Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue Celebrated 40th Anniversary this Month
The Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue is one of the longest-running dinner shows in America, and it recently celebrated its 40th anniversary.
The show got its start in the summer of 1974 as part of the Disney World Fine Arts College Workshop program. After a summer of performances Walt Disney World decided to hire a permanent cast and the show opened on September 5, 1974.
"Hoop-Dee-Doo was upbeat, and guests came for the corny jokes, good food and lots of fun," said Forrest Bahruth, show director, Disney Parks & Resorts Creative Entertainment and the original choreographer for the dinner show. "Forty years later, the heart is still in it, the energy is still there."
Over the years the food has played a major role in the popularity of the show and the menu has only had one change in 40 years. In 1979 the apple pie was removed as the dessert and strawberry shortcake was added.
Every night the kitchen serves up close to 900 pounds of fried chicken, 400 pounds of ribs, 120 pounds of corn, 400 pounds of potatoes, and 30 gallons of baked beans.
Pioneer Hall, the home of the Hoop Dee Doo Revue, was built with 1,283 hand-fitted pine logs from Montana and 70 tons of stone from North Carolina.
Since 1974 the Hoop Dee Doo Revue has put on nearly 37,000 performances for more than 10.5 million guests. One member of the original cast still works for Disney. Marilyn Kay Magness who played the role of Dolly Drew is now the executive director, Disney Parks, Creative Entertainment.
Check out this video of the first-ever reunion of the original cast:
The Hoop Dee Doo Revue has three shows each night, seven days a week at 4 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. Reservations are strongly recommended.
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nikamel wrote on Wed, 09/10/2014 - 11:19:
This show gave us the best Disney memory ever!!! We had been through a lot as my children's father had been killed in Afghanistan and I decided that we needed to follow a dream and go to the happiest place on earth. My son had been depressed and didn't want to do much on our trip. I heard about the Hoop Dee Doo Revue and thought it might be a great distraction for him. He loved the food and really seemed to be enjoying himself for once but the best part was the tarzan yell. He was the one signalled out for it! I looked at him and he was laughing. I mean full out tears in your eyes belly laugh. I hadn't seen him like that in over a year. He was thirteen then and he is twenty one now but he still talks about that show and how great it was and I still smile and think how it brought a young boy a whole lot of happiness when his whole world had fallen apart.
Gramofone wrote on Sun, 09/14/2014 - 02:40:
Thank you so much for sharing that story. We were blessed to visit Two weeks after our son returned from Iraq. He was not the boy we waved goodbye to, PTSD had ravaged him - but the magic of Disney gave him a week of blessed peace. Bless you and yours.
Kristen K. wrote on Sun, 09/14/2014 - 15:46:
I just made reservations for the Hoop-dee-do for our February trip! I'm really excited to see the show again, it's been 18 years since my last visit.
Elle wrote on Tue, 03/24/2015 - 00:04:
I have only been to Hoop De Doo Review once, and had a blast. A bunch of us who worked together at Downtown Disney got together and attended the 9:45 show...when they still had one that late. It was SO much fun, and I have to say the food and service were great!~ Here is a picture of our crowd, who enjoyed the all you can eat and drink aspect of it, as well as the show. The Sangria was AMAZING, btw!
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