Performers wear exotic hats and make hilarious jokes at the expense of superstars and celebrities, still careful of who and how they make fun of people. Some of their hats weigh 300 pounds, and they all have a secret to their design. The design could not be revealed but we were so drawn by the uniqueness and creativity that went in to making the hats, how they worked was not important, they won us over! The show failed to disappoint and there was never a moment we were not laughing to tears. It was especially funny when Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj were dancing around Justin Bieber. One year away from it’s 40th anniversary, Beach Blanket Babylon is still going strong and even to this day it continues to dazzle audiences in San Francisco’s North Beach.
After the show we had the opportunity to meet with a few of the actors. Doug Magpiong who has been with the show for over 20 years and Rena Wilson, who played the lead Snow White in the show. Rena told us, “My voice was made for the role of Snow White because of its high pitch.”
Doug told us, “Some of the characters will always be in the show, but some will be switched out with another character, and some may even be cut out of the show for one reason or another. For example, when Michael Jackson died in 2009, the writers decided to take him out of the show because everyone was so sad about his death. After some time passed and fans were less likely to become upset with making fun of him, the director decided to add his character back into the show.” Both Doug and Rena say that their pre-show ritual is so important. For Rena, it’s talking in her Snow White voice three hours before show time. For Doug, it’s warming up his voice and thinking about his role.