It’s hard to imagine that theme parks exist outside of Orlando, but believe it or not, there was actually a short-lived independent attraction in Utah called Evermore, which promised to immerse visitors in a personalized interactive fantasy straight out of Lord of the Rings — only without any intellectual property rights or actual rides. A blogger’s (Katherine Lozon) interview with a former consultant (James Blaisdell) to the bankrupt resort serves as the framework for the latest high-concept backstage musical about an infamous error from the award-winning team behind The Spider Queen.
Disney started with a mouse, and Universal began with a tram tour, but Evermore Park was birthed by Ken Bretschneider, a random tech-millionaire manchild (Kyle Masteller) with ambiguous concept art and an attention deficit. After building only a handful of the promised buildings and resorting to begging volunteers to weed the gardens, park management — represented by a blue wizard puppet — dismissed the entire entertainment staff before eventually ending all operations in 2024. Today, lawsuits have stalled an announced redevelopment under new owners as Realm Town.
The script’s snappy dialogue balances starry-eyed optimism about the park’s potential with cutting critiques of its failures. Songs in this jukebox musical (energetically choreographed by Rhea Hughes) are all karaoke tunes by Taylor Swift (Cathy Colburn), in deference to the absurd trademark battle between the singer and the park.
In Everfolk, writer-director Bryan Jager has crafted a theatrical takedown of Evermore that’s just as insightfully effective as his skewering of the Spider-Man musical, only with more empathy for the innocent entertainers involved. Not everyone may be special enough to become a Swift-level superstar, but theme park performers create a kind of magic out of personal connection that even the famous faces can’t touch. The community of overly involved fans and entertainment employees did their best to sustain the endeavor through sheer enthusiasm, but overspending and ego-driven legal actions sealed the park’s fate after a few short seasons.
Inside jokes about Galactic Starcruiser and the canceled entertainment at other area parks (which several Evermore creators were involved in) are right up my alley, but even if you aren’t as invested in themed attractions, the age-old battle between artists and investors should resonate with anybody who lives in Orlando. Whether you love dishing dirt about Disney’s competitors or just want to groove to some Taytay, Everfolk ought to be high on your list of Fringe musical parodies to prioritize.
Everfolk: A New Musical
Orange Venue, Lowndes Shakespeare Center
60 minutes; 13 & up
$15
Get tickets
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This article appears in May 14-20, 2025.