theatre on Cruise Ships

[musicalsinger20]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 12:11pm

I think singing on a cruise ship would be fun. How many cruises have you been on? I have been on Disney, Royal Carribean and Holland America.

I guess as far as theatre goes there are some shows on cruise ships that the singers and dancers do that are from musicals but sometimes it seems that the shows are more entertaining and they don't necessarely have a plot.

Wouldn't it be cool if they had a broadway themed cruise ship out there where they could perform broadway shows?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 12:18pm

I got back from a Cruise (won't say which line, because I'm sure they had copyright violations up the wazoo, besides being non-union) where the 2 featured shows were a revue of Billy Joel, Elton John, Liberace, etc., and a show about film & tv secret agents. They did a horrible spoof of the Cell Block Tango revolving around the characters from Clue.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 12:22pm

All the cruises I have been on (which is many, on different lines) have been decent with their shows. Many do movie themes. I went on one that had an amazing Broadway revue show. Recently I have seen many doing shows based on the 80s dance movies (Dirty Dancing, Footloose, Flashdance, etc.). On longer cruises I have seen them do pretty much everything. A classical one, Gershwin, pop, and more. One of my goals in life is to perform on a cruise ship. Some of them are extremely talented!

[Parks]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 4:50pm

A cruise I went on a couple years ago had a HORRIBLE last 30 years of music show.

The actors were talented, I'm sure, but whoever directed it needed to be fired. It was painful to watch.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 4:56pm

I've been on 14 cruises and I think some cruise lines have better shows than others but usually, there is 1 night of something called "The best of Broadway"- it usually is from the 80's and 90's though.
There are other excellent shows that aren't Broadway related though.

Actually, on my myspace, I have a guy that was an entertainer on the last cruise I went on. He is on another cruise now until Dec.

Some of the guest entertainers are well known. One well known comedian is Sarge- I'm sure some of you must know him...
Also, I posted this a while ago but Todd Pettiford was a guest entertainer on my cruise. He was in RENT *on Broadway* for sometime.
He was- Christmas caroler, Mr. Jefferson, a pastor and others. Also, he was a replacement for Tom Collinsand Benjamin Coffin III.

Updated On: 8/20/06 at 04:56 PM

[Popular]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 4:56pm

Having worked for RCI, I can tell you that there are some review style shows that have broadway themes. A lot of them are cheesy and outdated but don't let that fool you. The caliber of talent is for the most part very high. Many of my ship friends have moved on to do amazing things after (sing back up for Elton John, Rockettes, and some of the recent movie musicals just to mention a few). I'm sure there are more than a few broadway actors that started off on ships, and some that even go back to ships as a backup gig inbetween shows.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 5:05pm

I find that cruise singers always have great voices, but a major flaw. Sor example, some have pitch problems, and others lack presence.

[orchajaws]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 5:06pm

I got back from a cruise last week. The entertainment was extraordinarily mediocre, with the sole exception being a very talented young pianist named Tian Jiang. For a twelve day cruise, one would hope that more than 1/12 of the shows would be at least moderately interesting. Not so. I have high standards, but, notwithstanding, the quality of the entertainment was pretty ridiculous. The "revue" type shows featured singers who could barely sing and dancers who often could not keep up with the choreography. The shows were hokey and boring. The guest entertainers (besides Tian) included a violinist by the name of Yasha Konviser, a dance/magic act called "Mysteriaque" (later dubbed in my family "Mystericrap") and a scottish belter named Jack Walker who had a very nice voice, but horrible arrangements and a lack of stage presence - all were very fair at best. You would think that there would be a tremendous pool of talent for cruise ship entertainment...
Updated On: 8/20/06 at 05:06 PM

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 5:21pm

I think the problem lies with the content, not the performers. I think folks are hired for cruise ship shows to be "plugged in" to a number or revue. There is very little of the person that is allowed to shine. I think of those clips of Shania Twain when she worked at a casino and sang standards. She was so cheesy, but it wasnt her fault. It was the medium she was in.Bascially, those type of shows you are being forced to shed your identity and that must come out in the work. Also, I imagine folks have pitch problems, etc becuase they dont get a lot of rehearsal or coaching.

[Popular]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 5:27pm

It also depends on what ship you go on. There is so much attention placed on the newer mega sized ones that the older smaller ones sometimes get neglected when it comes to the company updating sound systems and such...

By the way, take what I say with some room for error because it's been a while and things may have changed. Last time I was there they had the cruise staff and anyone else they could use run the spotlights with hardly any training. So yeah, it's not usually the performers.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 5:33pm

My brother in law is a bass guitarist on a cruise ship and he will go from playing smooth jazz in the lounge and then running to play for a cabaret or revue in another venue. He said he feels bad becuase usually the vocalists get no run thrus with him and are singing cold with new musicians who rotate nightly. It's an odd place to be in as a performer. And yes Popular, he did say that assorted crew have been known to work the lights or sound boards. What fun for trained musicians and singers.

Updated On: 8/20/06 at 05:33 PM

[Popular]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 5:43pm

Yep, Betty. The spotlights aren't that hard but sometimes people who just signed on are made to do it not knowing the performers or the shows very well. So the cues are pretty useless if they say to light Sarah and you don't know who Sarah is! The first time I had to do it there was a passenger right in front of me who kept on signaling with his hands "a litte more left", or "a little more up". He wasn't doing it to help me or anything. I don't even think he realized he was doing it or knew I saw him. It was just a habit of his cause I found out later on that he worked spotlights professionaly. Only ONE of my many embarassing ship stories! Just my luck, eh? HAHA
Updated On: 8/20/06 at 05:43 PM

[musicalsinger20]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 10:18pm

You all had some nice and diversified stories. Could you imagine having a theme that was completely Broadway Themed? I can.

Natasha

[mustard]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 10:43pm

I remember the revue on a cruise I worked on (not as an actor) was called "Everything's Comin Up BROADWAY." Cheese to the max. They also did a heavily chopped version of Grease. I remember the singing and dancing was good, but the acting was abysmal. And the Sandy and Danny were in their 40's.

One interesting thing was that things were very segregated. The entertainers, casino staff, and gift shop staff were all British. The cruise staff (like the Julie McCoy types) and us childcares people were American. The waiters were all Jamaican but their matching busboys (they worked in teams) were all Hispanic. One of my co-childcare girls moved to the gift shop and had to fake an English accent. No lie.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 11:10pm

I saw a Broadway revue on Princess last year and it was fine. Just as cheesy as you might expect. The performers were pretty good, but nothing stood out. There were four main singers, one of whom reminded me a LOT of John Barrowman.

I peeked in on the night we were in the Tasman Sea (one of the roughest seas in the world) and felt terrible for all the dancers during their "freeze frame" scenes, because they were all swaying in unison.

[Matthewjames]

Posted: 8/20/06 at 11:12pm

I've always wanted to work on a cruise ship

[whatacharacter]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 6:47pm

i went on a cruise in Hawaii in July, and have to say the shows were either really good, or REALLY bad. THe broadway review was very entertaining. There was a whole Mamma Mia section done in Victorian Garb...Powdered wigs and all. wierd but somehow it worked...and the girl who sang defying gravity...She needs to get in for an audition before Eden's contract is up and FAST! She effortlessly wailed the end riffing up higher and stronger then Sho could ever dream of. Acting was iffy, but which Elphaba's hasn't been?

[Popular]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 6:52pm

"Acting was iffy, but which Elphaba's hasn't been?"

*raises hand*
I know! I know!

Back to the topic at hand...
What ship did you go on and how did you enjoy the million and one sea days to Hawaii? It's beautiful when you FIANLLY get there though! :)

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 6:55pm

Now, I'm certain they're not getting the copyrights. Can they get sued if the wrong people are on the boat? In the case of Grease and Jim Jacobs, yes. But, if Stephen Schwartz were to see Defying Gravity sung, does he have a right to sue?

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 7:08pm

"Can they get sued if the wrong people are on the boat?"

It's a ship. You get into a boat when the ship sinks.

[Popular]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 7:12pm

LOL, SweetQ. Spoken like a true repeat guest!

And the captain doesn't drive the ship, he steers it.

Doesn't "park" it, but ________ it. Anyone? :)

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 7:14pm

dock?

Updated On: 8/21/06 at 07:14 PM

[Popular]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 7:18pm

Ding, ding, ding!! Well done :)

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 7:19pm

Any other ones??

14 cruises and counting...

[Popular]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 8:23pm

SweetQ, do you know the most popular stupid questions? That's another fun game. HAHA "What time is the midnight buffet?"