Skip to main content

Review: Entertainment at Universal Orlando

Blues Brother's show in Universal Orlando

Priceless Entertainment Surprises At Universal Orlando

Revised 4/2021
Where can one find performances by The Blues Brothers and Marilyn Monroe, not to mention singing frogs and break-dancers?  As a returning visitor to Universal Orlando, I have experienced some of the professional entertainment that springs up all over the park and was expecting some of the same.  However, I was pleasantly surprised during my most recent visit.
Note: Follow CDC and park guidelines when visiting.  Always wear your face mask when in public.   
Walker  & Rebecca Black invited into the Marilyn Monroe dance show inside Universal Orlando

Marilyn woos my hubby.
Photos adorn the walls of my daughter's home, so it's safe to say she's a mega-fan of Marilyn.  Consequently, I took every advantage to get photos of this iconic figure.  The actress playing Ms. Monroe is always in character and a hoot to meet. 
Checking our Universal Studios Florida park map, I found times – and place – where Marilyn and her “Diamond Bellas” would be performing and tugged on my hubby to venture on into “New York”.  There we found an interesting fellow dressed as a 1940’s movie producer frantically pacing the street.  Since we were first “on the set”, he complimented me on my “natural” hairstyle, reassuring me that it would be perfect for the shot, and told my husband that he was glad to see him.  Should we be worried?  Yep.  

Soon, a vintage vehicle arrived carrying Marilyn and a bevy of beautiful women dressed in skimpy sailor uniforms.  Before helping Marilyn out of her car, our producer ushered my hubby into the director chair.  Whoops.  I am the ham of the fam.  He isn’t always so willing to be in the spotlight.  Watch on to see how well he did under pressure.   
Schmooze all you want with Marilyn, but I have a future date with Elwood.
(Video by Elias Alberto Elvir Godoy) 
Wish I had a video of my five seconds of fame, but alas...no.  During a Blue Brother’s performance (awesome!) Jake promised a date with the pretty blond if Elwood sang Rawhide with him.  Of course, I played along.  As an unabashed ham, I couldn’t help myself.   
Hogsmeade: Mega amounts of spirit in this Spirit Rally, Frog songs & more.

On our previous visit, we watched the Hogwarts inspired performances, which I enjoyed immensely.   For this visit, I couldn’t wait to revisit the excitement and I wasn’t disappointed.
Diagon Alley: Tales of Beedle the Bard & Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees
Celestina and her Banshees wowed us again belting out tunes apropos for the setting, like “You Stole My Cauldron but You Can't Have My Heart," "A Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love," and "You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me.”  Celestina chooses an unexpecting man from the crowd to join her in one of her songs.  I had to laugh when my husband sank behind a vendor’s cart when she began looking around for her victim. 
We missed Tales of Beedle and the Bard this trip, but here’s a video from last time. 
Beat Builders & Flying Fish
What is it about men wearing a tool belt?  Or is that just me?  What makes these muscular males different than the average construction worker is what they do with those tools.  The “Beat Builders” use typical building supplies to make incredible music. 
Was that a flying fish?  Yep.  Acrobatic fetes await those who slow down to watch the show.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get a video, but “TouringPlans” did.  The song "Fireball" plays during the show but appears to be muted in this video.   
Street Beats

Music turns me into a dance machine; my body just starts moving.  Still, watching Street Beats confirms that this dance crew has moves I never had and never will.  The music is contagious and their acrobatic breakdancing is topnotch.  During their performance, they choose victims...uh...volunteers from the crowd to participate in a group dance, which makes this show even more fun.  Some had impressive moves.

Schedule of park activities
Note: The map holds the key for the scheduling of most entertainment, but not all.  Ask a vendor in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade for a schedule of entertainers in that area.  Amazingly, it also includes other areas. 

Due to Covid, things change daily.  To stay up to date with ride closures, etc., download the official Universal Orlando Resort App.

What is your favorite show?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kauai Vacation: Room Review

The Room Over The Power Plant Revised 4/2021 The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas offers guests beautiful rooms, which include kitchens or kitchenettes, outdoor grills, and a number of pools.  Most often, it includes an excellent restaurant, poolside bar, and small store.  A large grocery store is within walking distance as well.  Thus, the theory is that guests will not have to leave the property once they cross the big pond to reach it. Great theory, but that’s not necessarily true when the only on-site restaurant is closed.  Add to that the incredibly loud room...well, let’s just say I needed a break from the property at times.   Note : Follow Hawaii and CDC guidelines when visiting.  Always wear your face mask when in public. May we just see the room we should have had? After an exceptionally long journey that included a broken plane and a rushed connection—not to mention airport security—we were surprised to find that our hotel had our room ready an hour early.

Look Closer at the Hilton Garden Inn, Waikiki

  Why We Might Not Return: Hilton Garden Inn, Waikiki My dear polite travelers, Imagine waiting three years to revisit a pleasant memory.  You’d probably be thrilled to be on that journey.  Right?  Well, I am, and ...well, I’m lukewarm to some aspects of it, especially our room: #1537.  But the Ocean is Right There! In our room, #1537, we have the ocean view and the fresh breezes associated with it.  Still, due to the central, otherwise excellent location, it’s noisy—very noisy.  Thus, those breezes remain outside all night.  Darn.  The pleasant sweet-ocean-air-in-our-room-memory I dream of often eluded us on this trip.  Now, it’s just sad. The Good & the Weird Beyond the noise, it is a comfortable room—especially the shower—but there’s not enough counter space.  Instead of a long counter or desk, the hotel designer thought a long built-in seat would be a clever idea??  Hint.  It’s not.  We can only use it to store our suitcases and bulky items.   The only place to us

Sonoma, California: DoubleTree Sonoma

Updated 4/2021 Our Stay in the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel Sonoma Wine Country in California As over-worked small business owners, we decided to play hooky traveling through Sonoma County for a couple of days.  Since we recently experience excellent service on our last stay in a DoubleTree, we booked a room at their Sonoma Wine Country property in Rohnert Park. Our Journey Through Sonoma County Our drive from our home in Davis pleasant with light traffic.  We chose a slightly longer route through Sonoma so we could take in the beauty of the Glen Ellen area vineyards.  The vineyards here are quite beautiful with green rolling hills as a backdrop.  Arriving at the DoubleTree As we arrived, I mentioned to my husband that since this trip would focus on cheese tasting, it would be perfect if we were given a free upgrade to a room with a refrigerator.  The hotel appeared fully booked, so I assumed that was impossible.   Astonishingly, when we asked about an upgrade, the polite rec