One of the big things I’ve been asking for at Magic Kingdom for a long time is a good indoor theater capable of hosting Broadway style musical productions and audiences too boot. I was very happy to hear that Disney would in fact be bringing a theater to the park with the goal of bringing high quality of stage entertainment you’re used to at Disney’s parks, cruise ships, and even on Broadway. In addition to bringing some of Disney’s better known musical properties to a wider audience, it will be a huge capacity addition to the Magic Kingdom.
The new theater will be located behind the existing main street buildings on the Tomorrowland side of the park. Right now this area is part of a parking lot and bus drop off zone for cast members. It will actually be fairly close to the old Galaxy Palace Theater which is now a parking lot.
Magic Kingdom recently opened up a backstage bypass with just enough theming that it you don’t feel completely taken out of the magic. That will now become the pathway to the new theater. There will still be some logistical issues to deal with as a lot of supplies and cast members move back and forth across that corridor on a regular basis.
The concept art shows a look inspired by the iconic Willis Wood theater that Walt Disney would have seen in 1920s Kansas City, where he lived after he left Marceline. It’s a bit plain as far as coloring in the concept art, but with the right treatment should fit in behind Main Street.
We haven’t yet seen any ideas of what the inside will look like. But hopefully it will match the era with enough ornamentation to feel like it was built in the 20s. There’s a bit more of an expectation here, than the generic interior of the Hyperion theater at Disney California Adventure.
So far, we don’t have a date for construction to begin, or for when it is expected to open. But if it has a decent seating capacity it could easily soak up 10-15K visitors a day, adding a nice retreat from central Florida weather while making the park feel just a little less crowded during performance times.
If you could bring any Disney Broadway show to the Magic Kingdom (a short 45 minute version, of course), which would you choose? Or would you rather have a character show like they feature in Tokyo Disney Sea?
Mary Poppins
with all of the broadway spectacle! Those sets. Give me those over screens and more screens. good choice.
I doubt Walt Disney ever saw anything in this theater. It burned down when Walt was barely 16 years old in January of 1917. It was located nowhere near Walts Bellefountine neighborhood. Add to that the theater was a huge failure, its pretty unlikely that Walt even knew the theater existed. The Colony Theater or the Isis Theater would have been a better choice.
Newsies – a perfect show to play off Main Street.
I would love to see a venue added to either Disney world or downtown Disney that could have full broadway shows! Why are they only on cruise ships, in vegas and New York? Let’s spread the love! This would be a very natural fit for Disney and a great chance to share shows with our children.
Newsies!!
I recently saw the amazing Frozen show at California Adventure. It was absolutely fantastic, as was the previous Aladdin show.
A show of this caliber will be a hugely positive addition for the Magic Kingdom.
I’d love to see the Little Mermaid show brought in, although having a fairly large LM attraction just a couple hundred yards away might preempt that.
Agreed….show full length Broadway quality shows like the ones on the ships…or on Broadway!
There clearly would be a market for it…..or even…now that Cirque is leaving…convert that theatre to a full-on Broadway show situation?????
Mary Poppins would be my first choice, followed closely by Newsies.
I’m a DL/DCA fan (I live in California). All of the shows that played at the Hyperion Theater, in my opinion, appealed to both adults and children. (I think Aladdin was my favorite though … that genie was such a character!)
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