aaaaand I think that's enough about Virginia law and worker's compensation. Celtic Fyre, pleeeeease.
Celtic Fyre
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
I spent some time yesterday giving Entwined a really terrible review, so I feel inclined to also review Celtic Fyre for balance. This show is great, honestly, so I won't be drawing from the well of bad similes quite as often as I did over there.
I have a very vague memory of sitting in this show's theater when I was 8 or 9 years old. That would be mid-1980s. We must have sat near the front; some dancers threw shiny things at me and I realized they were large metal coins. Kept one of them; still have it, preposterously. Can't explain why. Just one of those things that's always around. It shows up in a desk drawer every so often.
I had not walked into this theater since that day. The passage of more than 25 years could not quite erase the memory of it, which was a bit of a disorienting mind-[redacted]. Good fun, though, to make that kind of connection between middle aged boring saving-for-retirement me and the young, wide-eyed me who was going to be a filthy rich movie star roller coaster designer astronaut Lothario Batman when he grew up. For the record, I have only accomplished one of those goals so far, and I won't say which.
I asked the nice lady at the door if I could bring in a drink or snack. She playfully answered, "Sure, as long as it isn't a full meal. And by 'not a full meal,' I don't mean you just skip the veggies." Love it. And how did she know I skip the mealtime veggies when left unsupervised? Clearly this show's magic had already begun.
Okay, show time. This is probably old hat for anyone in this forum, but for a first time viewer there was a lot to take in. The set was well done, convincing, warm, inviting. The warm-up featuring the tavern owner was a charming scene setter and a great alternative to the standard spiel I could otherwise imagine: "Watch your fingers when the dancers get close," etc. It's a touch added by someone who must have genuinely thought it through years ago, no doubt. It draws the audience into the show smoothly.
The actual dancing and singing - what is there to say except that the production slid from scene to scene fluidly, the show was knit together better than virtually all of the theme park song-and-dance shows I've caught over the years, the music came off as largely authentic, and the performers really were top notch. There were definitely some standout singers including the male lead and the lady who sang the song over at the side of the stage, but honestly the entire cast got it done and wowed me/us (wife, 2 young kids) with vocal talent all the way through.
I'm really not a fan of Irish dancing or tap, truth be told. Neither is my wife. In a "previous life," aka 15 years ago, I was a competitive ballroom and swing dancer... my sentiments lie with those styles. But it didn't matter at all. The skills on display, and the performers' connection with the audience, made our preferences moot. When someone is really good at something, you just stop what you're doing, put away your snootiness, and take it in. Very, very impressive dancing.
Our kids dug it too. The dance-off segment generated a lot of questions: "Why were the two guys mad at the other guys? Why did the one guy kick the other in the face? Isn't that a red choice?" This from a headstrong 3-year-old girl who routinely threatens to rip her older sister's skin off. Not even kidding about that. It's a problem. But this show made an impression on her; suddenly she was talking like Rod and Todd Flanders.
So Celtic Fyre cured my kid of her fascination with violence. Not too shabby.
Not wearing my old-guy eyeglasses, I couldn't really tell whether or not the band was playing live. To me it seemed that if they were live, there must have been a backing track or a couple of other guys mic'ed up in a closet somewhere for a couple of the songs. On the other hand, it would have been weird if the three musicians went to such extended lengths to fake live playing. Either way, the instrumental portion of the show sounded great.
Not sure what else to say... kids loved the birds flying overhead... the cast saying goodbye on the way out was a nice personal touch. It seems that someone really thought through the combination of venue, show goals, and elements of a genuinely enjoyable, professional production when they put this show together. It seems to do only what it knows it can do well, and then a lot of exactly that set of things. Throw in various personal touches to bring the audience into the show, and there you go. Nothing terribly complicated or gimmicky. Just talent, front and center, with a well woven production behind it and some real heart.
Celtic Fyre almost makes good shows look easy to pull off, though they certainly are not. This kind of earnest, modest-yet-aspiring feel is exactly what BGW shows ought to be about, in my opinion.
I have a very vague memory of sitting in this show's theater when I was 8 or 9 years old. That would be mid-1980s. We must have sat near the front; some dancers threw shiny things at me and I realized they were large metal coins. Kept one of them; still have it, preposterously. Can't explain why. Just one of those things that's always around. It shows up in a desk drawer every so often.
I had not walked into this theater since that day. The passage of more than 25 years could not quite erase the memory of it, which was a bit of a disorienting mind-[redacted]. Good fun, though, to make that kind of connection between middle aged boring saving-for-retirement me and the young, wide-eyed me who was going to be a filthy rich movie star roller coaster designer astronaut Lothario Batman when he grew up. For the record, I have only accomplished one of those goals so far, and I won't say which.
I asked the nice lady at the door if I could bring in a drink or snack. She playfully answered, "Sure, as long as it isn't a full meal. And by 'not a full meal,' I don't mean you just skip the veggies." Love it. And how did she know I skip the mealtime veggies when left unsupervised? Clearly this show's magic had already begun.
Okay, show time. This is probably old hat for anyone in this forum, but for a first time viewer there was a lot to take in. The set was well done, convincing, warm, inviting. The warm-up featuring the tavern owner was a charming scene setter and a great alternative to the standard spiel I could otherwise imagine: "Watch your fingers when the dancers get close," etc. It's a touch added by someone who must have genuinely thought it through years ago, no doubt. It draws the audience into the show smoothly.
The actual dancing and singing - what is there to say except that the production slid from scene to scene fluidly, the show was knit together better than virtually all of the theme park song-and-dance shows I've caught over the years, the music came off as largely authentic, and the performers really were top notch. There were definitely some standout singers including the male lead and the lady who sang the song over at the side of the stage, but honestly the entire cast got it done and wowed me/us (wife, 2 young kids) with vocal talent all the way through.
I'm really not a fan of Irish dancing or tap, truth be told. Neither is my wife. In a "previous life," aka 15 years ago, I was a competitive ballroom and swing dancer... my sentiments lie with those styles. But it didn't matter at all. The skills on display, and the performers' connection with the audience, made our preferences moot. When someone is really good at something, you just stop what you're doing, put away your snootiness, and take it in. Very, very impressive dancing.
Our kids dug it too. The dance-off segment generated a lot of questions: "Why were the two guys mad at the other guys? Why did the one guy kick the other in the face? Isn't that a red choice?" This from a headstrong 3-year-old girl who routinely threatens to rip her older sister's skin off. Not even kidding about that. It's a problem. But this show made an impression on her; suddenly she was talking like Rod and Todd Flanders.
So Celtic Fyre cured my kid of her fascination with violence. Not too shabby.
Not wearing my old-guy eyeglasses, I couldn't really tell whether or not the band was playing live. To me it seemed that if they were live, there must have been a backing track or a couple of other guys mic'ed up in a closet somewhere for a couple of the songs. On the other hand, it would have been weird if the three musicians went to such extended lengths to fake live playing. Either way, the instrumental portion of the show sounded great.
Not sure what else to say... kids loved the birds flying overhead... the cast saying goodbye on the way out was a nice personal touch. It seems that someone really thought through the combination of venue, show goals, and elements of a genuinely enjoyable, professional production when they put this show together. It seems to do only what it knows it can do well, and then a lot of exactly that set of things. Throw in various personal touches to bring the audience into the show, and there you go. Nothing terribly complicated or gimmicky. Just talent, front and center, with a well woven production behind it and some real heart.
Celtic Fyre almost makes good shows look easy to pull off, though they certainly are not. This kind of earnest, modest-yet-aspiring feel is exactly what BGW shows ought to be about, in my opinion.
Another fantastic review! Thanks a ton for taking the time to write it all out!
So from this I take it you're... Batman. Noted.
halfabee said:
So from this I take it you're... Batman. Noted.
Loved your review. They musicians are indeed playing in Celtic Fyre. Just like Mix It Up there is an instrumental track that enhances the music.
They have little electronic receiver things on their instruments. (Sorry for lack of accurate terminology there) - but if you see this photo I took of Caleb playing The bodhrán (Irish drum)- you can see the antennae and box attached.
They have little electronic receiver things on their instruments. (Sorry for lack of accurate terminology there) - but if you see this photo I took of Caleb playing The bodhrán (Irish drum)- you can see the antennae and box attached.
Attachments
I missed Brian Carlucci's last show. But, I have a Brian story I can now share, now that he's gone. Last Saturday I happened to catch the 5:30 show, and it was one of the best I've seen. It started off by Brian giving the keys to Barry, who was in the audience, and teasing Alexander and friend, who were at one of the front tables. When coming down the stairs for the "Let's do that again, shall we?" he whapped one of them in the head with the bag of popcorn, and then again on the way back up. When climbing the stairs for the second time, he tripped and did a face plant in the middle of the stage. In the tradition of Charlie Chaplin, Steve Martin, and Chevy Chase, he totally played it off, and the audience roared with laughter. That set the mood for the whole show. Every time Brian would come near the stairs, he'd give them a dirty look, or climb them with exaggerated carefulness. And everyone else in the cast just cut loose with improvised hijinks. The show got a standing ovation. I was inspired to make up a little gift for Brian, shown in the photo. On Tuesday I managed to predict who would get the keys, and sit by her. I slipped this onto the keyring, thinking Brian would read it backstage and get a chuckle. Instead, when the lady returned the keys, he noticed the chip, and actually read it out loud onstage. I'm sure no one had a clue except us, the lady who got the keys and one of the ushers I had let in on the joke before the show. So, best of luck, Brian, and watch out for those steep cruise ship stairs. They can be tricky...
I happened to be at the park yesterday trying out a new camera with improved sound recording capabilities. By utter coincidence, I got to see Barry Kramer's last show. To honor the occasion, the cast did a very rare "three American tappers" version of the show.
This is my first posted video shot with the Zoom Q3HD recorder. The video quality could be better, but the audio quality is spectacular. Listening with the earbuds that came with my Samsung G3 phone is the next best thing to being in the theater.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnLDHnHXexE
This is my first posted video shot with the Zoom Q3HD recorder. The video quality could be better, but the audio quality is spectacular. Listening with the earbuds that came with my Samsung G3 phone is the next best thing to being in the theater.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnLDHnHXexE
From the facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CelticFyreShow)
"As most people know the final day of the season for Celtic Fyre is August 25th. Unless things change between now and then here is the show schedule for the final day.
1:30
4:00
5:30
7:00
This means that if you are planning on going to all the shows that day you will want to get in line for the next show immediately after exiting the 4:00 & 5:30 shows. This is especially true for the 7:00 show as the line for it will have already started forming before the 5:30 show has even let out."
"As most people know the final day of the season for Celtic Fyre is August 25th. Unless things change between now and then here is the show schedule for the final day.
1:30
4:00
5:30
7:00
This means that if you are planning on going to all the shows that day you will want to get in line for the next show immediately after exiting the 4:00 & 5:30 shows. This is especially true for the 7:00 show as the line for it will have already started forming before the 5:30 show has even let out."
Is that chuck? Y'all know who I'm talking about? Doesn't seem like something he'd do.
That's not you SDG right?
That's not you SDG right?
Just a little more serious note. While I get that you may not like the man, wearing a shirt like this is not the way to go about expressing your displeasure. You're just asking for someone to tell you to hide it, remove it, or kick you out of the park. Your best course of action is to complain to the Orlando HQ. This also comes across as pretty childish, to be honest. How effective is it as well? I mean who, outside of people like us or anyone working in the park, is going to know who Scott Gasparich is anyway?
In my opinion what was said on the shirt was not offensive as he said the man just makes him sad. No one but people who work at the park or folks like us would get the message.
Unless there is profanity or name calling like "he sucks.. an a-hole" that kind of thing; I doubt the park could really throw him out.
People walk around with I hate "add a name of a political figure" all the time and no one says anything.
It is a freedom of speech and a persons right to protest publicly. He is going about it his way and in a very non-aggressive way to get his point across. Whether anyone feels it is appropriate, inappropriate, silly, funny, or whatever.. the sentiment does not break any park rules.
Unless there is profanity or name calling like "he sucks.. an a-hole" that kind of thing; I doubt the park could really throw him out.
People walk around with I hate "add a name of a political figure" all the time and no one says anything.
It is a freedom of speech and a persons right to protest publicly. He is going about it his way and in a very non-aggressive way to get his point across. Whether anyone feels it is appropriate, inappropriate, silly, funny, or whatever.. the sentiment does not break any park rules.
pandorazboxx said:
Just a side note, the only shirts that are not allowed in are shirts that security sees at bag check, with that said, most security team members are looking for obscene language or images. His shirt or any shirt dictating that they find any particularly named person unfavorable in anyway that does not use profanity is perfectly acceptable.
pandorazboxx said:
Also many team members especially those that you see all the time do not know who Scott is. The only ones who know are the people who work in Entertainment or the more higher up team members like Managers, Directors, and so on up the ladder. So really no one would no except the performers, technicians, and the occasional informed team member or occasional higher up walking around.
pandorazboxx said:
This is very true to some extent. As we all see, there appears to be a web of companions within the executive team who would rather risk the sake of the business and company than risk their job over a friend. Continuing on that note, Corporate is the only real people who will listen especially because you take the time to find out who is Busch Gardens corporate and who is appropriate to contact. Because you took your time to do so much as to track them down and notify them, they tend to do a few things, send it straight to the specifically named park because they should be able to handle it or take it seriously.
Also, you can help by stop going to anything Entertainment related that is in reality very well unliked and encourage as many people as you can to stop seeing these bad things. An extreme and probably not appropriate thing to do is stand in front of the Festhuas and tell people not to go in during the showtimes. With that said, you could always stand there and "strongly encourage" that people not go in the restaurant during those hours, but you can't stop them nor can you act radically as far as telling people not to go in. Keep in mind, security is only called when guests are behaving radically and wildly. They have no problem with you nicely stopping people to tell them "(Insert polite attention getting greeting), I am very concerned about the Entertainment or such at the park. See I've grown up to love this park. (which most of us have) I visit all the time for the beauty of the park, the thrill of the rides, and the entertainment that has always amazed me, but I wanted to let you know that the entertainment has really declined. The show inside is very flashy and very out of place. They turn the light down extremely low while your eating during the show and while you're eating you can't really pay attention, and if you don't pay attention it is very likely that you won't understand what is going on. A lot of us locals who love this park with our heart and soul can't stand to see our park ruined. If you're really hungry I suggest that really good pretzel place down the pathway right behind you." Or just simply go about getting as many family and friends as possible to spam their Facebook page with the criticism. Remember PR goes along way, not me but the Public Relations
pandorazboxx said:
I don't think it is, I mean I understand it not being the best thing to do, but it really is something better than us. We all complain here daily and the park knows well enough they can survive without us. Now if they see 90% of their guests wear this shirt during the entire year, something would have to be done. When it comes down to it, drastic actions have to be taken. Not the extreme drastic, just the more noticeable actions. Its like hinting at someone that they should do something, and then when they don't get the hint you keep hinting but more obvious and obvious until they catch on.
