Rebekah's Blog
High School Musical's Monique Coleman Brings Joy to Epcot's Candlelight Processional

The Candlelight Processional is among the more unique traditions at the Disney theme parks. It was begun at Disneyland in 1958. It is a profoundly religious event conducted in a style that provides a delicate balance of worship and entertainment. At Epcot Candlelight is performed nightly over five weeks with over 24,000 vocalists and 13 celebrity narrators participating in its run at the American Gardens Theater. A portion of seating in the American Gardens Theater is available through Candlelight Dining Packages with the remainder available on a first-come, first-served basis. And given the acoustics of the theater many opt to enjoy a casual meal at the outdoor tables of the Liberty Inn while enjoying the performance.

On Wednesday Doobie and I attended Epcot's Candlelight Processional. The celebrity host was Monique Coleman of High School Musical fame. She was terrific. Over the years I’ve seen some terrific and some disappointing celebrity readers.

Monique brought warmth and enthusiasm to the evening. Throughout the song “Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy” she was gently swaying from side to side to the tune’s rhythm. And her readings were done with inflection as if she were recounting events she herself had witnessed rather than reading words that in many cases were millennia old. At the conclusion of the performance she thanked the choir, the audience including those who stood throughout the performance along the back of the outdoor theater and offered special thanks to all the children who had behaved so marvelously. Her visible enjoyment of the evening increased my own.

The evening’s guest director Dr Mitos Andaya from the University of Georgia also brought an infectious enthusiasm to the evening as she bobbed and swayed throughout her conducting. But her enthusiasm was even more apparent when she turned to direct the audience during Silent Night and we could see her broad smile.

As always the entrance of the various participating choirs elicited numerous flash bulbs as proud families and friends do their best to capture an image of their loved one in the choir. Even though it’s a well-produced event at a world class theme park there is something almost homespun about Candlelight Processional perhaps that is why it holds such a special place in the hearts of many Disney fans.