Kings Island Live Entertainment 2023
The 70s on Demand, Phantom Theatre Encore, and Retrospect all opened today
Producing high-quality shows in a theme park is serious business. Kings Island has been providing some of the best live entertainment year after year, with few exceptions. This season, the offerings are mostly returning productions (apart from the all-new “Retrospect” on the International Street Bandstand stage). Fortunately, these second-year shows have a solid foundation, are cast well, and are highly entertaining.
But first, I started my day at the Miami River Brewhouse restaurant and had a gigantic Caesar salad. I asked them to hold the tomatoes and provide extra dressing. They also layered on the parmesan cheese, and it was pretty delicious.
After lunch, I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower for my usual look around the park. It was a gorgeous day, and the park looks equally handsome - especially the colorful new area called “Adventure Port.” Next, I stopped by the VIP Lounge and picked up my one-time use FastPass (as a Prestige+ Passholder, I’m entitled to one of these each visit, as well as access to the lounge, an exclusive entrance lane for the first two hours the park is open, preferred parking, and several other perks.).
I decided to use my FastPass on the upgraded “Adventure Express” coaster, one of the few I still fit on. However, I did learn that I probably needed to be in the front row of the car because the seat in front of me pressed against my knees, which were already locked in place pretty hard by the safety restraint. It made it so that parts of the ride were actually painful. And, plus, I might just be getting too old to enjoy this kind of wild thrill.
I walked into the Festhaus and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t overly crowded, and I had my choice of front-row seats for the day's first show. “The 70s on Demand,” my favorite show last year, has returned with a mostly new cast. Every time this happens, I get nervous, wondering if the show will be as good as the previous year. However, I am happy to report that I enjoyed it as much as last year.
After all, the songs are fantastic, the live band sounds great, and the choreography is outstanding. Unfortunately, there have been incidents of inappropriate contact and behavior by certain creepy people in the past. As a result, I only use first names when talking about Kings Island shows. Kendra is a tour de force vocally and is always on point with her performance. Maleyah has the perfect amount of attitude on stage, with a unique charisma that makes her infinitely watchable. Chloe has a nice belt, moves well, and her chemistry with the rest of the cast is apparent. Olivia’s rich, full tone brings her songs to life, and it’s nice to see her smiling on stage again (her creepy vibe during Haunt was a whole different personality.). Finally, swing Molly can literally do it all as she morphed in and out of each track with ease.
Ben is the total package; great vocals, fancy footwork, and impressive performance skills. Sam has a smooth voice and seems very comfortable on stage. JT hits some nice notes on “Kung-Fu Fighting” and blends his voice well with the ensemble. Declan is exuberant and does a great job with some of the more challenging vocal tracks; he seems to be having a blast up there. Finally, Jack, the male swing, gets to show off the depth of his voice this year while keeping everything glued together with his crisp dance moves and captivating personality.
I watched all four performances today. So, yeah. I like it OK. 😁
I also caught the official opening performance of “Phantom Theatre Encore” today. I thought the audio was better, the jokes popped more, and the entire show felt more energetic than last year. Dustin, who plays the Maestro again, is magnificent in his role. So is Bridget as Hilda and Scott as Houdilini. New this year is Andrew, who is hilarious as Garbonzo. The rest of the ensemble taps their toes off on that fantastic “Happy Feet” number while the acrobatic performers also impress with their rope work. This is more than just an excellent way to cool off in the air conditioning - and the line in the photo above should indicate just how popular this show - and IP - is. Are you paying attention, KI? Boo Blasters can go away anytime now . . .
Finally, the night ended with the debut of “Retrospect,” a two-part production that essentially lasts all night. The app lists the show times as 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm. But in reality, the show begins at 7 pm and runs for about fifteen minutes; then there’s a DJ dance party, followed by the second set of singing and dancing. Then there are more street parties before the show repeats until the nightly fireworks at 10 pm. (I’ll write about those later, probably when I return to see “Off the Rails,” which opens on June 10th.)
“Retrospect” is a typical Cedar Fair corporate show, with mish-mashed billboard hits and an overall generic vibe. However, the talent on stage is anything but generic; Claire and Mallory’s vocals are world-class, while Dylan and Caleb do well with some difficult-to-perform pop songs. (Swings Montana and Sydney were not in the shows I saw tonight). Anna and Lyndon host the show and show versatility by singing and dancing in a few numbers while engaging the crowd during the street party. There are also several dancers, including two males, which is a trend I’d like to see continue - but frankly, I find the blocking of this production confusing and nonsensical. Still, this is a great cast, and their energy - with some really great lighting and an upgraded sound system - will make the summer nights feel like a giant party on International Street.
Who can be disappointed with that?
I love Kings Island; I love the food. I love the sound of people enjoying themselves on rides. I love seeing happy families come together. I love to sit and watch the world go by. But mostly, I love the live entertainment. I’ve watched countless youngsters start their careers here and go on to Broadway. I’ve met some of my favorite people at Kings Island. And I think entertainment head-honcho Kevin Brunck is a creative genius.
I can’t wait for a long summer of 70s music, stunning vocals from the bandstand, and soon death-defying stunts in the Showplace. Wanna join me? I’d love to show you around my favorite place.
Kings Island is celebrating its 51st season of operation this year. More information about the park can be found at visitkingsisland.com.
I love the overwhelming joy you bring to this review/article!!!! Your salad looks delicious and I want to go see those shows! I remember Kings Island with great fondness from my childhood. Nice to know it is still going strong!