RE: London Rocks! (2014 to Present)
I finally got to witness the 2015 production of London Rocks, and suffice to say, the thoughts shared by everyone else here are-spot on. I don't even know where to begin. At this point, posting another negative review pointing out the show's endless faults seems superfluous. Sometimes, the only way for me to express my true anguish and deep, deep sadness is through humor. This is one of those times. For that reason, my following review of London Rocks 2015 will be presented as satire.
The spirit of the show could be felt before even entering the park gates. I pulled into the park with one mission in mind: to see what was purportedly the show of the century. Indeed, promotional material throughout the state was full of London Rocks advertisements. While their 2015 brochure featured nothing but a photoless paragraph about their new coaster, a full page was donated to the extravagant London Rocks.
Pulling into the park, I took note of the large coaster-like structure next to that other, purple roller coaster. But the only purple on my mind today was the brilliant purple, red, and white lights that would soon be flashing before my eyes at London Rocks. There was no need for coasters, no need for rides, no need for animals. I was there to see London Rocks. I left my car and scrambled onto the tram, looking around at the tramfulls of guests squished around me who would soon become my fellow London Rocks viewers.
I waltzed off the tram, threw fistulls of money into the wind, and narrowed my eyes to focus on the path that would lead me straight to Busch Gardens’ main attraction: London Rocks. After being tackled by a trio of security guards for taking pictures of a video monitor showcasing London Rocks, I was on my way to the turnstiles.
A short thirty minutes after waiting for my fingerprint bio to match, the energy of London Rocks washed over me the second I stepped into the park gates. In an area that had once played outdated, boring old English Water Music, now bursting from the speakers were cheery upbeat tunes such as Georgy Girl and Strawberry Fields Forever. The transformation of a rundown-feeling town to an energetic, near-modern city was marvelous, and something only the creative minds behind Busch Gardens could do.
Heeding guest complaints that England was lacking in shade, the park took not the maintenance-heavy approach of putting in trees to shade guests, but rather strung a matrix of Union Jack flags overhead. The flags worked effectively to prevent guests from seeing the sky above England, and the harsh sun within it. Better yet, the flags were beautiful. It was a subtle, remarkable touch that demonstrates the park’s amazing attention to detail. You weren’t going to forget where you were supposed to be with that many Union Jacks, no sir. Not with the painstaking detail instilled by the artistic minds of Busch Gardens.
A walk through what truly felt like a scene from the magical world of an Austin Powers film led me to the place I’d been looking for: the Globe Theatre, home of Busch Gardens’ signature attraction, London Rocks. I soon realized that a series of gates prevented me from using the front steps to enter the theater, but I was grateful. The winding walk along the side of the theater gave me extra time to marvel at the charming 60’s theming around me.
The first thing I noticed upon entering the Globe was our three puppet friends from last year’s show, and I breathed a sigh of relief. With the grand expense the park paid for those puppets, it’s a good thing they’re now seen by everyone as they pass by the concessions stand, rather than being seen for a measly few seconds within the show. Finally, the money put towards those puppets is being put to good use.
Inside the theatre, a friendly usher kindly shouted at me to hurry to my seat. Diligence is key at the Globe Theater, ladies and gentlemen. No need to worry about slowpokes taking their time on their way to their seats, even if you arrive thirty minutes early. The ushers also make sure you pick just the right seat, too. Even if you’re already seated, they’ll take the time out of their busy schedules to move you to another, far superior seat of their choosing. I was moved from a seat in the middle of the theatre to one on the far left of the back row, and let me tell you, the perspective was amazing. Thanks to the kind ushers of the Globe Theatre for escorting me to the best seat in the house.
I was also pleased to see that the pre-show cartoon depiction of street life on England, along with classic English television clips, had been removed. The constant movement onscreen, coupled with the “clip clop clip clop” of the cartoon Englishmen’s footsteps was dreadfully annoying. The simple projected curtain was more than enough to keep me entertained while I waited for the show to smart. At Busch Gardens, simplicity is elegant.
And then, it happened. The moment everyone was waiting for had arrived. I plugged my ears in anticipation of the loud noise that was about to pierce the eager air of the theatre.
Fortunately, the show opened not with music but a casual monologue by a cast member, who chatted about the show a bit, and even took the time to talk to an audience member. This brought audience engagement to the max, and really got the show going. Best of all, it didn’t get started suddenly and excitingly like last year, but instead casually eased into things. This saved my ears from getting hurt by the loud music, and really let the audience connect with the cast member who was talking.
This year, the pesky story about Lucy and her boyfriend falling in love was avoided altogether, and our music journey begins at a rock concert, where a band magically appears out of nowhere and the excitement begins spontaneously. Yep, this year there was no plot to bog things down. It kept things at a remarkable and unpredictable pace.
The opening number involved giant lips, walking cameras, and flashing lights that were enough to keep anyone entertained. I heard a woman sitting beside me whisper something about the giant lips and walking cameras not making sense, but all I could do was shake my head at her ignorance. Of course they made sense! They looked really cool! They rocked! They were fun to look at! How does that not make sense for a show that’s meant to rock?
Sensing that giant lips and walking cameras weren’t enough to keep the show’s younger viewers entertained, London Rocks then transitioned right into the Octopus’s Garden scene from last year. The bubbles, silly outfits, and loopy, off-pitch singing would be enough to engage even the most reserved young one, and by placing this scene right after the concert scene, London Rocks captures the interest of the little ones right from the start. Sheer brilliance. It’s great that the park took the time to make sure the park catered to the entire families, including the next generation of London Rocks fans. Kudos for remembering the kids, Busch Gardens!
I soon fell into a dreamlike state as the show fell into a less and less comprehensible mashup of music, which kept the pace on track and made it impossible to break away from the action.
I particularly enjoyed the throwback to last year’s show, in the form of recycled projections. This year, though, the projections didn’t slow things down by progressing any sort of plot, no sir. This year they served as awesome-looking backgrounds that played behind the performers. This is a great thing, because those projections were super expensive, and by using them as simple backgrounds rather than parts of the plot like last year, it truly shows how Busch Gardens is willing to spare no expense on this production. If they’re willing to pay enormous sums of money for fancy backgrounds, you know they’ve given this show their all. Wow!
Another thing I vastly preferred this year was the cast. Last year, the performers were too on-key and sang the songs too well. They sounded too much like the original artists, which I hated, because if I wanted to hear the original artists sing, I’d just buy their songs on iTunes. This year, though, this was avoided because the park hired a new cast, full of performers who put their own spin on things. Each performer made sure to miss the notes frequently and sing off key, so that their singing was a truly unique performance. That right there is pure talent.
I especially like the voice of the lead male, who seemed to sing the songs in a country style. Since Busch Gardens is located in the southern state of Virginia, I thought this was a great and creative tribute to the country music that has defined our state’s history. Similarly, the performer who portrays Lucy had an angelically high, squeaky voice like I’d never heard before. I am under the impression that her singing and speaking voice was meant to sound like the one of the Alvin and the Chipmunks, which as a reference to modern musical pop culture, was incredibly thoughtful on her behalf. The woman sitting beside me whispered something about her voice being “annoying,” to which I replied that she has no appreciation for chipmunk impressions. That takes true talent.
There was just enough plot to hold the show together, which was perfect. The plot took a backseat to the epic music, which is just how it should be. However, if you look very, very carefully, there are subtle points in the show that move the plot along. One point is very easy to miss if you’re not paying attention, but after careful analysis, I’ve come to the conclusion that it involves the male lead cheating on Lucy and falling in love with another girl. The casual observer would not notice this, and many simply thought the lead was dancing with another woman, but I noticed all right. What a great addition to the show! Conflict! Having one character cheat on another is just the perfect twist needed to spice things up. Sure, the show didn’t really have a plot to be twisted in the first place, but that’s not important. What is important is that this plot twist takes the show on an exciting new turn. And because it’s such a subtle point, it ensures that everyone pays close attention to the story so they don’t miss it. Err, that makes sense, right?
The finale involved an extravaganza of flashing lights and seemingly abstract noises, and I looked around and let the energy wash over me. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience of musical magnificence that was flashing before my eyes. As they say, all good things must come to the end, and sadly, the show was over.
The audience, like me, must have been too stunned by the wonders that had been before us to clap, as only a few seconds of light applause broke the silence. This is to be expected, however, as a show of this caliber is bound to have the audience in complete shock and amazement after the glory that they had just witnessed. I sat there stunned, blinking away tears of joy as everyone else hurriedly left the theatre. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay there forever in the presence of what had just unfolded. It took half a dozen security guards to drag me out of my seat an hour later.
Such beauty. Such epicness. Such grandeur.
A few final thoughts: The drug-related undertone of the show seems to have gotten more consistent. Last year, the show was bogged down with an entire scene just about drugs. This year, with the elimination of that tiresome plot, the drug theme (a nod to an important part of 60’s culture) remained, but was cleverly spread throughout the show. This way the entire show had a consistent, drug theme. Rather than try to squeeze the entire drug theme into a puny scene like last year, this year the park decided to let the drug theme play to its full potential throughout the show. It really gave the show a great atmosphere. Many people have called the show an “acid trip,” and I think that’s a wonderfully eloquent way to describe it. I must emphasize the word “trip.” London Rocks really is a trip. It’s a journey: a musical journey, an emotional journey.
I thought London Rocks was absolutely amazing last year, and after hearing that the park was going to be making some changes to it, I was worried those changes would be for the worse. I’m thrilled to report that I was wrong. Somehow the park managed to make an already amazing show into an even more amazing show.
After hearing about the park’s economic strifes, I think it would make economic sense for Busch Gardens to close all of their other attractions (especially the rides and animal encounters) and just offer London Rocks. London Rocks on its own is the true star of Busch Gardens, and I can’t think of any other reason to ever visit the park. They could easily increase their admission prices, and guests would still flock to the park just to see London Rocks, and London Rocks alone. The other aspects of the park are completely superfluous now.
I don’t know how they did it. Busch Gardens and their incredible entertainment team has actually improved upon perfection with London Rocks 2015. Bravo, Busch Gardens! Bravo!
