I would agree with the previous poster that you are more "involved with the show" with the performers than "picked on," especially if you buy seats in Category 1. Category 2 is not terrible though; the audience back there seemed to be having a great time because the performers often left the stage to perform in the center of the room (between Category 1 & 2).
We feel that HDDR is very different from other restaurants like 50sPT or WCC where the waiters "pick on" you. This was much more entertaining, friendly and "safe" for shy people. Plus, the performers stop the show while you are eating! It's nice to be left alone for a little while, and then between courses they will come back and start it back up again -- impeccable timing! The HDDR performers speak to you to gain information about you, usually with the intention to share it with the audience in stories or by creating new songs; they made more of an effort to celebrate guests instead of making a public fool of them. Does that make sense?
The performers are wonderful singers; the young man could easily play Gaston in the B&TB show, and the ladies were just adorable -- I wish I could take them all home with us! We enjoyed their comedic, vaudeville style. I would say the waiters at Hoop De Doo Revue were also some of the kindest and best that we met during our entire stay.
We enjoyed celebrating our engagement at HDDR, and we would definitely return in a couple of years, perhaps when we get married,
(A few men will receive laughs if they are caught staring at the female actresses' legs during the show and so forth. Remember, these are not animatronic performers... Anyway, the CMs have a pretty good sense about who to call out about that, in terms of who will take that sort of attention better than others.)
At Hoop-De-Doo, it feels like everyone in the room is one big family for a night. If the actors do speak to you during the show, the extra attention from the entire roomful of guests in the theatre is different from having a private table at a restaurant. If anyone in your party is asked to join the actors on stage, it makes for an extra special night. I'm not sure if you know this, but they even have a photographer on hand to give the lucky stage extras a special photograph package of them performing on stage. I captured my fiance's "Indian Brave" performance on our camcorder thanks to our waitress and Flora's whispered advice that I "will want it on tape"
, and it was a neat surprise to receive the gift of an 8x10 picture of him in the act.
PrincessMonkey