Kitchen Kabaret was an animatronic show in The Land pavilion at Epcot.
The show's hostess, Bonnie Appetite, introduced the acts in a musical review and comedy format that advocated healthy eating and provided a primer on the four food groups: meat, dairy, cereals and fruits & vegetables.
The attraction opened on October 1, 1982 and closed in 1994. It was replaced by Food Rocks.
Show description
Introduction
"Meal Time Blues" by Bonnie Appetite - Bonnie sings this at the start of the show. She looks a bit tired. She has cookbooks and her hair wrapped in a bun. The lights turn off, and the next performance comes.
Act 1
"Chase Those (Meal Time) Blues Away" by Bonnie Appetite and the Kitchen Krackpots - The Kitchen Krackpots band (containers of ketchup, mayonnaise, a spinning jar of mustard, etc.) play a boisterous ragtime intro, as Bonnie reappears, now in showgirl attire, to "Thank you all for coming to (her) kitchen." The Kitchen Krackpots come out of the floor and reappear in the ending of the show. These animatronics were the first food products to come. The only figure that did not feature atriculated facial features was the mustard jar.
Act 2
"The Stars of the Milky Way" by Mr. Dairy Goodz and his Stars of the Milky Way - Mr. Dairy Goods is a singing milk carton who emerges from a refrigerator holding an old fashioned radio-style floor microphone close to his mouth, crooning introductions to three dairy products—Miss Cheese, Miss Yogurt, and Miss Ice Cream -- in the style of 1930s costume extravaganzas. Each of the dairy products performs a brief cameo in a stylized manner (e.g., Miss Cheese sings like Mae West). Every time they come out, ice cold fog pours out of the freezer.
Act 3
"Boogie Woogie Bakery Boy" by The Cereal Sisters - The Cereal Sisters—Oats, Rice, and Corn—sing a parody of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy in the style of the Andrews Sisters, accompanied by a bugle-blowing bread slice. The bread slice wears glasses and is revealed when a kitchen cabinet is opened. They come back in the Kabaret Finale.
Act 4
"Meat Ditties" by Hamm & Eggz - Hamm & Eggz is a vaudeville-style comic rendition of The Meat Group Can Help You Keep Strong, in which Mr. Hamm and Mr. Eggz tell jokes and sing a few short ditties. At the end, Mr. Hamm gets angry because Mr. Eggz is telling corny jokes, and decides to split from the group to join another protein group.
- Mr. Hamm: "There's plenty of good protein acts for me to work with!"
- Mr. Eggz: "Oh yeah? Like who?"
- Mr. Hamm: "Cheese, cheese is a great source of protein!"
- Mr. Eggz: "Oh, I cheddar to think about it."
- Mr. Hamm: "Beans, now there's good..."
- Mr. Eggz: "Beans! Oh nuts to you, hammy!"
- Mr. Hamm: "That's right, nuts to me! Another excellent source of protein".
There are also running gags in this part of the show. Mr. Eggz's bow moves if he's laughing, and at the end of their parts, smoke bellows around them protecting these two from being seen moving into the ground.
Act 5
"Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit" by Colander Combo and the Fiesta Fruit - Night sounds, Latin percussion, and low lighting set the mood for this number, as the produce (broccoli, tomatoes, bananas, etc.) begin to chant "Veggie-Veggie-Fruit-Fruit! Veggie-Fruit-Fruit!" Bonnie Appetite, now in a Carmen Miranda-style carnival outfit, and perched upon a crescent moon that descends from the ceiling, sings "I simply have to tell you that my friends who are singing are...delectable!" Here, another running gag is present. A broccoli piece says " cha cha cha!" at times while his glasses flip off, but the glasses resume.
Finale
"Kabaret Finale" by Bonnie Appetite and cast - Bonnie Appetite and the cast sing a medley of each of their songs. All of the cast comes back out and Bonnie says good bye before the curtains with the Kraft logo cover the stage.
Other appearances
Disney created merchandise with the Kitchen Kabaret characters, including coloring books, audio tapes / CDs, musical books, postcards and pins of the Colander Combo and Fiesta Fruit. Even after closing of the attraction, the veggies and fruits reappeared as characters in the 2003 version of the annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.
The Astuter Computer Revue and Backstage Magic in CommuniCore featured a guest appearance by Mr. Eggz highlighting how computers controlled audio-animatronic characters.
