What I liked
I love the premise—-two characters forced to reconcile with their relationship on a ride at Disneyland where animatronics come to life? OKAY. Honestly, this sort of referential humor is not my thing, but I found myself totally buying into their little world. I found it endearing and sweet, and soon after, pathetic and sad. I felt for these characters desperately clinging to their escape route, and it made me think about the ever-present balance between ambition and comfort. To me, the stand out performance was definitely Chelsea Lang as Shannon, who necessarily placed our feet on the ground as the emotional core.
What I didn't like
The physicality of the animatronics was never thoroughly established, and the actors playing the animatronics seemed like they were only half committed to the bit. To me, this prevented the piece from reaching its potential. I also feel like we were supposed to empathize with Don, but his unwillingness to take a beat and listen to Shannon made that nearly impossible. I’m not sure if that issue was in the acting or the writing.
My overall impression
A surprising treat.
