Show Dreamland Drive-in

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Coasternerd

Coasternerd

I agree, you delightful freaks
Advisory Panel
Dec 7, 2021
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Hey y’all, I recently got to see this show at Dollywood, but I didn’t know this show existed because it’s a hidden gem. First off… why does NOBODY talk about this show? This show is fantastic and clearly a high budget for a theme park show. And it’s not new—I see clips dating back to 2009 of this show! This show tells the story of a group of teenagers summer holidays at a drive in, which the lead is a DJ for the local radio station. The time period is the 50s and 60s. It’s a musical, and the part that absolutely shocks me? The show is AN HOUR LONG! This show is fantastic and I do not know how this show is talked about more. I found a new favorite theme park show with this show (sorry, not sorry Celtic Fyre). The vocals within this show are fantastic! I would highly recommend, if you are to be visiting Dollywood, to check this show out. I think it’s one of their summer season shows, however, their dark days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Also, worth noting, if you see the second show of the day, they do a cast meet and greet after the show! I took a couple pictures of the set and various moments in the show.
 

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Reactions: StageTek, Timchat2, AlpenChariot and 2 others
We've loved Dreamland Drive-In since it debuted many years ago. There are few theme park shows that almost guarantee being a little choked up by the end. In addition to be a great collection of classic songs performed quite well, it is a wonderfully emotional story about the bittersweet passage of time.

This year brought a few song changes to the show. Thankfully the new additions have enhanced the character arcs while bringing some fresh material to an already excellent production.

Along with Celtic Fyre, Dreamland Drive-In is one of the few "legacy" theme park shows around. Fiesta Texas had Rockin' at Rockville High for a time (including a revival of sorts last summer) but I can't think of too many shows that have run multiple years like Dreamland or Celtic Fyre outside of things like Festival of the Lion King.
 
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This is so sad—this was the best theme park show I ever saw. Glad I got to see it before it was removed, but damn that HURTS. I was hoping to be able to go back and see it again. Fortunately their closing cast was an amazing cast and I’m glad I saw it go out on such a good note. We may have just lost one of the best theme park shows to grace the earth, but I have faith in whatever Dollywood has planned.
 
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The 2023 cast was indeed excellent. The last several seasons have seen some really strong performers. There seemed to be a distinct effort to make each character their own. You could follow any of them through the course of the show and see a distinct arch. Being just under an hour the pace was different than the typical theme park show but I think that helped give the audience time to connect with the characters and the cast. I think that's what made such a strong attachment for fans of the show.

The ending of Dreamland will remain one of the more beautiful pieces of theater I've seen anywhere, theme park or otherwise. It's the kind of emotional impact few parks can pull off and I'm hopeful Dollywood will continue to put that kind of heart into everything they do.
 
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There’s a video of the 2023 cast full show and I will never not watch it. Such an amazing show.
 
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I was hesitant about the song changes for 2023 (even though I was aware the park felt the changes were necessary due to copyright concerns) but the addition of "Peace Train" was a nice way to give a more hopeful mood for the group of friends in the show as they face the uncertainty of the 1960s together. That said, I really missed having "Yesterday" paired with "Both Sides Now", although "Never My Love" certainly worked well.

The fact that the new songs were chosen with care and awareness of how they would fold into a well-established show is an encouraging sign that the current Dollywood entertainment team still has strong instincts and will make the right choices moving forward.
 
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Timchat2 said:
Dreamland Drive-In, which had been a beloved mainstay of park entertainment since 2006, will not return for the 2024 season. A new show is being developed for the park's upcoming 40th anniversary.
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Can I ask where the information for this came from? I haven’t had any luck finding information, other than you can’t find the show under the shows & entertainment page on the park website. Though, you can still find it by searching.
 
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