While the rest of the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. was in the midst of a Nor’easter, I had the pleasure cruising over the holidays–a Christmas cruise in the western Caribbean–aboard a Holland America cruise ship. To any young Philadelphia actor, singer or dancer who has the opportunity to audition and perform on a cruise ship, I say, “Go for it!” It is a great opportunity! And you should read no further, lest you be disillusioned.
Wilmington does not have a cruise port as yet, but cruisers who don’t wish to fly to another destination to catch the ship, can go out of Philadelphia or Baltimore and not have to drive terribly far.
As a platform to refine the performing artist’s craft, as an opportunity to try all of it, cruise shows can’t be beat; it is still a super platform for experience for a young actor.
Cruise entertainment that looks like theatre is still more like a Vegas revue. Let’s take it as it is. With the brassy and booming feel of the WWE (professional wrestling), the cruise director announces the show, “Let’s hear it for the entertainment crew of the MS Noordam, and if you see anything you like in particular during the show, please let them know with your applause—so here they are–!” So, open your eyes and ears and let us entertain you.
I am an experienced cruiser, but unlike many who delight in cruising 20 times or more, I am fine with my several cruises. Just so you know, I have not traveled on all cruise lines and I’m sure there are exceptions. In those cruises I have traveled on, the following has been my experience:
Something for everyone is the rule. Let nothing offend—except the skimpy costumes with lots of shine and sequins—the more “Vegas” the better, which, of course, seems a contradiction. No inappropriate language, only the slightest sexual innuendo. The overall stage-show experience for me is an in-your-face entertainment with very little true audience interaction or emotion. The entertainment is so pat, it lacks the feeling of live theatre. If you want that, see the magician or comedians; they connect with audience at least.
To be perfectly fair, I found the shows to be very entertaining–just not terribly genuine. It is the usual performance fare though, with all that comes with a high tech cruise ship; resources a small professional company would die for, a dedicated triple-threat trainedvcast, a stage that moves with various levels, perfect lighting and sound, costumes with color and glitz.
The last show I saw sealed my opinion that highlighting theatre on ship can be wrong. It was called SIMPLY BROADWAY and it was far from that. The Broadway tunes were familiar, and the cast did say they would take liberties with the numbers; however that was the big mistake. And the changes to the arrangements were not very simple.
Different arrangements are necessary with different singers, but the changes here were more than that; they were also more than making a medley of popular numbers. I found those changes distracting when applied to the already proven numbers less entertaining than the originals. I liked what they did with two male singers, singing “Maria” from WEST SIDE STORY; but I did not like the two numbers by female singers, one from GUYS AND DOLLS that was totally devoid of “acting,” which made particular number so memorable in the original show, and a mediocre version of the most famous soprano number from PHANTOM.
A show directed, choreographed and performed creatively can enhance the original and add to the music and songs’ appeal, yet here it seemed no one could decide who should take the lead on this song or that–so they did something that let everyone play an equal part. Sometimes a duet needs only two people and more is a crowd.
Now the difference between a cruise show and another form of entertainment, the cabaret musical you might find in small venue like a restaurant or club on land. The cabaret approach seems to be the only approach to a show on ship, combining the talents of music and song, dancing and acrobatics, with “scantily clad” showgirls and “glitzy” showguys. I’ve used the clichés on purpose–in case you missed that I think the shows are clichés themselves. The shows are truly in the hands of professionals, but perhaps it is that they are almost too perfectly re-enacted–like Star Trek’s “Data” re-creating a work of art. By re-creating it perfectly, it loses the “art” part.
These same girls and guys who, as ship board life gets old and as do they, will hit the stages of New York and other big cities, some traveling companies, and any other venue that will take them. Great resume credits. They are truly great performers, but it is the venue that is different and the approach by the director and choreographer. If the entertainment director is correct in his or her assumption, this shipboard audience is there just to be entertained. It could have more. It’s a shame, in my opinion, that a cruise line may assume the audience may not want any more than that.
The good news is that some of the larger cruise vessels on the moderately priced lines like Royal Caribbean, and some of the more exclusive cruise lines are importing theatre from Broadway. Naturally, the cost is high. I hope one day it is possible to bring “little” professional theatre to the medium class cruise lines. Then, we can be stimulated as well as entertained.
Shaw's Reality 