The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (169 page)

The write-ups sounded good, and the concept drawings were unique and intriguing–but how would it play out in person?  In the blogosphere, many commenters were skeptical, even negative, predicting the
Mad T Party
would be a disaster.

As with so many
Disney
projects, the
Mad T Party
was ready well before its official June 15, 2012 opening.  It opened “soft” weeks in advance of its formal roll out, giving Guests in late spring an opportunity to leap into the
rabbit hole
and offer feedback for fine-tuning before the
Mad T Party
was unveiled to the world.

None of us needed to worry.  The
Mad T Party
was a well-designed, well-executed, candy-colored trip from the soft opening onward.

The rave was moved off of
Hollywood Land
’s main drag and concentrated within the backlot area, leaving the boulevard free for the new
Red Car Trolleys
.  The
Mad T Party
’s main entrance is a highly stylized
Rabbit Hole
, shimmering with smoke and colorful lights.  Passing through it to the world of pulsing light and music beyond is like journeying into a different realm.

Welcome to
DCA
’s version of
Wonderland/Underland
.  It’s a landscape of whimsically sculptured light fixtures; oversized lamps and arm chairs; visions of bubbles and strange shapes crawling up the walls; a massive house of cards; a concert stage decorated with a giant Daliesque teapot as twisted and melty as the candles on an unbirthday cake.  While the 80’s style of
Flynn’s Arcade
is missed,
Imagineers
retooled it as the
Mad Arcade
, with clever games uniquely themed to
Wonderland
.

Like
ElecTRONica
before it, the
Mad T Party
is a world of music and dance.  But where
ElecTRONica
was cool and dark and mysterious, the
Mad T Party
is a riotously upbeat carnival, brashly bright.  To enter its precincts is like touching a live wire.  Colors stream and lights flash in your eyes.  The
White Rabbit DJ
spins pounding pop tunes. 
Alice
and the
Mad T Party Band
leap, strut, and sing with such accomplished, blistering verve that you wonder where you have heard and seen them before, for they are stars.  Their costumes and wigs are beautifully outlandish as they perform high-energy songs by artists like Blondie, Journey, Pink, Queen, and Rihanna.  Guests of all ages dance and sing along.  On the screen behind the band stream spirals and smears of color and pink flamingos and playing cards, a Rorschach jumble of
Alice
imagery that is frequently refreshed and updated to keep things fresh and to match the changing seasons.

Dancing and singing is a thirsty business, and Guests can purchase glowing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at
Drink Me
or the
House of Cards Lounge
, and then collapse in one of the surreal, oversized arm chairs.  The glow of dozens of little drinks–
Croquet Tinis
! 
Long Island Mad Iced T Parties
! 
Mad Hat-Itos
! 
Wonderful Underland Cotton Candy Lemonades
!–further illuminates the night.

The former
ElecTRONica
truck now vends delightfully odd
non
-alcoholic
Underland
drinks (
Chesire Chiller
,
Hatter’s Mandarin Fury
,
Jabberwocky Juice
, and
Tweedle Blue
) in delightfully odd souvenir cups that cost about $8 each (the
Mad Hatter Hat
, the
Mad T Party Slipper
, and the lunatic
Wiggly Yard
).

There are custom games galore at the
Mad Arcade
, and air hockey tables at the
House of Cards Lounge
.  For your entertainment, as you chill in the
House of Cards Lounge
,
Tweedle Dum
and
Tweedle Dee
, with their red mohawks, introduce the
House of Cards
dance troupe, the
Hottest Deck in Town
; in their white, black, and red costumes, the dancers shimmy with a style that proves that
Disney
is still cutting edge, still an entertainment powerhouse.  A stilt-walker dressed as a towering flamingo stalks through the crowd.

It’s all so marvelously psychedelic that some
Disneyland
fans worry about Guests taking the trippy element
too
far, engaging in underage drinking or–that rave plague–ecstacy use.  While it would be naïve too think that none of that occurs, underage drinkers and ecstacy users should beware and steer clear of this event. 
DCA
has security, both visible
and
undercover, posted everywhere throughout this party.  In fact, during a recent visit, our family saw security swarming some youths who were apparently having too much fun.  With the music, the shows, the lights, the sugary drinks–that’s all anyone should need to feel ecstatic.  No need to turn tea time into an actual “high tea”!

The
Mad T Party
is one of the author’s favorite
Hollywood Land
attractions, and family members and friends who’ve experienced it concur, from the 40-somethings who love the rock-n-roll classics, to the kids who dance like maniacs to covers of the latest tunes.  But don’t take our word for it–join the large, happy crowds that routinely gatherthere, and decide for yourselves whether the
Mad T Party
is a mad success
!
 
Did You Know?
 
DCA
hosted the original
Glow Fest
, but it was designed and put together by an outside organization.  And it felt like it. 
ElecTRONica
, linked to
Disney
’s
TRON
films, had a more
Disneyesque
flavor.
Mad T Party
, themed to
Disney’s Alice in Wonderland
, is the most
Disneyesque
dance party yet. 
Did You Also Know?
 
Disney
has a long-standing tradition of focusing on the characters portrayed, rather than the performers portraying them.  You know, for example, that you can meet
Cinderella
or
Cruella De Vil
at
Disneyland
–but what do you know about the actresses portraying them?  Exactly.  Nothing.  Part of keeping the
magic
alive is keeping the identity of the entertainers who play
Disney characters
deep in the background.  It’s the characters that matter, and often they are brought to life by many different performers.  The
Mad T Party Band
is composed of
Alice
, the
Mad Hatter
, the
Caterpillar
, the
Chesire Cat
,
Dormouse
, and
March Hare
.  In none of the
Mad T Party Band
promotional materials are the talented musicians who portray the band named.  If you visit the park on different nights, you’ll see that sometimes different performers take on a role.  So who are these entertainers?  Listening to them and viewing their smooth performances, you can tell they are accomplished in their fields.  A bit of digging revealed that one of the madly talented
Mad Hatters
is singer-actor
Nathan Shrake
.  According to his resume (
www.nathanshrake.com/Resume
),
Shrake
has appeared in films, stage shows, commercials, and even served as a
Disneyland Dapper Dan
.  From church cantor and barbershop quartet to lead singer of the
Mad T Party Band
is quite a journey–and
Shrake
appears to be poised to go as far as he wants to. He appeared in
Frontierland
’s 2013 revival of the
Golden Horseshoe Revue
, and hosted the MGM New Year’s Eve show (2013) in Las Vegas, featuring Jordin Sparks and Boyz II Men. According to his FaceBook updates, he’s shooting commercials and other projects now.  As the “Fame” song advises, “remember his name”!
Jenny Kidd
is the
Mad T Party Band
songstress with the strong, pure voice who soulfully brings
Alice
to life, night after night. 
Kidd
and
Shrake
share a special chemistry when they sing together, chemistry forged in part, no doubt, by working together onstage with the
Mad T Party
band, and at other resort events. 
Kidd
,
Shrake
, and other
Mad T Party Band
members–particularly the platinum-blond, kohl-eyed
Dormice
, lead guitarists
Todd McCool
(
www.toddmccool.com
),
and
Dan Franklin
(
www.danfranklinmusic.com
), who exude a prowling rock-n-roll menace reminiscent of icon Billy Idol, or Spike (James Marsters) of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”–have attracted legions of loyal fans of all ages, especially among locals and
Annual Passholders
who can rock with the
Mad T Party Band
every week. 
Franklin
, who has worked at the resort since 2000 (you might have seen him as a
Bootstrapper
or as
Tex Tumbleweed
), is particularly accomplished, a true rock star, and gives the
Dormouse
an electric frisson of danger.  He has appeared recently in music videos, and launched a graphic novel; the sky’s the limit for this performer.  As the
Mad T
band plays, Guests dance, shout, and sing along; there’s a wonderful symbiotic connection between audience and performers that you only find at live shows, and only at live shows where the audience loves the band.  Make this show a must when you visit
DCA
; until then, get your
Mad T
fix via the multitude of YouTube videos posted by the fans 
Did You Also Know?
  Superstar band
No Doubt
hails from
Anaheim
.  Their song
Tragic Kingdom
is actually a reference to local fears that
Disneyland
was getting run down in the 1990’s.
Night Vision:
 
Mad T Party
is primarily a night-time event, launching as darkness falls.  At night, with the music pumping and lights flashing, it is a festive sight indeed! 
Holiday Vision:
  The
Mad T Party
celebrated its first Christmas in fall and winter 2012.  The
Mad T Party
band put its own spin on Christmas classics like “All I Want for Christmas” and “This Christmas”, and simulated snow drifted down on the crowd.  It was a Merry “Mad” Christmas indeed! And in 2013
Mad T
introduced a zombified, spiderlicious Halloween show. 
Disneyland
’s website referred to it as a “Dead Man’s Party”.  Made up to look like the
Mad T
version of the walking dead, performing on a spider-infested stage, the
Mad T Party Band
rocked
“This is Halloween”
(from
Tim Burton
’s
Nightmare Before Christmas
) and gave Guests unforgettably spirited performances.
FastPass:
No. 
Mad T Party
runs from twilight until park closing and any Guest can attend at any time.  There is plenty of room for hundreds, even thousands of Guests. 
Teen’s Eye View:
  It’s so much fun, especially if you love to dance and listen to remixes of popular songs.  It’s like a rave.

Monsters,
Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue

[
FastView:
 
A delightful dark ride populated by
Mike
,
Sulley
, and all the
Monsters, Inc.
gang.
]