Busch Gardens

Living in the moment is important, but drawing on the past can be just as imperative if you need a reminder that life can be a blast. Today I reflected on my time as a singer at Busch Gardens- probably the best eight months of my life. When I auditioned in January 2009, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. A friend of mine mentioned she might audition, so I showed up on a whim without a headshot or resume. I waited for five hours in their Ireland theatre (Busch Gardens, Williamsburg has a European theme), sang one verse of "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady, answered a few questions, and left. A few months later, I received an offer to join the cast of "San Marco Singers" in Italy. Enthusiastically, I accepted and began at the end of May.

I had no idea what the world of theme park entertainment entailed. Half of me expected to show up and find that I'd be spending my entire summer working with old men who loved to sing opera. Boy, was I wrong. Unbeknownst to me, getting hired at Busch Gardens was an honor that takes some performers multiple years of auditioning to achieve. To this day, I have no idea why I was given such an opportunity, but I'm sure glad I was.

Backstage w/ Michael & Emily; Italy cast at Paul's

The Entertainment Department was full of college students and young adults who were more fun to be around than anyone I'd met before or have met since. My show had eight singers, four men and four women, who became like my brothers and sisters. We performed six days a week, 5-7 shows a day, and spent nearly every waking second together. As you can imagine, we became so comfortable with each other onstage (hundreds and hundreds performances of the same show will do that...) that we played subtle games to spice things up. I remember one time someone came up with the "Hit Michael Show," during which all of us found a moment to somehow slap/punch our friend Michael. He had no clue what was going on, while the rest of us could hardly hold it together as he reacted to each blow. Even when we weren't playing a secret game onstage, hilarious and memorable moments found us. One time Lori's petticoat completely fell off during "Funiculi, Funicula," a song we sang in the audience. Like a deer in headlights, she froze until Emily and I helped reattach her skirt. We were laughing so hard that I think only three of us could continue singing. I'm laughing outloud just thinking about it. Lori also had a habit of sneezing when the sun got in her eyes...again, we rarely were able to suppress our giggles as we watched her nose twitch to keep from letting one out.

Below are two performances of the same song. The first is mid-season. The second is our very last show (when our stage manager gave us pretty much free reign).  You'll see how we progressed (regressed...?). Michael is standing next to me in the first one, when the madness was just beginning. By the last performance, only five of the eight of us were left and our musical director had to step in to make an even six...you can tell she's the one in the middle trying to remember her part, while the rest of us were giving our three hundred and something performance- literally- of the same song. I'd say Jake and I had a good time on the left. I was cracking up when I saw that the second video existed...

Besides the show with the eight of us, Italy had a bigger production called "Festivale Italiano," implemented into the performance schedule about a month into the summer season. This spectacle required the talents of ten dancers, multiple boys on stilts, a lot of musicians, and random Chinese performers who juggled with their throats (no, really) and did tricks with face masks. Essentially, a rainbow threw up on the stage while we ran around singing "That's Amore" and the dancers played with ribbons...it was the perfect theme park show. Participating in such a chaotic display was humorous and an absolute blast. I'm glad I was there in 2009, because by 2010 they toned it down quite a bit, which I'm sure didn't create nearly as many laughs for that season's performers. For the grand finale my year, all of the singers donned gaudy gowns and robes while we sang "Time to Say Goodbye." Although we all looked absolutely outrageous, Michael was stuck with the most outlandish costume: The Bird. Instead of a robe, Michael was given something that resembled a peacock, feathers and wings included. At one point in the song, the singers paired off and walked quickly through the audience right before the big last note. To get on and off the stage, we had to maneuver two sets of stairs in layers upon layers of colorful fabric. Michael and Lori were walking up the stairs right in front of Paul and me when BAAM, The Bird lost flight. Since he had no hands free to catch himself while holding out his fabulous wings, Michael ate it- beak first- when he tripped on the last step. On the last note of the song, only our bass singer, Amon, sang as the rest of us had tears streaming down our faces from laughter. Somehow Amon had missed the fall, so he was granted a solo for our less than impressive final chord.

Finale Costumes for "Festivale Italiano"

Getting ready for bed with "Festivale Italiano" friends

At Paul's with Italy singers

As you can tell from these stories, which don't even begin to cover the amount of hilarious happenings, rarely did we get through a show without wanting to laugh our faces off. Since we had so much fun together at work, we spent almost every evening together, too. After a day in the park, we'd head to Paul's Deli, the favorite hang out in Williamsburg, for drinks and socializing. The bartenders knew each of us by name and granted us special privileges over the William & Mary students in the fall since we practically kept them in business during the slow summer. Paul's became my second home, where I spent an insane amount of time even after I stopped working at Busch. I ended up dating a guy from William & Mary, so we'd go into Paul's and the bouncer and bartenders always looked after me and made sure those college boys were treating me well. I loved it. :)

Above: Cami, me, & Lauren; Below: "Frankenrock"

When my summer in Italy came to a close, I was hired to stay in the park as a singer in the Germany Howl-O-Scream show called "Frankenrock." More like "FrankenPOP," as we liked say. Fun Halloween tunes like "Thriller," "Monster Mash," and "Time Warp" were meshed with random songs like "Livin' La Vida Loca" and, my personal favorite, "Barbie Girl." Yes, that was my big solo and I loved every second of it (see my very first blog post for video). Not only was the show itself incredibly energetic, my character really amusing (I was a "sexy barbie witch" in a lime green pleather mini-dress and matching witch hat), and the dances great workouts, but I was cast with my best friend in the park, Cami. She was in the "Country" show during summer, but we'd become inseparable since I spent almost every night at her house during July and August. I never liked to commute all the way from Virginia Beach, so I crashed on her couch instead. We were thrilled to be in the same show and became very close friends with another one of our castmates, Lauren- who's room I'm now subleasing in New York! Camping trips, sleepovers, and nights at Paul's with my Busch friends made for a perfect start to my senior year of college. Even though I was still a full time student in Newport News, I worked full time and spent most of my time 30 minutes away in Williamsburg. I loved my school, but I don't regret not being there often that semester in light of the amount of fun I had with fellow performers.

Cami and me on Halloween

One of my best guy friends in the world (a drummer at Busch), Smithers, and me on the camping trip

The year came to a close right back where I started: in the Ireland theatre for the Christmas Town show, "Rejoice." During the last show, every one of us was in tears as we took our bow. I remember the sadness I felt in that moment, knowing that I could never relive all of the wonderful time I spent in those eight months at Busch Gardens. I'd never been more excited to wake up every day to go sing in front of thousands of people, spend time with the greatest friends I'd ever known, and laugh my way through it all. Words can't express how happy I was during that time in my life. My Busch friends are now scattered throughout the world on cruise ships, in Disney theme parks (even in Korea!), bands, and regional theatres. I don't know if they'll ever understand how much they mean to me, but I know for certain that we became a family that still loves each other and can pick up exactly where we left off. I learned so much about myself and changed accordingly that summer, and they loved me through it all. I can only hope that I'll someday find as much excitement and joy in each and every day as I did during my time at Busch Gardens.

Above: "Rejoice"; Below: Christmas Eve with cast members

 

Adam, from the summer cast, visiting during Christmas

My friends from Busch Gardens and I continued to hang out long after the 2009 season ended, as you can see from the photos below. I stay in touch with most of them and make an effort to visit the ones who still work at Busch Gardens!