cdn.cruiser Posted July 8, 2013 #1 Share Posted July 8, 2013 It seems everyone says the shows on board Oceania are hardly worth attending. Has anyone seen the " now and forever " show on the riveria? What is bad about it? Do the singers not have good voices? Are the sets dismal? Also are there any stand up comics performing any nights? Are they that bad? Haven't been on Oceania before and was wondering how bad the performances are. Also are the guest speakers interesting or are they hit or miss? Thank you in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted July 8, 2013 #2 Share Posted July 8, 2013 We very seldom go to the production shows but they were standing room only on our marina cruise so some people must like them We prefer the solo musicians & some of the other acts We have only done 1 Marina cruise & a few on the R-ships which did not have the new production numbers at the time We had some very good performers that we enjoyed some that were really bad but not too many of those It just depends on what you enjoy like food the entertainment is subjective ;) The speakers have ranged from very good, informative & well presented to just kill me now before I die of boredom If we do not like one lecturer or a show we find other things to do ...make a donation at the casino, chat with fellow passengers, read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted July 8, 2013 #3 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Has anyone seen the " Now and Forever " show on the Riveria? What is bad about it? Do the singers not have good voices? Are the sets dismal? The singers, choreography, costuming and staging (this is a review, there are no sets) are all first rate and by FAR the best that we have ever seen on an Oceania ship. Stan enjoyed the production immensely, but I was underwhelmed by the score. I realize that every Lloyd-Webber inspired Show cannot simply rehash the same big hits, but some of the key production numbers in "Now and Forever" are based on songs which are esoteric, to say the least, and are in my opinion just not strong enough to maintain a fifteen minute rendition. Many of Sir Andrews' stronger compositions, the entire score of Evita comes to mind, were given a miss, entirely. Still, like all of the production shows, the tempo is bouncy, the costumes are colorful and the singers are animated, so it is a pleasant enough hour and a half, if all that you are looking for is a diversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted July 8, 2013 #4 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Still, like all of the production shows, the tempo is bouncy, the costumes are colorful and the singers are animated, so it is a pleasant enough hour and a half, if all that you are looking for is a diversion. [/font][/size] I agree with you. We have seen many different productions on Marina and the R ship's and generally speaking, the performers are quite good and very enthusiastic. Some singers were better than others but we usually enjoy the production shows. Of course they are not up to Broadway/West End standards but then one wouldn't reasonably expect them to be. We take them and enjoy them for what they are. We also do not compare Jacques to the French Laundry back home because one simply cannot do that and be fair. That does not stop us from enjoying Jacques and the other specialty restaurants. The individual entertainers run the gamut from excellent to poor but we always enjoy the ship's production company. JMO -YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_uk Posted July 8, 2013 #5 Share Posted July 8, 2013 The singers, choreography, costuming and staging (this is a review, there are no sets) are all first rate and by FAR the best that we have ever seen on an Oceania ship. Stan enjoyed the production immensely, but I was underwhelmed by the score. I realize that every Lloyd-Webber inspired Show cannot simply rehash the same big hits, but some of the key production numbers in "Now and Forever" are based on songs which are esoteric, to say the least, and are in my opinion just not strong enough to maintain a fifteen minute rendition. Many of Sir Andrews' stronger compositions, the entire score of Evita comes to mind, were given a miss, entirely. Still, like all of the production shows, the tempo is bouncy, the costumes are colorful and the singers are animated, so it is a pleasant enough hour and a half, if all that you are looking for is a diversion. My guess is that the Royalty payments required for the major hit songs of Lloyd Webber made them too expensive to use. Secondly I never knew that a Review was without scenery..... And I thought I knew everything already. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted July 8, 2013 #6 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I agree with you.We have seen many different productions on Marina and the R ship's and generally speaking, the performers are quite good and very enthusiastic. Some singers were better than others but we usually enjoy the production shows. Of course they are not up to Broadway/West End standards but then one wouldn't reasonably expect them to be. We take them and enjoy them for what they are. We also do not compare Jacques to the French Laundry back home because one simply cannot do that and be fair. That does not stop us from enjoying Jacques and the other specialty restaurants. The individual entertainers run the gamut from excellent to poor but we always enjoy the ship's production company. JMO -YMMV. I completely agree. If you do not expect too much, you will not be disappointed. We have walked out of a number of shows as we have found them painful to watch -- corny, contrived -- not the performers' fault. Some of the "kids" are more talented than others. A few are extremely talented but just have not had that "big break." I think entertainment has improved overall on the O ships in the past two years, but not to the point where we would worry about missing a show. I love the Jacques/French Laundry comparison. Last time we were at FL we had a 12 course meal with wine pairings -- I could not recognize most of what I ate. I could not tell you today what it was that I ate, only that the entire experience was over the top. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypercafe Posted July 8, 2013 #7 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I think the shows are good to very good. The problem is the show lounge on the Rivera, the stage is very small and the sight lines are not good as the room is just one level and low. We went to 90% of them and enjoyed ourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted July 8, 2013 #8 Share Posted July 8, 2013 And I thought I knew everything already. Brian But you do! You demonstrate it time and again :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billie bucks Posted July 8, 2013 #9 Share Posted July 8, 2013 It seems everyone says the shows on board Oceania are hardly worth attending.Has anyone seen the " now and forever " show on the riveria? What is bad about it? Do the singers not have good voices? Are the sets dismal? Also are there any stand up comics performing any nights? Are they that bad? Haven't been on Oceania before and was wondering how bad the performances are. Also are the guest speakers interesting or are they hit or miss? Thank you in advance. There are 4 shows with the entertainment team and I have seen them all... 2x! They are good. You must realize that Oceania is unlike the other cruise lines like HAL, Princess, Celebrity etc. that pay out a lot of money for their entertainment. Only the Marina and Riviera have the song and dance revues..the other 3 ships do not have these due to the seating arrangements and stage size in their lounges. There have been standup comics on all of our Oceania cruises but, it is up to each individual passenger whether or not they like the material presented by that comic...there have also been violinists, pianists, magicians on the voyages. The guest speakers are interesting and usually talk about the areas in which we are cruising. They usually only speak on the sea days and their talks are replayed on the inhouse tv channel. This will be our 11th cruise with Oceania and we have enjoyed them all. We have sailed with many other cruise lines (but not Celebrity) and we like the small ship atmosphere although the Riviera and Marina do not really qualify! Hope i have answered your questions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted July 8, 2013 #10 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Only the Marina and Riviera have the song and dance revues..the other 3 ships do not have these due to the seating arrangements and stage size in their lounges. There were song and dance reviews on the Nautica in May. More song than dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkiemomjn Posted July 8, 2013 #11 Share Posted July 8, 2013 My guess is that the Royalty payments required for the major hit songs of Lloyd Webber made them too expensive to use.Secondly I never knew that a Review was without scenery..... And I thought I knew everything already. Brian This is what my husband & I decided, also. We still enjoyed the show though. Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted July 8, 2013 #12 Share Posted July 8, 2013 It's not that these shows are bad, It's that they are not good enough for me to warrant rushing through dinner to get to them. JimandStan, Evita probably gets a pass because most of its score is not hummable and they cater to that. That's why there always seems to be an Abba show and nothing from Sweeney Todd or Sunday In The Park With George. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdn.cruiser Posted July 8, 2013 Author #13 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Thanks everyone for your comments. I understand the shows are not Braodway caliber and we don't expect them to be. Just want a nice deviation. Looks like we will be happy! Thanks everyone for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_uk Posted July 9, 2013 #14 Share Posted July 9, 2013 But you do! You demonstrate it time and again :D The amazing thing Paulchilli is that I knew you were going to say that !!!! Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted July 9, 2013 #15 Share Posted July 9, 2013 The amazing thing Paulchilli is that I knew you were going to say that !!!! Brian See? That just proves it again. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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