Finding Nemo the Musical Review

[dlmusic]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 12:59am

A little off-topic, but with all the Disney fans I thought you might be interested.

In short: The show is not-to-be-missed and sets the bar for what I hope will be the standard of Disney theme park shows to come

This show is completely Disney in the very best way. The staging is interesting enough to keep all ages entertained, the original music was delightful and the storyline was well told without being too flat or too emotional. Finding Nemo the Musical is simply the best theme park stage show to be introduced in the US since Festival of Fools all the way back in 1996. Along the way we've had some decent shows (Festival of the Lion King) shows that had potential but missed the mark in various ways (Aladdin, A Musical Spectacular, Animazement) and some real clunkers (Snow White, an Enchanting New Musical, the "improved" Steps in Time) and now we're finally get a quality show with little to complain about. The new songs written for the show are brilliant, very current and almost instantly memorable. The usage of puppets with live actors provides both a human face to the performance as well as giving you the characters you want to see.

There was nothing avant garde in a snooty, condesending way. The show was imaginatively staged in a way that simply took you along on a wonderful journey. The script was also head and shoulders over most park scripts. Instead of talking down to the audience the script was a simple adapatation of dialogue from the movie combined with enough original material to make it feel fresh and new.

Of course, a great show good be ruined with a bad cast and I'm happy to say that this is not the case here by a long shot. The two casts I have seen for this show are among the most talented Cast Members I've ever seen in any Disney theme park production. They deserve every standing ovation they will get (and they're already 2-2 and I can't imagine that will change anytime soon).

Sure there are things I could complain about, such as the puppets
needing to have mouths that open slightly wider to be more expressive and the fact that the sound levels really need work (sometimes it was quite hard to distinguish voices), but really these are nitpicks of what is a show that stands out way above anything I've ever seen in a theme park before.

For those of you who want to see video of the show here's a link:
http://www.laughingplace.com/Lotion-View-317.asp

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 1:01am

THANKS!!! Can't wait to see it.

[BroadwayBound062]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 1:03am

I would love to see this show...

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 1:16am

Doesn't anyone do a search before posting?



We Know About The Videos

Updated On: 11/28/06 at 01:16 AM

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 1:19am

I just noticed you are new, dlmusic.

Please read the FAQ....
FAQ

[StageManager2]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 1:30am

Diva: You're the bitchiest bitch that ever bitched!

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 1:32am

but we still love ya!

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 1:50am

Ditto StageManager. TheatreDiva, he posted a review...reviews deserve to get their own topics. Why don't YOU do a search before posting...maybe you'd come to realize that then.

Updated On: 11/28/06 at 01:50 AM

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 2:20am

Oh Honey, Puhleeze.

The newbie SHOULD rerad the FAQ....


And I take being called a bitch by SM2 a compliment.

Get over yourself.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 2:29am

He posted a review! Although it is good for everyone to read the FAQ, you're telling him or her to read it as if he or she did something wrong. If you are familiar with the boards, you should know that reviews for a show aren't kept to one thread, and that this poster was simply reviewing his or her thoughts on the show.

Another thing...just because "we know about the videos" doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the poster adding it as a supplement to the review as long as it's legal!

Maybe you should "rerad" the thread too.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 6:41am

I must be the only one who didn't go gaga over this. When I saw it two weeks agao, I enjoyed it, but didn't find it nearly as amazing as some.

It felt like The Lion King underwater. Most elements of the shows design were borrowed from Lion King and modified, right down to the guy on the bicycle doing the school of fish (like the herd of gazelle in Lion King). The music is all right, but some of the numbers fall a bit flat. The show looks the best when they do the inside of the fish tank. The cast I got was very good, with Dory being the standout.

Other observations...the show gets off to a great start, and ends wonderfully. However, the middle of it needs work. There are a couple of scenes that drag a bit. Also, as you mentioned, there were some sound issues, which I expect are because of the fact that the theater is newly enclosed, and they haven't worked all that out yet.

I'd certainly recommend it, but I don't consider it the best theme park show they've ever done, not by a long shot.

[Fiction Writer]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 7:21am

I read his review, but the only thing that sticks is the "...and some real clunkers (Snow White, an Enchanting New Musical)..."

I'm sure Erika would disagree.

Or maybe she won't.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/28/06 at 12:14pm

"you're telling him or her to read it as if he or she did something wrong."

Maybe that's the way YOU took it.

Relax.

[rentgal589]

Posted: 3/23/07 at 4:23pm

Well...

It's sounds quite interesting. But this is one of those situations where I'm gonna have to say that they should have left it as a movie.

But I havent actually seen the show so i shouldnt b talking. just ignore me.

Updated On: 3/24/07 at 04:23 PM

[Testing1232]

Posted: 3/23/07 at 6:29pm

Agree.. they did an EXCELLENT job !!!

Is a great show ! By far, the best at WDW right now. (although "Hunchback" was still my fave that Disney has done)

Posted: 3/23/07 at 10:45pm

I was blown away, working at disney in the past, the shows at WDW have been, well lackluster in my opinion, and was not expecting much more when I saw Nemo. I was enthralled, and so impressed by the production. I dont think it was stolen from Lion King, how else would you present an underwater world. I just loved it.