really bad entertainment

[crazyank]

During a recent cruise on Rhapsody we experienced some really bad singing during the production shows.  Of the four singers, two male, two female,  one male singer was very good.  The other male  had a weak voice and really needs to learn to open his mouth when he sings.  Of the two females one was poor, very weak voice and off pitch.  The other female was just plain bad.  Constant off pitch screeching,  somebody really needs to tell her that when you're off pitch louder is not better.  I really wonder who hires these people?  Surely some kind of audition is required?   Then again maybe not, based on what we heard.

Before anybody starts throwing rocks,  my wife and I work as soloists and as a duet.  I've been in the entertainment business 39 years and my wife for 20 years.  in the last 12 months we have done 156 performances thru out Europe. 

[BND]

14 minutes ago, crazyank said:

During a recent cruise on Rhapsody we experienced some really bad singing during the production shows.  Of the four singers, two male, two female,  one male singer was very good.  The other male  had a weak voice and really needs to learn to open his mouth when he sings.  Of the two females one was poor, very weak voice and off pitch.  The other female was just plain bad.  Constant off pitch screeching,  somebody really needs to tell her that when you're off pitch louder is not better.  I really wonder who hires these people?  Surely some kind of audition is required?   Then again maybe not, based on what we heard.

Before anybody starts throwing rocks,  my wife and I work as soloists and as a duet.  I've been in the entertainment business 39 years and my wife for 20 years.  in the last 12 months we have done 156 performances thru out Europe. 

Yes, they have to audition.  Not sure what this post accomplishes except to slam what you considered a bad show.  Did you mention it in your survey?  Maybe they had been sick or they're performing so often it was affecting their voices.  We feel the entertainment has improved drastically over the 14 years we've been cruising.

[crazyank]

2 minutes ago, BND said:

Yes, they have to audition.  Not sure what this post accomplishes except to slam what you considered a bad show.  Did you mention it in your survey?  Maybe they had been sick or they're performing so often it was affecting their voices.  We feel the entertainment has improved drastically over the 14 years we've been cruising.

1. yes we mentioned it in our survey. 

2. production show performers rehearse daily and average two performances during a seven day cruise. Definitely not a heavy schedule.

 

[swoopy2110]

Did this ruin your entire cruise ? I don't even see why it needs to be mentioned outside the post cruise survery.

[crazyank]

1 minute ago, swoopy2110 said:

Did this ruin your entire cruise ? I don't even see why it needs to be mentioned outside the post cruise survery.

Entire cruise?  no, of course not.  An evenings entertainment? yes definitely.  And I don't care what you see or don't see about mentioning it

[blueridgemama]

Welcome to cruise critic😊

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Want excellent shows. Cruise on the oasis class ships. All the others are standard shows.

[dodgestang]

Maybe the mains where sick and the understudies were filling in

[Merion_Mom]

5 minutes ago, dodgestang said:

Maybe the mains where sick and the understudies were filling in

 

There are no understudies. 

[dodgestang]

Maybe the mains were sick and they asked random passengers who claimed to have many years of experience in industry to fill in 😉

[NanciRDH]

4 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

There are no understudies. 

 

10 minutes ago, dodgestang said:

Maybe the mains where sick and the understudies were filling in

 

Merion Mom is correct,  there are no vocal understudies.  There's a pre-recorded "sick" track they can use if the performer is sick or has no voice, but the show must go on.  

[dodgestang]

Man I wish they used the pre-recorded track at some of the shows I've been to....but you know what.....it's a broadway style show in the middle of the Atlantic that I walked to from my state room after gorging myself at dinner.

 

Aside from the gorging that's a bunch of stuff I wouldn't normally be doing...so never thought much about it till now 😉

[samiam0403]

47 minutes ago, NanciRDH said:

 

 

Merion Mom is correct,  there are no vocal understudies.  There's a pre-recorded "sick" track they can use if the performer is sick or has no voice, but the show must go on.  

 

Wow! I've learned something new today. Must be a Royal thing? I know on our Epic cruise on NCL in December, an understudy filled in for one of the main characters in Priscilla - they even made an announcement beforehand. He was stellar, and we were thrilled to see the main performer back in the roll on our Feb cruise. Now I'm going to keep an eye/ear out for pre-recorded "sick" tracks on other lines! Thanks for the info!

[davekathy]

If we don't like the entertainment we just leave and don't sit through it and then whine about it.  Everyone's tastes and opinions are different. 

Edited May 6, 2019 by davekathy

[ONECRUISER]

3 hours ago, crazyank said:

1. yes we mentioned it in our survey. 

2. production show performers rehearse daily and average two performances during a seven day cruise. Definitely not a heavy schedule.

 

My my ships last few yrs Performers work half dozen shows in 7 days. They not only do the 2 regular Production shows they do 1st, farewell, 70's/disco nite shows and in Centrum on Formal nites. 

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

There are no understudies. 

Agree, last few years have had 3-4 shows canceled or postponed later into Cruise when one was sick or sprained/broke leg

[johnjen]

on Brilliance they had one of those "canned" bands. As a musician, there's nothing worse than seeing cheap entertainment, watching "musicians" act like they're playing instruments and they really don't know how to even play a guitar (but the canned music is playing) or watching a vocalist "sing" while fingering through her iPad for the next song lyrics. Royal Caribbean? You have a long way to go in entertainment. How about just booking a good band that doesn't rely on ipads or faking their way through a tune? Please. You can do MUCH better. My band can't do it because we work a 40 hour week but we'd certainly qualify.

[Big_G]

I never realized I had such an appreciation for low standard entertainment. Go figure.

[burnsie]

We were recently on the Rhapsody they had the Piano Man which I saw last May on the Radiance. 

The Rhapsody was not up to what I have been used to on RCCL.

For the record I can't sing to save my life.

 

[Mikew0805]

6 hours ago, crazyank said:

During a recent cruise on Rhapsody we experienced some really bad singing during the production shows.  Of the four singers, two male, two female,  one male singer was very good.  The other male  had a weak voice and really needs to learn to open his mouth when he sings.  Of the two females one was poor, very weak voice and off pitch.  The other female was just plain bad.  Constant off pitch screeching,  somebody really needs to tell her that when you're off pitch louder is not better.  I really wonder who hires these people?  Surely some kind of audition is required?   Then again maybe not, based on what we heard.

Before anybody starts throwing rocks,  my wife and I work as soloists and as a duet.  I've been in the entertainment business 39 years and my wife for 20 years.  in the last 12 months we have done 156 performances thru out Europe. 

I do not expect everyones voices to be perfect every time. Yes, we have heard some pretty bad singing, but one thing I can guarantee is that even at their worst, they all sound better than I do. 

 

Maybe cut them some slack since they perform everyday, in much worse conditions than Broadway. 

[Baron Barracuda]

My pet peeve for many years was Royal's (and other lines) inability to find male singers who could reach the low notes.  Try to sing Barry White but sound like Andy Gibb.  Have noticed marked improvement last couple of years though. 

[DramaQueen22]

7 hours ago, crazyank said:

During a recent cruise on Rhapsody we experienced some really bad singing during the production shows.  Of the four singers, two male, two female,  one male singer was very good.  The other male  had a weak voice and really needs to learn to open his mouth when he sings.  Of the two females one was poor, very weak voice and off pitch.  The other female was just plain bad.  Constant off pitch screeching,  somebody really needs to tell her that when you're off pitch louder is not better.  I really wonder who hires these people?  Surely some kind of audition is required?   Then again maybe not, based on what we heard.

Before anybody starts throwing rocks,  my wife and I work as soloists and as a duet.  I've been in the entertainment business 39 years and my wife for 20 years.  in the last 12 months we have done 156 performances thru out Europe. 

I too am a performer...and I think we notice things the average consumer doesn't!  I cannot stand the vocal gymnastics and loud screeching ( I call it fortissiscreamamo!) most performers use these days.  ANd it is very hard not to backseat direct.  I understand where you are coming from!

[twangster]

4 hours ago, samiam0403 said:

 

Wow! I've learned something new today. Must be a Royal thing? I know on our Epic cruise on NCL in December, an understudy filled in for one of the main characters in Priscilla - they even made an announcement beforehand. He was stellar, and we were thrilled to see the main performer back in the roll on our Feb cruise. Now I'm going to keep an eye/ear out for pre-recorded "sick" tracks on other lines! Thanks for the info!

 

Didn't realize Priscilla performed on NCL Sky.  

[samiam0403]

Just now, twangster said:

 

Didn't realize Priscilla performed on NCL Sky.  

It's not - it's on NCL Epic. But you made me do a double-take to see if I'd mistyped! If it was on Sky, I'd sail on her a lot more though. I love the show so much, I've seen it 4 times now. 😃

[twangster]

Just now, samiam0403 said:

It's not - it's on NCL Epic. But you made me do a double-take to see if I'd mistyped! If it was on Sky, I'd sail on her a lot more though. I love the show so much, I've seen it 4 times now. 😃

 

Rhapsody is loosely equivalent to Sky.  On ships equivalent to Epic they have higher caliber entertainers, just like Epic vs. Sky. 

 

I'm not a fan of entertainment on older and small ships across many cruise lines.