Source: Yesterland
November 2001 – September 2002
LOCATION
Hollywood Land – The Power of BLAST! ran in Hollywood Land’s Hyperion Theater, the large indoor theater at the end of the street. Today, the theater shows a live, shortened version of Frozen.
BACKGROUND
California Adventure originally opened with a different show in the Hyperion Theater – Steps in Time. This show was a strange story of a fairy godmother encouraging children to follow their dreams, and quickly became a colossal failure and incredibly unpopular with audiences. So almost immediately, Disney began prepping for a second show to move its way into the park.
Over in Walt Disney World, Epcot ran a summer show called “The Power of BLAST!”, a tribute to the Broadway show Blast. The Epcot version ran just for the summer, but with its massive popularity, Disney saw an opportunity to revive it on the west coast. The show opened in California Adventure in September, roughly one year after it stopped running in Epcot.
EXPERIENCE
Details:
- Single Rider Line – no
- Fast Pass – no
- Height Requirement – none
- Duration – 30:00
The Power of BLAST! featured five of the Broadway show’s most popular numbers:
- Battery Battle (Thom Hannum, Jeff Lee, Paul Rennick)
- Boléro (Maurice Ravel)
- Land of Make Believe (Chuck Mangione)
- Lemontech (Jonathan Vanderkolff)
- Malagueña (Ernesto Lecuona)
During the performances, 40 performers danced and played instruments in elaborately choreographed routines. The show included multicolor lighting tricks, shadow illusions, and staging paying tribute to traditional drumlines.
After the show, visitors were encouraged to stop by a nearby gift shop, where they could purchase Blast souvenirs.
Source: Laughing Place
CLOSURE
Despite the show’s popularity, it was never destined to last in California Adventure. Licensing made the show expensive, and California Adventure was already suffering complaints that the parked didn’t have enough “Disney magic” compared to Disneyland. So not long after the show opened, Disney began developing a musical based on Aladdin to run in the theater. The show finally closed in September 2002, with Aladdin opening the following year.
TRIVIA
The Power of BLAST!’s set design included a unique six square piece on the back of the stage, creating two levels for performers to act on at the same time.
This was the only show to ever run in the Hyperion Theater without a storyline – just a choreographed series of performances.
Source: Yesterland