Raised during the 1980s to be a “Disney adult” by toxic parents who accidentally abandoned her in a Magic Kingdom restaurant at age 3, writer/director Terri Fae Erskine took an entry-level job at Walt Disney World straight out of high school, and went on to work in frontline entertainment roles at nearly every major and minor themed attraction in Central Florida. Those bone- and brain-breaking gigs gave her riotous raw material for “Confessions of a Theme Park Worker,” a scathingly satirical solo show overstuffed with hysterical horror stories.
During her multi-decade tours of duty in Touristland, Erskine has been assaulted by Christian kids during the Night of Joy concert event and summoned to the Orange County courthouse in her Halloween Horror Nights scareactor costume (complete with chainsaw). I’ve known Terri — a natural-born raconteur — for 25 years, but I’ve never before heard some of these amazing anecdotes about breastfeeding Kongfrontation riders or nearly getting eaten during Gatorland’s Jumparoo show. And although the tone is mostly funny and foul-mouthed, Terri’s tale about crying inside Eeyore’s costume while cradling a terminally ill child gave me serious feels.
With little more than a chair and mouse-ear hat, Erskine uses well-motivated movement to animate her monologue, which doesn’t wear out its welcome at barely 45 minutes; if anything, the ending is bit too abrupt and could use more parting words. Whether you’re a current (or recovering) cast member yourself, or you're one of the annual passholes that makes their lives a living hell, this comedic “Confession” will have you howling “amen” with laughter.
Orlando Fringe: Times and tickets for "Confessions of a Theme Park Worker"
