A Nerd in Plato's Cave, or, What is This Thing?

The pain of “it’s a small world after all” is universal and American as apple pie.

Tambourine

Thanks, Shanghai

Hiatus was perfect and nothing hurts anymore. Thanks you guys.

Over this past week, I got to spend time at Disney with my young cousins (9 and 4.5). On Wednesday, I introduced the 9 year old to the Dappers and she loved them, so we saw 2 sets. During the roaming set, she was watching very stoically, and I couldn’t tell if she was enjoying it. But then they said they would be moving to their next spot and to follow if we wanted. Without looking to see if I was with her, she followed them. THAT’S MY GIRL!

On Sunday, I took both of my cousins to the last Dapper set of the day because it was the sing-along set and I knew they’d love it. Both girls tap dance, and the second the Dappers started dancing, the 4.5 year old’s eyes went wide and she was mesmerized. I was sitting on the ground next to her, so I watched the smile bloom on her face and it didn’t leave for the entire set. During the second song, she leaned over to me (but she was still looking at them) and in a very serious, adult way said, “They’re really good.” And in the middle of the set, the 9 year old turned to her sister and asked her which one is her favorite, and the 4.5 year old took a moment as she considered Dapper Drew (tenor), Dapper Jason (lead), Dapper Wesley (bass), and Dapper Josh (baritone)… And finally said, “I like the blue one.”

And then it was time for the sing-along number, and this was a grabby group of Dappers so I knew somebody would be running around trying to get people to come up. The unfailingly kind Dapper Wesley ran over to us and said to the 4.5 year old, “You’re already wearing stripes, come on up!” Without hesitation she made a BEELINE for Josh. GIRL WAS ON A MISSION TO GET TO HER BLUE DAPPER.

Dapper Wesley made me go up too, “You’re a singer, come on!” Grrrrr, Wes, why me?!?! So I went up to keep an eye on the 4.5 year old in case she got scared, but she could care less if I existed at that point. Josh had gotten down on his knee between my cousin and another little girl, and stayed down with them for the entire song.

After the set I told the four of them what the 4.5 year old said about them being really good and they laughed. The 9 year old got a picture with them, and she spent the next hour or so asking me questions about them. The 4.5 year old didn’t say much, but she did want to look at the pictures I took of the set.

TODAY: My cousins are now back at home in the real world. I got a text from my aunt earlier saying the 4.5 year old has not stopped talking about “The blue man who winked at [her].” My aunt was very confused until my cousin said, “He was wearing a hat and had stripes on his shirt and he was singing.” My aunt finally realized my cousin was talking about Dapper Josh, so she started playing some videos of him in that little show that just closed next door, and my cousin immediately said, “THAT’S THE BLUE MAN!”

It is so magical that these kids, who are all about rides at Disney, got to see what I think is so special about the parks - the live entertainment and performers - and they not only responded positively, but it made an impression on them. I’m so thankful to the warm, wonderful performers that were so good to them, and I’m so glad I got to see the girl’s faces light up while watching the Dappers. This is why I come to this place so often: for these little nuggets of connection that take so little effort but pack a whole lot of meaning. Disney is so much more than rides, characters, corporate tomfoolery, and over-the-top spectacle - it does create a space for magic to happen between people, and I see it every time I walk through those gates and it does not get old.

[warning: I still haven’t started edited again, so this is pure filler. And I’m really weird about counting/dates, so the fact that I know any of this is a bit odd, I know that. I’m not even going to tag this because this post is pretty pointless and I’m doing it to avoid looking at my pictures and I just can’t post my feelings about the final days yet, I still haven’t processed everything. Honestly, don’t read this, I’m just being weird].

I first stumbled down the rabbit hole in October 2012. Living in the Bay Area, I only managed to see the show 13 times before the hiatus. 

And then it came back, and between May 2015 and November 2015, I had doubled it to 26. 

In December 2015, I moved down to SoCal. From December 2015, until the very lasT cup on March 30, 2016 I went to T often. And yet, my final tally still feels low - 67.

67.

67 folders of pictures for 67 wonderful nights full of memories. Many people saw the show a lot more than I did. Others weren’t lucky enough to ever see it in person. I loved every single cup, and I’m glad this show and these performers graced my life. I wish it could have been a higher number, but it is what it is.

Enter the completely pointless part of this post... Here are my final standings for how many times I saw each performer (bolded text indicates my favorite for the role... not like any of that will be a shock):

I’m not dead, my queue just ran out and I have yet to edit the T shows from March 19th through the 30th. I will post T pics as long as I can, but it will slowly morph into posts of the other bands and shows at the parks.

Home.

On the surface it’s just a cover band. An Alice in Wonderland themed cover band, at that. That’s a weird thing to be into, I get that. But something intangible happens on that stage that turns Mad T into a place where for 4 hours, the cast, crew, and fans from all walks of life can touch upon pure joy. In four years, that joy has never gone away. The show may be ending, but the memories made, the people met, the outside art created, the laughter, the funny faces, and the music played? That will all last a lifetime. So yes, this hurts, but it is a good hurt because T means something. And for that reason, I am, more than anything, grateful and blessed.

So, fellow T Cups, tonight when your Raise Your Glass, raise it for all of the performers and behind the scenes crew - past and present - that have worked so hard and made the backlot stage a home for so many of us. Raise Your Glass… for T.

And a quick word to @drew.tablak, @jamiegrl24, my baseball frenemy @thadanimal, @thegeorgecastells, @valeriecallonme, @keynonscott, and @djjasonjass: KILL IT TONIGHT!

Thank you for everything, Mad T Party. I’ll see you on the other side of Wonderland. Peace and all my love.