SDC won first place in the "Best Overall Production" category at the IAAPA Expo last week for the original production Headin' West. This marks the first time that a SDC production won first place in an awards category! Congratulations to the park and everyone involved with the production! :D
http://www.news-leader.com/article/20091130/BREAKING03/91130014/1007/news01/SDC+show+wins+top+honors+at+trade+expo (http://www.news-leader.com/article/20091130/BREAKING03/91130014/1007/news01/SDC+show+wins+top+honors+at+trade+expo)
'bout time. Been saying forever that the productions at SDC are/were much better than SFFT's
Shoulda won it for the Civil War Show or for Christmas Carol instead of this one...
If by "Civil War show" you mean "Listen to the River", I TOTALLY agree. That was the best show I've seen there at SDC (granted I've only been going since '94, but still...). I have the cassette tape of that show; wish there'd been a VHS (maybe there was, and my parents never got it; I dunno).
Quote from: History Buff on December 04, 2009, 06:34:45 PM
Shoulda won it for the Civil War Show or for Christmas Carol instead of this one...
Or perhaps, in addition to Headin' West. :)
^Nah. I just can't get over the idea that the show is presented out of order. Why is the mine scene presented before the plains scene. This is clearly geographically inaccurate and could easily be fixed. I love the music, and the performances are fantastic, worthy of individual honors - I can even buy the weird buffalo stampede - but the show needs to be fixed for continuity. Plus I think the other shows were/are better and more worthy.
FYI: The raft scene is cool, the mine provides comic relief, but my favorite scene is the touching moment at the end, when husband and wife are reunited and take such realistic care with the "baby".
Perhaps this was awarded to correct previous mistakes. Like a Best Director Oscar to a prominent director because they realize it should've been awarded for a previous film. :D
The "civil war" show was "For The Glory." "Listen To The River" was the original Opera House show, and I agree, it was probably the best.
Yes, I actually forgot about Listen to the River, but agree that it was better than For the Glory. I guess that's personal preference. I must admit that Christmas Carol seems to be the closest to a Broadway production.
Ah, okay. I never saw "For the Glory." I just remember the war bits from "Listen to the River", so I assumed that's what was being mentioned.
I STILL have not seen "Headin' West". If it's there again next year, I will definitely try to make it.
I was going to go to Christmas Carol last weekend, but by the time we got into the park, I'd decided that I'd seen so many versions of that story that I really didn't want to waste such a beautiful-weather day waiting in line for the show when we could be waiting in line for rides. We didn't even go to the Saloon Show (then again, that one was... well, people were already in line at 4:45 for the 6pm so... yeah, we weren't gonna sit that long just for that; I'll take him next year on a day when it isn't so busy).
Joy
Joy,
You should see Dickens someday. It's one of my favorite parts of Christmas at SDC. We've been known to see it twice during a trip. The key is to see it at opening or maybe the last show. Although, we've walked into the show before during a parade or something.
Yeah, the show is obviously predictable, but it's just not Christmas at SDC to us without it. My husband and I can sing the words to the songs, and we sing them for the rest of the day--but as I've said before--we are nerds.
I would be happy to go to Christmas Carol and then leave. It is a MUST see.
As big of an SDC fanatic as I am, I have never waited in line for the Christmas Carol show. :-\
I have to echo StaceySue's sentiments--Christmas Carol is FANTASTIC. It would be worth it to go to SDC just to see it. And they make changes from year-to-year (sometimes subtle, sometimes not), so you can see it from year-to-year and it's never exactly the same.
Rube and Joy, you should definitely try to see it this year, since rumor has it that this is the last year for Christmas Carol. Dollywood will get Christmas Carol and we will get Babes in Toyland next year (although that's not confirmed, it's worth noting that it might happen).
We saw the first show today, and it was wonderful as usual. We introduced the show to my inlaws, and my father-in-law led the standing ovation, shooting out of his seat as soon as the last song ended. I'd say they were impressed. We hoped they would be after all we hyped the show to them ahead of time.
We are used to seeing Rachel in the role of the Ghost of Christmas Present, and this was our first time to see David as Scrooge, so there were new things for us to see. I don't remember the big-wheeled bicycle being pedaled across the stage in past shows.
Shame on you guys for not seeing this show. I know what you mean when you say you've seen many incarnations of A Christmas Carol - many sitcoms even try their hand at a rendition at some point in their run, and I've been turned off by the tale myself in the past - but this is by far the best. You'll laugh and you'll find a tear coming to your eye. The effects in this live production are top-notch, especially coming from a theme park.
Let's see, can we name all the songs in this hour-long show?
You're a Mean One, Mr. Scrooge (Grinch Song)
When Christmas Comes to Town (sung by a young Ebenezer and his sister inside a snowglobe) - a great Christmas song
December the 25th
Thank You Very Much (That's the Nicest Thing Anything's Ever Done for Me) - from a previous musical film based on the same story
Little Alter Boy
Ave Maria (weirdly sung by a grave stone)
God Bless Us Everyone!
What else? Anyone?
How about:
Sing a Christmas Carol
Somewhere in my Memory
Christmas Together
God Made Me Special
We love this show a little too much. We even made a CD of the songs. You can find most of them on iTunes. I couldn't find a decent Somewhere in my Memory. And God Made Me Special is original, I believe. Also, You're a Mean One Mr. Scrooge is not on our CD, obviously.
Does anyone else tear up when Scrooge goes to his nephew's house? That gets me everytime:
There's a place in my heart where you've always been, for me. Welcome home, Uncle Scrooge, welcome home to family.
If this show leaves, we will be truely depressed.