Daynah’s First Impressions of “Rogers: The Musical”

Like most Marvel fans, I have been waiting to see the “Rogers: The Musical” for months now! I was very ecstatic when I finally had the opportunity to experience the show with so many Marvel fans on opening day.

Spoiler Warning ahead..

The idea of “Rogers: The Musical” was inspired from the first episode of Disney+ series, Hawkeye. The series started out to be a lighthearted family story with Clint Barton taking his kids out to see a Broadway show – not any Broadway show, but the one that immortalized and starred his close friends, The Avengers! From there, “Rogers: The Musical” was born and it told the story about the origin of the first Avenger – Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America.

Entry to “Rogers: The Musical”

At 2pm, I tried to get into the virtual queue for “Rogers: The Musical” but had failed. I was standing around a group of people trying to do the same thing. You can hear either excitement or groans depending if people got into the queue or not.

At 3:30pm, I decided to try to enter the show via stand-by. There was a mob of people in front of the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure and it did not seem very orderly. They allowed everyone in the virtual queue to head on in first. By 3:45pm, they let everyone else in as stand-by and we pushed our way through the doors of the theatre. All stand-by visitors were directed to head up to the balcony. My daughter and I found seats in the center, 3 or 4 rows from the back, so we were pretty high. Nevertheless, were pretty excited and having been in the sun all day, it was nice to be sitting in an air conditioned area.

The Musical Experience

We sat in our seats, eagerly waiting for the show to start. The curtains were still down and the Captain America shield was projected on it. The show started promptly at 4:15pm with spotlights moving all over the stage and the Starkettes appear on stage to tell us about the story of superheroes, romance, and time travel.

Thoughts on the Musical Set List

• U-S-Opening Night – This number was very energetic and I enjoyed the nod to Andrews Sisters Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. It definitely gives off the 1940’s vibes.
• I Want You – This was a solo sang by young Steve Rogers about the famous Uncle Sam wartime poster. Steve expressed his frustration about wanting to help win the war, but never getting the chance because of his physique. The use of the turntable stage made the performance even more dramatic.
• Star Spangled Man – This song came from the first Captain America movie where Steve Rogers became a mascot selling war bonds. The lyrics of the song were re-written for the musical, but the melody and storyline were similar.
• What You Missed – This was the part of the show which turned very comical. Nick Fury stole the show with his song and dance routine as he tried to bring Steve Rogers up to speed on everything he missed in the last 70 years!
  • 1950’s – I love Lucy
  • 1969 – We landed on the moon
  • 1989 – Fall of the Berlin Wall
  • 1976 – Steve Jobs invented Apple
  • 1980 – Darth Vader is Luke’s Dad
  • 1990’s – Nirvana is a band
  • Introduction to some of the members of the Avengers
• Save The City – Fans will recognize this song from the Disney+ series Hawkeye as the inspiration for the entire musical show. The song describe some of the battles that the Avengers fought together in:
  • Battle of New York (The Avengers) – The Chitauri Invasion was one of the first wars between humanity and extraterrestrials.
  • Battle of Sokovia (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
  • Battle of Washington DC (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
  • Battle of Wakanda (Avengers: Infinity War)
• End of the Line – This was an incredible duet between young and old Steve Rogers. Before the song starts, Old Steve Rogers says “On your left,” which is a fun reference to “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”  They sing about how the savior’s story ends.  Endings can be re-written by the way.  So, what’s waiting at the end of the line?
• Just One Dance – Saturday at 8.. that is the date with destiny. This duet features a romantic dance and song with Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter. The lyrics of the song are so beautiful.  “I can’t believe, how lives can change. Just one snap, they rearrange. Let fate decide our place in time, from here.  You knew right from the start, all that I was made of. Now one more day apart, is all that I’m afraid of.  Now what’s a guy to do, to prove it to be true, by coming back to you..” This scene was a nod to the sweet ending to “The Avengers: Endgame.”
• Rogers: The Musical Finale / Save the City (Reprise) – What a great way to wrap up the show.

Marvel Movie and Show References

The musical is fun to watch on its own, but I recommend at least seeing these Marvel movies and shows before you attend the show:

• Captain America: The First Avenger
• The Avengers
• The Avengers: Age of Ultron
• The Avengers: Infinity War
• The Avengers: Endgame
• Hawkeye

There are also plenty of other references to other Avengers and their own movies.

Second Viewing

I watched “Rogers: The Musical” for the second time during the 5:30pm showing on opening day and it was absolutely better the second time around. Here are a few reasons why:

• I got to watch the showing with my entire family (my little one was napping earlier in the day)
• I appreciate great music lyrics, so by the second time, I knew a lot of the words, so it became more of a sing-along.
• I was able to notice more Marvel easter eggs the second time around.
• I had better seats so the bar was not in my entire viewpoint.
• I spent more time soaking up the performances than trying to record and take pictures of it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, “Rogers: The Musical” exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed every moment of the show. There were many high energy numbers, plenty of comical moments, thoughtful lyrics, a very talented cast, and of course, superheroes!

My 11-year-old daughter and I are big Marvel fans, so we thoroughly enjoyed the show. My 7-year-old daughter enjoyed the excitement, but then got restless after the first few numbers. It was not until the “Save the City” performance did she perk up again as she recognized a lot of the superheroes. I think the show is geared more audiences 10+ with some knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

I was quite impressed with the storytelling as they were able to compress many key Marvel moments into approximately 30 minutes. I’m excited to see the show again, sometime in the future, but hopefully with better seats.

For official images, see our post about Rogers: The Musical @ Disney California Adventure Details & Disney Video and Images