Recently, my daughter, her friend (and friend's mom), and I had the opportunity to go see Disney Live! presents Three Classic Fairytales. If it was only me, I would not have gone to this show; I am more of a Rock of Ages gal, i.e. cheesy 80s hair rock... and I have outgrown my Disney Princess phase for a couple of years now...
However, I do not think the show was designed to awe me, the important person to impress was my four year old. And, she LOVED IT. I do not think the child blinked once after the lights went down. The two girls were completely enthralled by the show, and especially the princesses.
The show was essentially shortened versions of Snow White, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast, with Goofy, Donald, Minnie and of course, Mickey serving as narrators and guides. The costumes were beautiful, the staging was quite impressive. I was a bit worried that my daughter would find it a little boring; after all, there was only so much you could do on a stage with real people, i.e. instead of hundreds of dancing plates, dishes and cutlery, there was one fork and one knife and a few dishes (I think), but it turned out she liked it just fine. The music was great, but I already liked the songs in the movies (there were no new original songs), and there were some pretty cool 'special' effects, like when Cinderella changed from her rags into her ballgown. And, the length of the show was perfect. It was about an hour and a half long, including a short intermission, which is about the maximum amount of time that my little one can sit still.
So for parents, the show is not bad. I do not think it will win a Tony, but it will also not cause you to run to the dentist to make sure you did not get cavities from all the sweetness. It was pretty much what I expected it to be, a show targeted at children (princess obsessed children) under 7. There was one thing that was a bit disappointing: I find most Disney films had some jokes that would amuse the grown ups in the audience, but this show lacked that, granted they did have to cut the stories down to about 20 min each.
For the kids, I think as long as your children love princesses, they will love this show. My daughter's favourite part was seeing Belle, and at the end of the show when all the princesses came out with their ball gowns and princes (I shall refrain from commenting on the whole princesses' goal is to marry a prince thing).
Here are my little one's exact words on the show:
“I love it; I love it; I love it!!”
Here is a caveat though. There are some darker parts in the show which may scare the more sensitive souls in the audience – the magic mirror that the wicked queen in Snow White talks to is a bit spooky; the wicked queen turning into an old hag might be scary to some; and during the fight scene in Beauty and the Beast, there is a simulated thunder storm, so it gets dark and there are lots of flashes of light and thundery booms. Having said that, my daughter who usually gets upset quite easily, was fine for the entire show.
Now, for the thing that I definitely did not like, and had nothing to do with the show itself: the prices at the concession stands. I believe it cost $12 for a snow cone. Unless that cup, which you can keep, can sing the show back to me, there is no way I am paying that much for some ice and syrup.
So would I recommend this show?
It is hard to say; for me, it is an okay show, but at the same time, I think it is a nice treat if your child loves princesses and fairy tales (mainly princesses). It was fun, and entertaining, and the little ones LOVED it. And, I loved watching my child's face glow as she watched the show. Plus, it is always cute to see a bunch of little girls run around in costumes (it is also a great way to get more wear out of that Halloween costume).
I also think this show is a great way to introduce kids to going to a live stage show. It was a comfortable setting, full of other children, so you did not have to worry too much about constantly hushing your child. The plot was simple, and it was pretty much guaranteed the kids would like the story (why would you go if you do not like fairytales).
Oh! Using the show to get my child to behave for a week was a bonus.
On the other hand, if you are deathly allergic to pink, stay away.
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