Somewhere in the middle of the Mediterranean, a painter seeks to find his muse in an original new show: It involves flying bicycles, a beatbox musician, and acrobats hanging from silks and ladders. If the show sounds Cirque du Soleil-ish, it is. The Montreal-based troupe just launched its first at-sea extravaganza, complete with the option of a preshow dinner, onboard the new 4,500-passenger MSC Meraviglia.
When the 2,908-passenger Celebrity Edge is launched next year, it will feature an interactive spectacle created with producers of off-Broadway's experiential Queen of the Night dinner theater. The restaurant where it will be performed nightly has been designed to evoke the Garden of Eden, and when diners enter, actors called “Edenists” will whisper mysterious, scene-setting phrases into their ears before vocalists, acrobats, and dancers take the stage.
As ever-bigger cruise ships mean that a more diverse crowd is lining up to be entertained, the world of cruise-ship performing arts is evolving. Turns out entertainment can be a key factor when it comes to acquiring and retaining customers among the competitive cruise-line set—and people love to be surprised. In the expanding industry, executives are also betting passengers will even be willing to pay for premium shows, like the Eden event, unlocking a potential new revenue stream.
That’s not to say that the days of bland Broadway revues, cheesy dance numbers, and uninspired magic acts—largely performed by inexperienced actors—are totally over. But serious competition from new creators is recasting the way cruisers think about entertainment at sea.
Changing Tides
"We need more venues for more tastes, age groups, and nationalities," said Gary Glading, head of entertainment and guest experiences for MSC Cruises. So in addition to its lineup of 45-minute themed variety shows—which feature singers, dancers, and sword swallowers—MSC has invested $22 million to create a theater for Cirque du Soleil on the high-tech Meraviglia. (It’s the first of four MSC ships to develop such a space.) The 413-seat entertainment and dining lounge is custom-designed with intricate rigging for aerial acts—hallmarks of the two Cirque shows that are now playing on the ship six days a week.
On its new 4,140-passenger MSC Seaside, which will make its debut out of Miami in December, MSC is also testing improvisational comedy shows by Toronto-based troupe BeerProv (as in, "unscripted comedy on tap").
"People are looking for something that's different, that's not the same beige product everyone else is turning out," Glading said.
Original Acts
Richard Ambrose, vice president of entertainment for Norwegian Cruise Line, says "there is nothing wrong with a revue. Broadway has started to do 'juke box' musicals, and that's the same thing.” But some shipboard options are better than others, he added.