Performing in Legend Pax Talent Show

[Leo Jay]

If anyone on the board has actually performed in the passenger talent show on the Legend, I'd appreciate any feedback about the time and logistics involved in terms of auditions, tech rehearsals, etc. Thanks.

[happy cruzin]

If anyone on the board has actually performed in the passenger talent show on the Legend, I'd appreciate any feedback about the time and logistics involved in terms of auditions, tech rehearsals, etc. Thanks.

 

Not me :eek: - but a friend of ours did when we were all on the Destiny. He played his soprano saxophone, which he brought with him.

 

In the Capers there was a blurb about auditions for the show - all interested were to meet at the shore excursion desk one day at a particular time. A Carnival social host met them there took their names and talents. There were only a few passangers who were interested - and they were all "chosen" ;) There were a couple of singers, a family that sang, our friend and a piano player.

 

They were informed of when rehearsal was - I think there was just one, in the afternoon - and then they performed one evening.

 

Hope this helps. Good luck :D

[LHP]

I am assuming you are talking about what I called the "old fashion Talent show". This was the Talent Show that Carnival has had on all its ships for years. I have performed in 10 of them and loved it.

 

However, some ships are gone to what Carnival calls The Legends Show (no reference to the ship~ Legends meaning important entertainers).

 

Carnival has establish songs by singers like Madonna, Garth Brooks, James Brown etc that people sing to audition at Karaoke. On the last night of the cruise, the folks selected perform that same song in full costume provided by Carnival.

 

This does not mean that all of the old Talent Shows have been done away with. However, I would not be surprised to see this Legend's show go fleetwide eventually.

[sharonella]

Hi - I was on the Legend in March 06 - give me a chance to check my Capers tonight at home & I can give you EXACTLY what happened on what day of the cruise!

 

Sha

[GuitarPlayer]

If anyone on the board has actually performed in the passenger talent show on the Legend, I'd appreciate any feedback about the time and logistics involved in terms of auditions, tech rehearsals, etc. Thanks.

 

We were on the Legend in Oct 2005 (Go Hurricane Wilma!) and they had the "new" Legends show. Auditions were held at different times and places (Piano bar, lounge below main show lounge, karaoke bar) and the audience voted (via clapping) and the one with the loudest clapping was chosen. They were given a headset and a tape (cd?) to listen to the rest of the cruise in order to be ready for the big night.

 

In regards to how much time they spent at rehearsals, well, you would have to get that from someone who has performed.

 

GP

[sharonella]

Hi - I was on the Legend in March 06 - give me a chance to check my Capers tonight at home & I can give you EXACTLY what happened on what day of the cruise!

 

Sha

 

Oh - forgot to say I actually performed in the talent show AND my sister performed in the Legends show. Since it's an 8-day cruise, I guess they have enough time to do both shows!

 

Will post all the details later!

 

Sha

[Leo Jay]

Yes, a recent Legend review did confirm that they have both the "Legends" show and the old-fashioned "talent show". I don't think I'd be up for Legends, but maybe the other one. Any details about time commitment would be appreciated. Thanks!

[LHP]

Yes, a recent Legend review did confirm that they have both the "Legends" show and the old-fashioned "talent show". I don't think I'd be up for Legends, but maybe the other one. Any details about time commitment would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Hey!! I was just going to make sure you saw that review. Great news!!

Have a wonderful cruise.

[sharonella]

Yes, a recent Legend review did confirm that they have both the "Legends" show and the old-fashioned "talent show". I don't think I'd be up for Legends, but maybe the other one. Any details about time commitment would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Was is the review by campdaan? That's my BF - that was our cruise! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=312804

 

Anyway - never got around to digging up my capers, so let's see what my brain remembers. I will still try to dig up the capers, so if I got anything wrong, (like what day of the cruise it was), I will post a correction.

 

Let me say 1st that for this cruise we had a "substitute" cruise director - Jen was actually the Assistant CD, but the regular CD (Brett Allans) had already moved on to the Valor a couple of weeks before. This was Jen's last week on the Legend before joining him. Why I'm saying this at all is because we got the impression that things were possibly being done a little differently than "usual" during the whole cruise. While Jen obviously did ALL the CD duties, I got the impression she was also handling a few of her Asst CD duties, as well as passing off some of her Asst duties to others of the staff - Mostly to Andrew & Julia. (Lovely married couple)

 

Anyway - This is what my fuzzy brain remembers (all the days have blended together in a wonderful haze! It was an awesome cruise - see review above if you haven't already.) On the Second formal night (Past Cruisers Party night) there was an announcement in the Capers for anyone interested in the Talent show to meet at one of the Lounges at a specific time in the afternoon. About 12 acts showed up & we were asked to sign in on a sheet (with our name & act/song) by Julia, who showed up at least 15 minutes later than the assigned time. (And several times she said she had never done this before so she hoped she was doing it right - this was probably one of Jen's jobs as Asst CD!) We knew there were too many of us, so Julia said we would probably have to draw names. (They work on an honor system - no comics - no lip sync - but almost everything else is OK - they even allow singing to karaoke disks. I think in the past they required you use the band or not perform at all. They just trust your act is going to be what you say.)

 

Anyway - I knew several people that had just signed up for the Talent show had also been already chosen for the Legends show, which was later in the week. Misty, who was the karaoke host, had told everyone at karaoke that there was no rule against being in both shows. Luckily, one of the "Legends" people was very nice to bring it up themselves about "was it OK to be in both shows?" Julia then asked how many were in the Legends show. Turned out it was just enough to bring it down to 8, so Julia asked that the Legends people not perform - to give more people a chance. The only other option would be to draw names. The Legends people very graciously agreed to this.

 

Next the Band Leader (he was relatively new to the ship too) finally showed up & went thru the list of people & acts. He asked us who had sheet music & who had karaoke disks. The people who had their own disks, or were playing their own accompaniment on the piano were told what time & where to meet later at the Follies Theatre for the show. No "rehearsal" for them. For the rest of us, we were brought to another lounge area that had a piano & we sang there to make sure the key & tempo was OK. I got to sing my song 1 1/2 times. Pretty much the same for the others. We couldn't rehearse in the Follies Theatre because they were already preparing it for the Past Cruisers party AND the band needed to kind of rush thru this, because they needed to PLAY at the past cruisers party!

 

I really got the impression that this was not exactly the way they usually did this. Everyone seemed a little rushed & a tad disorganized. That's not to say they didn't give us the time & focused attention we each needed when we rehearsed. All questions were answered professionally. There was a give & take in the conversation between the performers & musicians, so we all knew everyone was "on the same page". I would assume with a "regular" CD in place, with an Assistant, it would mean a slightly smoother sign up & rehearsal - and probably not right before the band needed to be somewhere else.

 

All in all (except for a huge case of stage fright I got about 20 minutes before I went on & where I was SURE I had forgotten all the words to my song), it was a great experience! Bottom line - even if "rehearsal" had been in the Follies, I wouldn't expect a "big full run thru". The musicians are professionals & even tho we "amateur" performers aren't, they expect us to be fully ready to perform. They aren't there to hand-hold or perfect our acts. There was a woman in our show that was performing on a "whim". She sang Summertime. I took her under my wing, because she was VERY nervous after the "rehearsal", because she thought there would be "more" to it. She had never worked with a mike before (and we had no mikes at the "rehearsal"), so I gave her a few pointers. She had a lovely voice, & ended up performing beautifully.

 

Good luck!

 

Sha

[sharonella]

For those interested, the Legends show also features passenger talent, but is augmented by full costuming, the orchestra, and the dancers, as well as "surprise" guest performers. This is a fully staged show complete with lights, sound & visual effects.

 

Basically the show is already rehearsed & staged by the ship's regular performers & staff. All they need is the specific passenger talent, to sing specific songs in the style of certain musical "Legends". They use the term loosely in a couple of cases as the Legends are: Aretha Franklin, Britney Spears, Madonna, Gloria Estefan. Ricky Martin, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Elvis, James Brown and Frank Sinatra. (I don't think I forgot anyone - if I did, I'll post it later.)

 

Auditions are held at karaoke. The Capers will tell you which Legends will be auditioning at which karaoke sessions. Get there on time, as the Legends auditions are done first thing, with voting (by applause of whoever is in the karaoke lounge) done immediately. (While they don't rush this, & everyone who wants a chance to audition can, they like to get this over with fairly quickly, so that "regular" karaoke can get started.) If you're chosen, you will immediately be loaned an MP3 player with 2 versions of the exact song (or song excerpt) you will be singing in the show - with lead vocals & without. You will also be given a printed sheet with the lyrics. It's up to you to practice on your own time. You're also given a pin that lights up to wear all over the ship so people will know you will be a "Legend"!

 

On our cruise, the person who was originally chosen as Elvis, came down with something & was unable to perform. Misty, our awesome karaoke hostess, then approached another person who had auditioned for Elvis & asked him to take over. Also, if only one person auditions, according to Misty, you will automatically be chosen after you audition. The night no one raised their hand for Madonna, I figured, heck, I *can* sing, & even tho I don't really know any Madonna songs, I can muddle thru the audition well enough & have plenty of time to learn before performing. Well, 2 other women had the same thought at the same time & we all raised our hands at the same time. Needless to say, I wasn't the best one who auditioned. (I think I'm the only 48 yr old I know that doesn't know "Like A Virgin"! :rolleyes: )

 

They provide the costumes & wigs & props for the Legend performers. You don't have to really look like the Legend, but if you are a "plus size" you might have to be prepared to come up with a costume on your own (with the staff's assistance). My sister used her own formal dress & the wig they provided for Aretha. The other cast members seemed fine with the costumes that were provided. Sinatra probably wore his own suit, & they gave him a hat & a trench coat to throw over his shoulder.

 

Dancers walk the Legend performers on & off for their numbers - several Legends (like Britney & Ricky) actually have back up singers & dancers that perform with them. After the show, all the Legends mingled with family & friends & the ship's dancers & singers for pictures "with the stars".

 

One "warning" - Several Legends performers (including my sister who sang Aretha & the guy who did Sinatra) complained a little that the key of songs they were given to perform was a little bit higher than they expected & what they normally sang when singing that person's songs in karaoke. The key of the song on the MP3 player is what you will sing in the show & they don't change it. Just be forewarned. All the performers did well, but *I* could tell my sister was at the "top of her range" during the show (don't really think anyone else really noticed) & Sinatra sounded fine, despite his concerns - I just wanted to let you know ahead of time, so you wouldn't be surprised like they were.

 

If Misty is there as karaoke host, say "hi" to her for me & my sister Paula. (Paula sang Aretha at Legends & I - Sharon - gave her the sparkly broach the night she lost hers, & I sang Danny Boy at Talent night. Remind her we were on Jen's last cruise!) Tell her to sing a show tune & have an extra "toast" for us! :p If you really want to make her happy (although she always seemed happy!) - get your waiter to give you a decadent dessert "to go" & bring it to karaoke one night!

 

Good luck!

Sha

[sharonella]

Quick update on the Talent Show "facts" - Dug up my Capers last night!

 

We were on the Southern Caribbean cruise - St Maarten, Barbados, Martinique. The talent show sign-up was at 3:15 on the Martinique day (we sailed at 2pm that day, so we were all back from any excursions). There were only 7 acts (not 8!). Also restricted to ages 16+. The Talent show was the 10:30 show that same night.

 

If anyone's interested, I can post the karaoke audition schedule from our cruise for the Legends show, too! I feel like I've already been too "wordy" in my last 2 posts! :rolleyes: I'll wait till someone asks for that!

 

Sha

[Leo Jay]

 

Anyway - never got around to digging up my capers, so let's see what my brain remembers....

 

Wow, thanks for the detailed summary. I sing and my GF would play piano to accompany me, but it would be cool to have the band as well if we decided to do an uptempo jazz number. If I bring music, will they copy it for the band, or would I need to bring X number of copies?

 

Um... Ricky Martin, Britney Spears: LEGENDS? :rolleyes: :D

[vincenzo0506]

Um... Ricky Martin, Britney Spears: LEGENDS? :rolleyes: :D

Only in their dreams!

 

vincenzo:)

[LHP]

Wow, thanks for the detailed summary. I sing and my GF would play piano to accompany me, but it would be cool to have the band as well if we decided to do an uptempo jazz number. If I bring music, will they copy it for the band, or would I need to bring X number of copies?

 

Um... Ricky Martin, Britney Spears: LEGENDS? :rolleyes: :D

 

Let's just say Carnival is taking artistic license in this case!

 

As for the sheetmusic, I would bring one copy for the orchestra leader and he can make the necessary copies from there.

[sharonella]

Wow, thanks for the detailed summary. I sing and my GF would play piano to accompany me, but it would be cool to have the band as well if we decided to do an uptempo jazz number. If I bring music, will they copy it for the band, or would I need to bring X number of copies?

 

Um... Ricky Martin, Britney Spears: LEGENDS? :rolleyes: :D

 

I'm sort of using the the term "band" loosely. For most it was just the keyboard, bass & drums. At the very least, the bass & drums could join you to "round out" your sound. It would be helpful if you brought copies, already marked with any cuts or repeats, etc. I didn't & I kicked myself after when I realized that between our afternoon "rehearsal" & the 10:30 performance, these guys had to play at 2 past cruiser parties in between. Plus if you give them your copy, they make sure they give it back to you AFTER the Talent show. Just one less thing for them to worry about if you bring plenty of copies.

 

Yeah - know what you mean about Britney & Ricky - but those were 2 of the numbers that were "uptempo" and had back up dancers & singers. I'm sure they also had more "appeal" to the younger crown than say, Elton John or Sinatra.

 

Sha

[sharonella]

......As for the sheetmusic, I would bring one copy for the orchestra leader and he can make the necessary copies from there.

 

If the "rehearsal" is done the way ours was, immediately after sign up, having a few extra copies would have been helpful. I brought 1 copy each of 2 versions of my song, thinking there'd be time between sign up & any rehearsal for the band to make copies. I had to hand over my only copy. Even if I had brought one copy for the bandleader, the musicians we rehearsed with couldn't make their own notes until the bandleader had a chance to make copies for them from that copy. The bass player had to look over the keyboardist's shoulder to see the chords to play... It worked, but it could have been easier for them with more copies.

 

Oh - for those who don't know - anyone can buy a copy of the Talent show - professionally edited, closeups, etc. But you can't buy copies of the Legends show. A copy is given to the Legends performers ONLY before they disembark.

 

Sha

[Leo Jay]

I'm sort of using the the term "band" loosely. For most it was just the keyboard, bass & drums.

Classic jazz trio -- works for me! If it's only 3 copies, I might as well bring them so they can make whatever notations they need to. Maybe I should recycle my Formal Night tux and channel one of the classic jazz crooners in my own version of "Legends". :) Actually, that brings up another point -- how did people dress for this?

 

 

Yeah - know what you mean about Britney & Ricky - but those were 2 of the numbers that were "uptempo" and had back up dancers & singers. I'm sure they also had more "appeal" to the younger crown than say, Elton John or Sinatra.

 

Hmph! Kids today, with their rock and roll music and their Internet...

[sharonella]

...Actually, that brings up another point -- how did people dress for this?....

 

Dress to what you think suits your act - I sang Danny Boy - nice ballad - wore basic black dress, mid-calf handkerchief hem. with a rhinestone broach & earrings. There was a trio of senior ladies who sing Andrew's Sisters-like harmony together all the time. They wore these matching slacks & blouse outfits. A guy who sang a Neil Diamond tune wore simple black slacks & a purple long-sleeved shirt.

 

He ended up doing a "bit" with the CD. He sang first & the CD had pulled him aside right before he sang & asked him to sing it straight - plain - nothing fancy. After he sang a few phrases, you heard her voice from back stage, "what is he doing, he can do better than that, etc," like she doesn't realize her mike is still on. The guy stops singing & she comes out, "John, John, I heard you at rehearsal - you sounded way better than that - come on, I know you can do it!" "OK, Jen," he says. The band restarts the intro - he unbuttons another button at the collar, unbuttons & rolls up the sleeves once & belts out the tune in a way that Neil would have been proud of!

 

On our first Legend cruise there was a very bad Elvis impersonator (think Andy Kaufman's Latke from Taxi trying to sing like Elvis) who brought his own spangled, white fringed Elvis outfit. :eek: This guy was at karaoke, too, & sooooo bad (wore black shirt, turned up collar at karaoke) - only sang bad Elvis & actually had the big sideburns! We could never figure out if he was serious & thought he sang well, or if he was just pulling everyone's leg.

 

Sha

[shandabyb]

which Brittany Spears and Gloria Estefan songs are done?

 

Shanda