How often do ships/lines change entertainment?

[TominNC]

We've been on Epic and Encore over the past few years.  Both are still showing the same performance shows - Priscilla, Choir of Men, Kinky Boots I believe.  We're going on Encore again in December and I think it will still be Choir/Kinky.  Just wondering how often shows are changed?

[graphicguy]

43 minutes ago, TominNC said:

We've been on Epic and Encore over the past few years.  Both are still showing the same performance shows - Priscilla, Choir of Men, Kinky Boots I believe.  We're going on Encore again in December and I think it will still be Choir/Kinky.  Just wondering how often shows are changed?

Don’t know about individual shows, and certainly the COVID shutdown probably affected the shows, but generally speaking the shows run 5 years.  IIRC, Rock of Ages ran longer because NCL “re-upped” it for another run due to its popularity.

 

Have done the “Behind the Scenes” tour of a couple of these shows.  The amount of work, stage sets, etc that go into the shows is quite amazing.  One stage setting had to have its own door in the bowels of the ship because it was so big.

[Shellbelle28]

The smaller acts (comedians, magicians, singers, etc.) sometimes entertain for a short time (a few months) but the production shows requiring large sets, extended rehearsals and larger casts are multi-year commitments. 

It has changed a lot from when I first cruised though! Then the typical entertainment was the small acts as mentioned above, plus a production company of singers and dancers that performed most nights and were entertaining but not anything you'd worry about missing!

[TominNC]

OK, thanks.  It's more a curiousity thing.  We focus more on amenties and locations than the entertainment.  There are always enough variety of singers and comedians anyway.  We'll no doubt see Choir of Man again, then maybe a different era of the Beatles show than we saw previously.  It's a shorter cruise (5 nights) that last time so there will be plenty.

[BirdTravels]

7 hours ago, TominNC said:

We've been on Epic and Encore over the past few years.  Both are still showing the same performance shows - Priscilla, Choir of Men, Kinky Boots I believe.  We're going on Encore again in December and I think it will still be Choir/Kinky.  Just wondering how often shows are changed?

NCL typically signs 5-year contracts for licensed Broadway entertainment.  This started with the launch of the EPIC with Burn the Floor and Blue Man Group. The Encore was launched in late 2019. It theoretically has a few more years on the original entertainment. The Encore only sailed with passengers for 3 1/2 months before the COVID shutdown. So, she is just getting back on her feet. 

 

There is considerable cost installing a new show, so they keep them around for a while. The casts train  in Tampa. And rotate in every 6ish months. There have been exceptions where shows have been terminated out of cycle (Million Dollar Quartet was terminated after a short run on one ship. Then picked up on another. Legally Blond got terminated. The "Breakfast Club" show got terminated when they promoted Choir of Man from the Supper Club to the main theater). 

 

wrt to Priscilla, that show was installed on the Epic in October 2015. We were at the opening night first show out of Southampton in 2015. So, it it actually overdue for swapout or renewal. I suppose it is hard to get the bus on/off the ship. 

 

Kinky Boots has had a rough restart. Not sure exactly what the problems are. We have sailed on the Encore twice since restart and both cruises did not have Kinky Boots playing. Our most recent Encore cruise was in early April 2022. It was supposedly playing in March and not on our cruise. Maybe cast quarantine. Maybe injury with the cast.  

 

In April, Choir of Man was still using social distancing protocols. Rather than inviting audience members up on stage to get beer, they were sending out trays full of beer into the audience before the performance. And the scenes that were scripted to have audience members come up on stage are still being done by spotlighting individuals sitting in the audience. 

Edited June 28, 2022 by BirdTravels

[BirdTravels]

Side note: Installing a show is hard under perfect conditions. Installing a show during a pandemic.... impossible. 

 

We were on the maiden voyage of the Wonder of the Seas out of Fort Lauderdale in March 2022. The Wonder is Royal Caribbean's newest Oasis class ship (6988 max passengers). One of the shows we attended was the ice skating show "365". After a great performance, the Cruise Director came out on the ice and let us in on a secret. He said "some of the choreography may have not made sense.... because 90% of the scenery, props and costumes for the show had been delayed due to supply chain issues. The cast has tried to put on as much of the show as possible without any of the planned visual aides". 

Edited June 29, 2022 by BirdTravels

[CherWolf]

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Kinky Boots has had a rough restart. Not sure exactly what the problems are. We have sailed on the Encore twice since restart and both cruises did not have Kinky Boots playing. Our most recent Encore cruise was in early April 2022. It was supposedly playing in March and not on our cruise. Maybe cast quarantine. Maybe injury with the cast.  

 

I had the same experience in December on the Encore and was so disappointed, as I have never seen it.  They told me it was canceled because of "technical problems".  

[TominNC]

Kinky Boots was back for our late Feb 2022 sailing on Encore.  My wife didn't love it so we'll skip it in Dec.  Will go back for Choir and try to sit closer to the stage.