The all-star line-up of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy along with more than 25 Disney characters performed Disney’s greatest hits before enthusiastic fans at the QNCC, writes R Fernandes
If you ever feel like reliving your childhood, this is the place. The curtain for the highly anticipated show ‘Disney Live! Presents Mickey’s Music Festival’ was lifted to a roaring crowd at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) last week.
After months of preparation and anticipation following on from the record-breaking success of Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic in 2013 in Doha, the all-star line-up of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy along with more than 25 Disney characters performed Disney’s greatest hits from the blockbuster movies of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and Disney Pixar’s Toy Story remixed for a fresh new sound.
One of the crowd’s favourite scenes received a roar when Ariel’s six sisters broke out into Beyonce’s smash hit, Single Ladies. Everyone was on their feet and singing along to the award-winning song. The classic, A Whole New World took mums and dads on a journey down memory lane as Aladdin and Jasmine made a special guest appearance.
Ahead of the show’s spectacular opening, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse were spotted at a local mall in the city where fans were surprised over the weekend, when Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse broke out into a special performance of Rock the Mouse. Children and adults of all ages were thrilled to have their pictures taken with their favourite Disney characters.
Performance Director, Carlton Meier said, “As opposed to Disney on Ice, which was a phenomenal success in Qatar, I think this show offers a different experience that the audience will have. You are being drawn in by the story. The theatre setting is more intimate. It is a true connection for the audience. At the skating show they may be whizzing past them. They may get a wave or a kiss blown at them.”
Meier, a native of Texas, began to study dance after graduating from high school, and continued his formal dance education while attending McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas on a Theatre Scholarship.
“This show is really aimed at anyone from 2-to 3-year-olds to 70 years of age, after all you are only young at heart,” smiles Meier.
“It is also for anyone young or old who has grown up with Disney or is familiar with these stories. We will be presenting short versions of the popular stories from Aladdin and Toy Story.”
A remarkable aspect of the show is that the language is very simple to follow. This makes it easy for the Arabic audiences and younger children as well. Something that the organisers have taken due care with.
He explains, “The show had its debut in Spain four years ago. I was with the group in Japan in 2012 and Taiwan. The cast is from Turkey and there are some Americans as well.”
Meier is responsible for maintaining the quality, creative intent and overall look of the show as it travels around the world. He is proud that he has been able to bring this spectacular show to the international audiences of Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Mexico, Japan, China, Italy, Greece and the United Kingdom.
Produced by Feld Entertainment and brought to Doha by the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and organised by Sport & Entertainment Solutions (SES), this unique family stage show will no doubt be one of the most memorable events of the year.
Feld Entertainment is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting live touring family entertainment experiences that lift the human spirit and create indelible memories, with 30 million people in attendance at its shows each year. Feld Entertainment’s productions have appeared in more than 70 countries on six continents.
“Disney Live! presents Mickey’s Music Festival is an entirely different kind of show than Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic. A unique theatre production incorporating Disney’s greatest hits, we are thrilled to be able to introduce some children to their first-ever theatre experience,” said Ali Haidary, CEO and Founder of SES.
“Our aim alongside the QTA is to bring quality family entertainment shows to the region. It is important that we make these world-renowned shows accessible to the Middle East. The way Disney On Ice was received, inspired us to continue to bring back a variety of shows including Disney Live! presents Mickey’s Music Festival,” Haidary added.
Bilingual in Arabic and English, Haidary was fundamental in brokering the ground-breaking partnership between regional telecommunications giant Etisalat and the world’s most recognised football brand FC Barcelona. In 2013, SES partnered with FELD Entertainment to become the exclusive promoter of Disney on Ice and Disney Live! events in the Middle East.
“Of course, this is just the start of Disney themed productions that will be held in the Middle East,” adds Meier.
Disney Live! presents Mickey’s Music Festival is the sixth incarnation of Disney Live! since its creation in 2004. It recently completed a tour of Turkey and Cyprus. Due to popular demand, the show’s organisers, Sport & Entertainment Solutions (SES) added a new performance on Thursday, February 13th at 3:30pm to ensure everyone had the opportunity to see this lively musical extravaganza. The show takes eight hours to set up and includes 15 performers with a whopping 299 costume pieces.
Although it appears as a flawless production, there are many hours spent in rehearsals. We meet a few of the cast members. Brittany Eubanks, from the US has been performing since the age of four. She says she began performing ballet at the tender age and loved it ever since.
“I believe my performance style is shaped from the many years of ballet training. My style is versatile as I trained in many different forms of dance throughout my life but ballet does certainly find itself in many of my performances,” she says.
Describing her favourite memory she says, “During the summer, my best friends and I would have sleepovers before performances. I will always cherish the times we had during training and performances together.”
Brittany wants to leave the audience with happy memories. She says, “I want to leave the audience with a smile on their face. To show them what I enjoy and bring about excitement from watching any show that I am able to participate in.”
Of course, singing and dancing might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Meier’s message to those who think that this is just a children’s show is simple. “My message to them would be, give it a go. This isn’t a show only for children it is almost like a fun rock concert. Mickey Mouse is not in his traditional tailcoat and tie.”
He adds, The opening segment is my favourite part of the show because it is full of high energy. This is a show that will have the young and the old dancing in the isles.” After the stint of shows in Qatar, the cast and crew will make its way to Abu Dhabi.
