Luminosity (2013) reviews

I saw Luminosity Thursday night and Sunday night. Sunday's show was shortened by rain unfortunately. I was very impressed with the choreography on the show. The singing was fine, but the choreography was so strong the singing kind of faded into the background for me because I was focused on the dancers. The show also had faster pacing than last year's show and overall it was very entertaining and a meaningful improvement over the 2012 version.

From what I understand, the 2013 version was produced in house by CP Live E. I'm very impressed with them, they put out strong productions and Luminosity is some of their best work. I'm looking forward to the return of the midway performances by the Beach Band and Frontier Folks.

It's a small thing but I appreciate the new glossy full-color show schedules for the main summer season. It is a nice touch and shows just how much the park has going on entertainment-wise nowadays.

Saw the show Saturday night and it was excellent. I remember last years actual show to be just OK, but this years was quite good and we both really enjoyed it. Of course, after the show is when all the fun begins... I have a blast just watching people dance. I got plenty of video that I plan to throw together and upload possibly today.

I still can't believe the improvement of the park at night though the past few years... From that ugly screen showing stick figures dancing and boring, lifeless midways to today where everything is lit up, lively and guests now have a high energy show and danced party to end the night out on... It really is such a significant difference.

I agree that Luminosity has improved since last year. I enjoyed the song choices much better this year and the dancers are stronger. I still think they are missing a stand-out nontraditional dancer. Maybe a b-boy or an animator. Something above and beyond what is taught at every dance studio across the country.

I was at the show both Thursday and Friday. The crowd was much better on Thursday and the Fireworks/light show seemed better on Friday.

My daughter really enjoyed herself, we stayed until it was completely over both nights. I was shocked that the young folks knew the words to a Journey song. Beyond Journey and YMCA I didn't know anything that was played, but I did enjoy the singing and dancing anyway, while trying to hold back the feeling of being old and out of touch.

I didn't see alcohol playing any significant part in the show. (referring to another thread here) I did see some older parents with a beer in their hand, but I didn't see anything that alarmed me as a parent of a "tween".

I didn't like last year at all, so it didn't take much to impress me. Having said that, I am pretty sure my daughter will insist we see it every visit.

For those interested, some photos from Saturday night for Luminosity and Snoopy:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/invertalon/sets/72157634055106744/

Great pics!

Great quality shots, especially the night shots!

The other thing I would say about Luminosity is how out of place that silly Adele song is in the middle. It was one of the weakest points of the show last year, and I can't understand why they recycled it. I think the woman who sings it is a very capable singer, but that particular song doesn't suit her style.

I also got to see the show in the Jack Centennial, and holy crap, they are bringing it to a level I've never seen at Cedar Point. The venue is still awful acoustically, and has obstructed views, but that is hands down the best ensemble I've ever seen at the park. Really brilliant. One of the standouts is the woman who was in Luminosity last year, who really shines vocally with the better material. They do that big number from Les Mis that everyone knows (I can't remember the name), and aside from the goofy flag waving, they blow the doors off of the place. The whole show is surprisingly tight for being so early in the season. If they don't win awards at IAAPA this year, it will be a huge injustice.

Back in The Lusty Palace, they have a surprisingly well-staged show given the venue size. I'm not crazy about all of the song choices, but the singers are all solid, and bring their A-game. The show has a lot of personality, and it doesn't feel like filler the way many of the past shows in that venue have. Simon was into it, too (he scored high-fives from the girls).

I think I mentioned somewhere that the Garter show is also excellent, even though I hate country. Less is more makes for a somewhat more intimate show in terms of body count, and a live band makes a difference (though parts are still tracked). The fiddle player also sings, and I think he's quite the anchor.

I thought the ice show was just terrible. Maybe it's because I try too hard to make it into art, or maybe it was the masturbatory "choreographed by" and performer announcements at the start of the show. The whole thing felt like an uninspired mess.

The song from Les Mis is "One Day More" and they indeed do a terrific job with it.

I had the same thought in terms of how confident the cast seemed even on their opening day. The entire production is quite remarkable. I don't recall any Live E show in recent years feeling so fully-formed right out of the gate.

I'm not a singer, but I would think that the Broadway stuff is more challenging than the disposable pop in a show like Luminosity. That makes it even more fantastic that the show is as good as it it. I'm actually looking forward to seeing it again. Can't remember the last time I could say that about a CP show.

Good to hear the positive reviews of Luminosity 2013 and the Broadway show. I've yet to see either this year but will probably check them both out on July 4th if we still go. On that ice skating show note, I thought it was bad last year as well and took a step down from the previous years/theme. I have a strong feeling that its days as well as the overall Good Time Theatre's are numbered, especially if the park is to expand in the future. Sorry it's just not the same overall experience since the first staging area (without performance stage) is now closed and the IMAX films are gone. Just my 2c.

It will be interesting to see what the future brings for ice skating shows at Cedar Point. A number of the Cedar Fair parks have dropped the ice skating in favor of other productions. This season Dorney decided to go with All Wheel Sports (from the All Wheels Extreme folks) and Canada's Wonderland also switched recently to hosting a cirque-style production (possibly the same company responsible for last year's Skeleton Crew at HalloWeekends?) instead of their respective ice skating shows.

At Knott's the ice skating is more of a tradition, so I'd imagine it will stick around there for a while. They are introducing a new show this year, Snoopy...Unleashed!, and I assume we'll see that at Cedar Point next season if the usual rotation holds.

On the same note, Kings Island's last ice skating production was in 2011. They introduced the Ed Alonzo Psycho Circus of Magic & Mayhem show in the theater where the skating used to be last year and the magic show is back again for this season.

Who knows, maybe Ed will be rotated up north to perform at the Good Time Theatre for next summer? I'm not sure if he has a Hollywood career outside of magic shows at this point but the ongoing popularity of Saved By the Bell still shocks me.

I know they play Olly murs troublemaker for Luminosity this year, as I have heard a clip of it from a short video. I love that song and I can't wait to see them perform it :)

Was there yesterday for "Fathers Day" :) and the park had a light crowd since the weather called for storms all day. Great day in the park and Luminosity was incredible! The dancers were much cleaner than last year and the show was just a blast. We did have a few beverages at the Luminosity Bar and saw quite a few parents with a beer or two in their hands to end the day and were hositing their kids on their shoulders while they sang and clapped to the music. My friends and I had a blast dancing and singing the songs along with everyone else. Not one person was "unclassy" with a drink that I saw the entire day. Plus there is more security in that area during the show and they do a great job of keeping the people moving and off the paths that are not watching the show. For the person who was offended that the Luminosity Bar is even there, try looking at the prices. THAT should offend you lol. Yes they were high but they are that high for a reason; people will still pay for it if they want and the dont want a person to buy too much. Plus service there is friendly and even though a glass of or bottle of beer wine will run $8-$10 it is not the bartenders fault. She was working her but off and still deserves that $1 tip per drink at least!

I just saw Luminosity tonight. I didn't see last year's version, so I can't make a comparison. I also saw the ice skating show, the country show, and the summertime show in Frontiertown. I'd have to say, overall, I was fairly impressed. You have to take into account that the performers are all very young and inexperienced, and very few (if any) of them will actually try to pursue a career as a professional singer/dancer. So with that said, I think they do really well! And what a GREAT summer job, eh? However -- can we talk about this "Hot Mess" of a show called "Luminosity"? It's obvious that CP has dumped a ton of money into it, it IS quite a spectacle. I see what they are going for, and it has incredible potential. But after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars (probably millions, although it doesn't really show) on the stage, technical elements, music production, lighting, sound, lasers, pyrotechnics ... you would think they could buy the kids some costumes! It looks like they each dug through their own closets and found some out-of-date, mix & match cast off pieces from 10 years ago. Nothing looks coordinated or even remotely fashionable. Some pieces don't even fit well. It makes the disjointed and messy choreography look even messier and more disjointed. They could definitely use a good cleaning rehearsal to tighten up their movements up a bit. There is nothing technically difficult in the chorey; it's all relatively simple for decent dancers. But simple choreography has to be really sharp and synchronized, even down to the angles, levels and intensity. It's not all their fault though. The chorey is generally uninspired to begin with, and the staging is rather chaotic and unfocused. Most of the audience aren't close to the stage, and with everything that's going on, it's hard to know where to look and see who's singing. Speaking of singers, some of them, particularly the ... how do I say ... ... the two larger ones? -- have nice voices and are obviously talented. But this is billed as a high-energy dance show. I think they would be better cast in a very different type of show. As near as I could tell, there were four other singers, and they were rather nondescript. I would describe them as "satisfactory" at best, except almost every ensemble medley during the show contained a formulaic key change for "dramatic" effect, and at every change, it took the singers several bars to find the new key and lock into it. I use the term "lock" loosely, because in the words of Randy Jackson, "You were really pitchy, Dawg!" In fact, there were some solos where the singer just disregarded the accompanying music and chose his/her own key ... and tune! And forget about knowing any of the songs -- even if I recognized a few of the tunes, I couldn't understand many of the words that were coming out of their mouths. When the show morphed into a DJ dance party with the DJ in that bizarre psychedelic robe or whatever it was, I had had enough and it was time to go. I know that some people endure the singers, bad choreography and chaotic staging just so they can be there for the second-half dance party, but I prefer to go to real adult clubs to listen and dance to techno music. I go to the shows at CP to see young kids who are just starting out, having the time of their lives and showing off their talent. Sure, you expect theme park shows to be a little cheesy and formulaic and they are structured to accommodate the talent level that they can afford and attract, so I don't blame them for that. Cedar Point usually does things at the highest level that they can, within the parameters of the budget and audience demographics. Luminosity is a great concept and has incredible potential and also probably has the largest budget in the Live Entertainment Department -- (nice to see CP continuing to invest in live entertainment!) -- but that's also probably why it is so very disappointing to see Luminosity so poorly executed at almost every level.

While you have a very well thought out review, I barely made it through the whole thing due to the giant wall of text. Paragraphs are your friend. :)

Lol, as soon as I saw "I was there for "fathers" day." I slightly chuckled lol

I love the surprising looks on families that day :P

I really like Luminosity and it is a great way to end the night. It is better this year then it was last year. if you have not seen it yet you should