Good Morning Baltimore – or is it good morning New York? The cast of Hairspray on board cruise ship Oasis of the Seas will be a part of the 66th annual Tony Awards broadcast on American television tonight.
It’s a first for Broadway’s equivalent of the Oscars and for Royal Caribbean International, as it is for cruising in general – deserved recognition that entertainment at sea is no longer the refuge of faded end-of-the-pier performers.
As well as the regular performances of Hairspray in the state-of-the-art Opal Theatre on Oasis, RCI have a West End standard production of Chicago on Allure of the Seas, and Saturday Night Fever on Liberty of the Seas.
Blue Man Group, familiar to audiences in Las Vegas, Orlando and New York, are a permanent fixture on Norwegian Epic.
Simon Cowell might not have woken up to the change yet, and will probably continue to hurl his tired old “cruise ship entertainer” insult at X-Factor and BGT performers who don’t meet his standards. But if BBC rival Strictly Come Dancing can become a big a hit at sea, thanks to P&O Cruises then surely it’s high time a full-scale talent contest was presented on board ship.
Incidentally, Hairspray will be coming to the end of its three-year contract on Oasis before too long and the entertainment directors are no doubt looking for a replacement show. My money is on Jersey Boys.
Leave A Comment