become a theatre destination

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retroeric

Active Member
Original Poster
I realize WDW has Cirque, but just about every other major tourist destination in the world like Las Vegas, NYC, London etc have countless options for world class theatre. Orlando has 52 million visitors a year and claims the 2nd largest number of hotel rooms in the world, yet still can only offer Cirque and whatever touring company is at Bob Carr. I think with the continued building of major Orlando attractions, and the additions of more world class convention centers popping up, it will only be a matter of time before Orlando gets a permenant home for a Blue Man Group or something along those lines. Perhaps another Cirque (Vegas has four of them).
 
jedimaster1227

jedimaster1227

Active Member
retroeric said:
I realize WDW has Cirque, but just about every other major tourist destination in the world like Las Vegas, NYC, London etc have countless options for world class theatre. Orlando has 52 million visitors a year and claims the 2nd largest number of hotel rooms in the world, yet still can only offer Cirque and whatever touring company is at Bob Carr. I think with the continued building of major Orlando attractions, and the additions of more world class convention centers popping up, it will only be a matter of time before Orlando gets a permenant home for a Blue Man Group or something along those lines. Perhaps another Cirque (Vegas has four of them).
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Actually, Orlando does have many theaters and productions to be seen, but most of them aren't permanent. We have Broadway every year at the Bob Carr Center. We have plenty of concerts and shows that come annually to the TD Waterhouse and other downtown theaters.

Personally, I would love a permanent BMG show here... I will just keep dreaming...:cry:
 
R

retroeric

Active Member
Original Poster
jedimaster1227 said:
We have Broadway every year at the Bob Carr Center. We have plenty of concerts and shows that come annually to the TD Waterhouse and other downtown theaters.
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Yes but every major city has that. I am talking about the permenant shows that play in their own personal theatres. I think having a permenant magic show ala Siegfried/Roy or Penn/Teller is a no brainer for a tourist trap like Orlando, but for some reason it hasn't happened. I'm not counting dinner shows and the small scale magic shows you see on I-Drive and 192, but world class productions.

And yes I think there is room for a second Cirque here. ;)
 
M

MMP

New Member
I don't really think Orlando is targetting the same group of tourists that LA, NY, and LV are targetting. If they had big time shows they'd have to be very family friendly since that's the demographic Orlando's visitors are usually in.
 
barnum42

barnum42

New Member
I guess Orlando = theme parks. Most theme parks have night shows which cuts into theatre time. Foot weary tourists at the end of the day just want to go back to their hotel to sleep not head out to a show.

Such theatre as there is will be for locals and hence is similar to that you see elsewhere in the country. The thinking will be that people wanting a theatre holiday will head to New York, Vagas or London.
 
disneydude2000

disneydude2000

Member
let the rumours begin, fifth park to have broadway type shows:zipit:
just a joke i hope.

but i do agree that Orlando is lacking, i have never cirque and i don't intend to becuase it looks crap in my opinion. i think that Disney could add another section in Downtown Disney and call it Broadway or even add some more theatres in the West End where they could show Tarzan, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Mary Poppins.
 
wickedfan07

wickedfan07

Member
I'm kind of surprised that Disney doesn't make a bigger deal about its Broadway and London productions at its theme parks, especially the Studios (since the park is about entertainment). Maybe they'll start to push that part of Disney entertainment in the parks soon, now that they have three shows in New York with Mary Poppins on the way this fall. They also have a fifth show in development (The Man in the Ceiling).

But will we ever see a Broadway-scale production of The Lion King at Downtown Disney, or even in a park? Hmm...
 
R

retroeric

Active Member
Original Poster
barnum42 said:
I guess Orlando = theme parks. Most theme parks have night shows which cuts into theatre time. Foot weary tourists at the end of the day just want to go back to their hotel to sleep not head out to a show.
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Good point, but what about the countless dinner theaters in Orlando? Certainly they weren't too worried about the theme parks keeping potential visitors from their shows.

Can you imagine how cool (and logical) it would be to have the Broadway versions of Lion King and/or Beauty and the Beast at a new Downtown Disney theatre?
 
S

skubersky

Active Member
Keep in mind that while there are many theatres in Orlando, they are mostly away from the theme park areas. If you head downtown there are many choices, with at least 4 or 5 (usually more) different shows going on every weekend.

I highly recommend:

Theatre Downtown www.theatredowntown.net
Mad Cow www.madcowtheatre.com
Orlando Rep www.orlandorep.com
Orlando Shakespeare Festival www.shakespearefest.org

And, my personal favorites (ok, I produce them, but still...)
Empty Spaces www.emptyspacestheatre.org
Rich Weirdoes www.richweirdoes.com
 
JCorduroy

JCorduroy

Active Member
Simply put, we're a theme park destination, not necessarily a theater going hop.

However, with the proposed changes goign through city council (which have been approved, I believe) to update the TD Waterhouse Center, Citrus Bowl, and building a new theater to attract more long term performances, we should have something to satisfy theater goers. :)

All that being said, I don't see Disney establishing a long term theater at DTD to run Beauty or Lion King, simply because DTD is only really in full swing during tourist season. When tourists go away, the traffic through the area dies down significantly.
 
barnum42

barnum42

New Member
retroeric said:
Good point, but what about the countless dinner theaters in Orlando? Certainly they weren't too worried about the theme parks keeping potential visitors from their shows.
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Afraid I've only be conscious of the dinner theatres closing - such as King Henry's, Carusos and Fort Liberty. But I see Medieval Times is still going.
 
WDWlife

WDWlife

New Member
What about Finding Nemo the Musical

Though, Finding Nemo- the Musical is not a separate free standing production (ala Lion King, B&theB, etc) but it is Disney's first venture into a more Broadway show for the park. Yes, it is 30 minutes long - Yes, it has puppets. But I have heard the whole show and know it quite well and it will blow you away. If it goes well I could see more investment in this area. Plus, look at the broadway talent they have attached to the project. A tony award winning composer and director. Not to mention the first show in the parks with full emotional journey rather than the tapestry of experience you find in similar show.

Though I don't see a sit down show as out of the question, Vegas has had a lot of trouble making Broadway theater profitable. I think WDW/ Orlando would have a similar problem. You go to Vegas for empty bling and sin (alone or with the boys); you go to NYC for intellectual fullfillment (with the spouse); you go to London for bad food and Drama (with your mom); and you go to WDW for magic and adventure (with the family).

With that said, I'd love to see a Lion King (or similar) sit down at Downtown Disney. But I doubt Disney will pay the high cost for a Production Broadway contract. Lots of actors cost a lot of money.
 

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