Entertainment: Which shows to hit? Miss?

[seattlejmf]

We'll be sailing on the Westerdam - E. Caribbean. I figure that we won't go to a show every night. Which shows are a MUST see? Which shows to miss, if necessary?

[RuthC]

I make every effort to miss the cast production shows; they come under the heading of "you've seen one, you've seen them all". If you've never been then go to one. There's usually two in a 7-day cruise.

I like the evening shows that are individual guest performers. There have been some that I thought I wouldn't like due to the nature of the presentation and came away pleasantly surprised. One magician in particular comes to mind in that regard.
There will be a selection of musicians, singers, magicians, jugglers, possibly a comedian.

[SDHALFAN]

We'll be sailing on the Westerdam - E. Caribbean. I figure that we won't go to a show every night. Which shows are a MUST see? Which shows to miss, if necessary?


Sorry but that question is impossible to answer. Who knows what your tastes are?

Each ship (no matter which cruise line) has their own cast, all of whom are unbelievably young and enthusiastic: some are talented and some are not so talented but at least, as mentioned before, they are enthusiastic and they work their rearends off to entertain us.

Then sometimes you will find a magician, or a violinist, or a singer, or a comedian, for example, on the program that evening. It is up to you to check the daily program and see if the featured act is something you might find entertaining.

Have a great cruise and I hope that you can find at least one or two shows on your that you will thoroughly enjoy.

Valerie:)

[Sueseb]

There is also a crew show late one evening. It is very poorly attended by Pax but can have some very good talent. The crew is not allowed to attended as they are not to mingle socially with the Pax. I would recommend giving it a try. Sue

[hammybee]

I make every effort to miss the cast production shows; they come under the heading of "you've seen one, you've seen them all". If you've never been then go to one. There's usually two in a 7-day cruise.

I like the evening shows that are individual guest performers. There have been some that I thought I wouldn't like due to the nature of the presentation and came away pleasantly surprised. One magician in particular comes to mind in that regard.
There will be a selection of musicians, singers, magicians, jugglers, possibly a comedian.

Well of course I am going to agree withh RuthC. The cast production shows on HAL and most cruise lines are an area that seems designed to appeal to those who were big fans of Lawrence Welk ( Remember the bubbles?). At best it's a rerun of "the big show" where all the Brady Bunch kids get together and shake things up. It's a huge disconnet between HAL and the younger audiance it wants to attract and maintain.

The individual performers are a hit or miss and the whole thing often reminds me of summers at the old time Poconos resorts.

Having said all this, there will be at least one good show by an individual performer and you just never know.

[middle-aged mom]

Hello, Seattlejmf:

You must be from our neck of the woods.:)

My mother, 17-year-old-daughter, and I attended and enjoyed ALL the shows on our Zaandam cruise. We thought the cast productions were fun, colorful, full of energy, and we thought the main singers were pretty good. Hey, these young people are performing on a stage that is rolling on the waves, without a whole lot of room! We liked all the special entertainers, from the comic magician (Harry Maurer) to the Beatles impersonators (Whyte). My husband and youngest daughter enjoyed the magician.

There's enough variety that you will find something to suit your tastes. If you don't like a show, you can simply walk out. There are musicians performing in various venues throughout the ship, so surely somewhere, there's a song playing for you.:)

(But then we're a bunch of egghead introverts who don't get out much and who don't (gasp) have television:eek:. So what do we know?:D)

[Sunshine91]

As SDHALFAN said, everyone's tastes are different. On Noordam, we did go to the cast production shows & for the most part enjoyed them. The singers were very talented. There was a Tommy Tune-created show that was very lame, but the cast performed well with the material they were given. Tommy Tune dancing with himself on large video screens was just, well, boring is putting it kindly. There was an Egyptian number in that show that was, um, interesting?;)

For the most part we avoided the single-performer shows - the juggler, the comedian, the magician, the ventriloquist, etc. Just goes to show you that everyone likes something different. Just like food. :)

[RevNeal]

I must say, I enjoy watching the ship's cast dance and sing. Sometimes the singers are quite good (hardly Lawrence Welk), and while the dancers are often over-frenetic and in their steps and athletic acrobatics, it can often be fun to watch them interpret the music and dance their hearts out. If nothing else, I appreciate their effort. :D

On the other hand, and unfortunately, sometimes the performers that are brought aboard the ship can be dreadful. Oh, many of them are very good and put on a quite enjoyable show. But sometimes the performers are just awful.

My favorite entertainment is the music in the lounges and the conversation of my friends and fellow cruisers.

[RuthC]

The cast production shows on HAL and most cruise lines are an area that seems designed to appeal to those who were big fans of Lawrence Welk ( Remember the bubbles?).
It seems our dislike of the productions shows, although mutual, is for different reasons, hammybee. I like Lawrence Welk. I love the songs I hear on his show and listen to that type of music on a radio station all day. Music from the 20's, 30's and 40's is my favorite.

It's the format of the shows I don't care for. They are all the same: pick a theme, pick several songs around that theme, sing a few lines of those songs, move on to the next song. I'd rather hear fewer songs done well in their entirety.
It doesn't matter how good the performers may be, they can't do anything with a poor vehicle.

[gizmo]

I agree with the Rev. :)

I do enjoy most shows. I haven't see any that fall into the Lawerence Welk category.

Talent brought on board is hit or miss. Most have been good. A couple of times I went to the show and sat in the back figuring it would be a looser and was surprised how good it was.

My one big complaint is the same old production shows over and over again. Like KK I am so glad they finally got rid of Copacabana.

On my last cruise, all they did was switch out a couple of songs and rename one of the productions. At one time it was called "Up on the Roof", they renamed it for whatever reason. Same old, same old.........

(Please, no lectures. :eek: The last time I posted something like this, I got a lecture on how much a show costs. )

[RevNeal]

It's the format of the shows I don't care for. They are all the same: pick a theme, pick several songs around that theme, sing a few lines of those songs, move on to the next song. I'd rather hear fewer songs done well in their entirety.
It doesn't matter how good the performers may be, they can't do anything with a poor vehicle.

I agree that, in many cases, the show formats could be improved. I have seen a FEW shows where it wasn't bits and pieces of songs strung together around a theme but a full story, with all or most of a few songs well-produced and well-sung. But those examples are few and far between.

I guess it's more the people I enjoy watching. Even when I've seen the show before, on a different ship and/or with different performers, the differences in interpretation via dance and song really can be fascinating and, in its own way, enjoyable. I know these young people are trying very hard, and many of them have real talent and ability along with training and drive. Hence, I appreciate their efforts and don't mind enjoying them to the extent available. And particularly so if there's not much else to do at that given moment. If I'd rather go to the movies, or join in a sing-along, or continue conversation around the dinner table and then in a lounge over drinks, i'll often chose THAT. But, if there's nothing else pressing, why not go and sit and enjoy their efforts?

I suppose the question is one of boredom and offense. Is what's going on on the stage boring me, insulting my intelligence, or making me in some other way uncomfortable? This most often happens in the programs of those that are brought aboard the ship for a single evening. For example, on one cruise (on which I was cruising alone) I was sitting in the audience while the entertainment was on stage singing songs. He did several love songs (it was near Valentines day), then he told all the couples to stand and start dancing right where they were sitting in the show lounge while he sang "unchained melody." Do you have any idea how horrible it feels -- how conspicuous one feels and how alone one feels -- to be one of the only people sitting, alone, while nearly everyone else around you is dancing? And I mean RIGHT around you ... in front, in back, on either side? And you're sitting there ... alone. It's not like standing or sitting on the side of a room, watching as other people are dancing ... it's like being made to sit in the MIDDLE OF THE DANCE FLOOR while everyone else is dancing around you ... towering over your head. It's a HORRIBLE feeling.

[RuthC]

Do you have any idea how horrible it feels -- how conspicuous one feels and how alone one feels -- to be one of the only people sitting, alone, while nearly everyone else around you is dancing? It's a HORRIBLE feeling.
Yes, Greg. Of course I do. Not that exact situation, but similar enough. Remember, I'm a widow in a couple's world; I'm frequently alone in a crowd.

[kryos]

It seems our dislike of the productions shows, although mutual, is for different reasons, hammybee. I like Lawrence Welk.
LOL ... I'm glad I'm not the only one. :)

I'm only 50, but my dad (who lives with me) is 92. Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights has been a staple of our home for years and his type of music has kind of grown on me. :) We still watch the reruns to this day.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[hammybee]

It seems our dislike of the productions shows, although mutual, is for different reasons, hammybee.

As one who used to pretend to be Janet Lennon, I am familiar with Lawrence Welk. It's the contrived nature of the "big show" that turns me off , a format that makes it predicatable and choppy and all the costume changes are silly. Sometimes I wonder if royalties are due someone, somewhere if they sing a song all the way through. And at the end, while I can appreciate the energy and work that went into the production, it comes off as hokey.

[hammybee]

(But then we're a bunch of egghead introverts who don't get out much and who don't (gasp) have television:eek:. So what do we know?:D)

No TV, home schooling, letting your children make decisions ..........I like the beat of your drum.

[SDHALFAN]

Do you have any idea how horrible it feels -- how conspicuous one feels and how alone one feels -- to be one of the only people sitting, alone, while nearly everyone else around you is dancing? And I mean RIGHT around you ... in front, in back, on either side? And you're sitting there ... alone. It's a HORRIBLE feeling.

Oh boy is it ever! I have to agree with Greg and Ruth it truly stinks. Soooo, after dinner I may go to a show if there is a particularly compelling act I have heard about, but more often go to the Casino for a "$10.00 cigarette" and then go to The Explorers' Lounge to listen to some lovely music or head to my cabin to watch a DVD movie or listen to a CD.

This is not as depressing as it sounds since I am somewhat of a loner by nature and I truly do love to see couples together but I certainly don't want to be the only singleton in a room full of dancing couples.

Valerie:)

[hammybee]

but more often go to the Casino for a "$10.00 cigarette"

Valerie:)

I love you Valerie.

[Sunshine91]

Do you have any idea how horrible it feels -- how conspicuous one feels and how alone one feels -- to be one of the only people sitting, alone, while nearly everyone else around you is dancing? And I mean RIGHT around you ... in front, in back, on either side? And you're sitting there ... alone. It's not like standing or sitting on the side of a room, watching as other people are dancing ... it's like being made to sit in the MIDDLE OF THE DANCE FLOOR while everyone else is dancing around you ... towering over your head. It's a HORRIBLE feeling.

That's just not right. No one should ever feel like that.

[Copper10-8]

We happen to like the production shows by the onboard cast a lot and go to all of them on every cruise. We have seen several shows twice, three and four times but by different casts (HAL and Stiletto Entertainment doesn't seem to be changing them much and/or coming up with new ones). We enjoy the music and dancing and the fact that these individuals give it their all every show, week in week out usually for up to six months. And yes, the talent on different ships varies and it's not always first class but we still enjoy it.

Only show we've ever seen that we didn't care for was the already mentioned Tommy Tune (only performed on the Vista's). It just wasn't our cup of tea. We talked to some cast members in the Crow's Nest after the show and found out they didn't like performing the show either.

As far as the guest entertainers, we really like the always funny Barnaby, a ventriloquist by the name of Mike Robinson(my wife always says that a ventriloquist is good when he makes the puppet come to life and Mike Robinson knows how to do that), an English duo performing as the Beatles by the names of Alan and Harry Whyte, and a very funny guy on a unicycle (forgot his name) to name a few. Also had a professional pickpocket (some Danish guy and his wife) once who was good. As in anything else here, everyone has their own taste and what some like, others don't.

[Copper10-8]

Echo

[Copper10-8]

We happen to like the production shows by the onboard cast a lot and go to all of them on every cruise. We have seen several shows twice, three and four times but by different casts (HAL and Stiletto Entertainment doesn't seem to be changing them much and/or coming up with new ones). We enjoy the music and dancing and the fact that these individuals give it their all every show, week in week out usually for up to six months. And yes, the talent on different ships varies and it's not always first class but we still enjoy it.

Only show we've ever seen that we didn't care for was the already mentioned Tommy Tune (only performed on the Vista's). It just wasn't our cup of tea. We talked to some cast members in the Crow's Nest after the show and found out they didn't like performing the show either.

As far as the guest entertainers, we really like the always funny Barnaby, a ventriloquist by the name of Mike Robinson(my wife always says that a ventriloquist is good when he makes the puppet come to life and Mike Robinson knows how to do that), an English duo performing as the Beatles by the names of Alan and Harry Whyte, and a very funny guy on a unicycle (forgot his name) to name a few. Also had a professional pickpocket (some Danish guy and his wife) once who was good. As in anything else here, everyone has their own taste and what some like, other don't.

[RuthC]

It's the contrived nature of the "big show" that turns me off , a format that makes it predicatable and choppy.
Ah-ha, same reason after all.

[RuthC]

It's the contrived nature of the "big show" that turns me off , a format that makes it predicatable and choppy.
Ah-ha! Same reason after all!

[newmexicoNita]

of course haven't seen HAL production shows, but on all other lines,especially NCL we have enjoyed them to some degree or another. We also love the comedians; as someone said, it depends on your taste and probably your age, somewhat. We usually attend about 1/2 of the shows. Other times we like to spend time in either the casino or listening to the paino player after dinner. NMnita

[TedC]

We go to most of the shows and usually find something to enjoy. As someone advised, check the daily program where the evening's entertainment is briefly described.

Don't miss a show where either of the musical Finkel brothers are featured. They're both very entertaining - incorporating high-energy performances with a lot of humor.

They almost always perform solo. I'd love to see them working together - what a show that would be! We haven't seen them lately, I hope they haven't retired.

[kakalina]

MOM: I've had a few of those $10 cigarettes myself.

I love the producitons shows. Being a retired singer I just love to watch the kids do their thing. They have such energy, such joy in their jobs and pride in doing it well. Some are definitly better than others but they all give it their best. JMHO. My favorite entertainer was a wonderful ventriloquist ( his name escapes me right now) but his Dummy is names Matilda and is Jamacian. He is fantastic! The local dancers they brought on in Hawaii and Tahiti were wonderful also.
The shows are definitly worth checking out unless you have pressing matters elsewhere on those nights.

[missygirl]

My favorite is Joel Mason (aka Elton John). He was on the Oosterdam in May and was wonderful. Not only could he sing but he kept everyone laughing and singing along. We will be on Zuiderdam in Nov. and I am praying that we will be lucky enough again to see him.

Missygirl

[Sunshine91]

Also had a professional pickpocket (some Danish guy and his wife) once who was good.

Officer - Did you arrest that man? :)

Oh, and how many times did you intend to post this? :D

[Copper10-8]

Officer - Did you arrest that man? :)

Oh, and how many times did you intend to post this? :D

Nope but he did pick me out of the audience (lucky me:rolleyes: ) to use as his victim

Only once Ma'am!;)

[Sunshine91]

Nope but he did pick me out of the audience (lucky me:rolleyes: ) to use as his victim

Only once Ma'am!;)


My John just LOVES it when a comedian or other performer selects him for what I term as humiliation. He even tends to wear his brighter tropical shirts if he can (makes him easier to spot :rolleyes: ). On one cruise the comedian/magician did choose him & took him up on stage. John was supposed to knock on the box that the wife was in. Well, he gave it such a hard pounding that the comedian told him to go easy on his box!

And don't you "ma'am" me. I'm not your grandma! :)

[babyher]

SDHALFAN

I loved your "$10.00 cigarette" remark. We have a friend in our cruise group who usually hits the casino right after dinner before we all go to the showroom. He tells us he'll be back "in 20 dollars " *LOL*

I wouldn't compare the production shows to Lawrence Welk *LOL* Some of them are good. But like others have said, they are kind of "Seen one seen them all"

Like Ruth said ,a lot of them take a theme and do a few bars from a bunch of songs that fit that theme . Would be a lot more entertaining IMO if they just sang a couple of songs in their entirety.

As far as the individual acts , some are good, some are so so , some are a bust. If you see an act that appeals to you give them a shot, you just maybe pleasently surprised.

[Copper10-8]

My John just LOVES it when a comedian or other performer selects him for what I term as humiliation. He even tends to wear his brighter tropical shirts if he can (makes him easier to spot :rolleyes: ). On one cruise the comedian/magician did choose him & took him up on stage. John was supposed to knock on the box that the wife was in. Well, he gave it such a hard pounding that the comedian told him to go easy on his box!

And don't you "ma'am" me. I'm not your grandma! :)

I don't know why but I always get picked out of the audience on the ships whether I want it or not:rolleyes:

Calling someone "Ma'am" is a sign of respect, Ma'am (like in "aye aye Sir") regardless of age;)

[RevNeal]

My John just LOVES it when a comedian or other performer selects him for what I term as humiliation. He even tends to wear his brighter tropical shirts if he can (makes him easier to spot :rolleyes: ). On one cruise the comedian/magician did choose him & took him up on stage. John was supposed to knock on the box that the wife was in. Well, he gave it such a hard pounding that the comedian told him to go easy on his box!

LOL ... I would have LOVED to have seen that!!! :D
I once had a comedian/magician (he couldn't decide which he wanted to be) drag me up on stage to take part in making a $20 bill disappear. I was serving as chaplain. When his trick failed and he got frustrated I told him that I could do a much better trick, making his sins disappear. :D ;)

[michmike]

Here's another recommend for Mike Robinson, the ventriloquist. If you get a chance to see him don't miss it.

The other act we enjoyed was 4-5 yrs ago was a female violin player / comedian. Finkel was also good last trip.

I'm with those who have little use for the cast productions shows, and as others have said, it's not the lack of talent or effort on the part of the cast, but rather, the lame vehicles.

And c'mon - how long did they do that "Up on the roof" thing? 3 or 4 yrs??

[gizmo]

And c'mon - how long did they do that "Up on the roof" thing? 3 or 4 yrs??

At least 8 or 9. :rolleyes:

[Love Cruises]

The first six HAL cruises we sailed on Dave Levesque was one of the entertainers. He is a wonderful violin player with magic and comedy. We called him our good luck charm. He formerly was a cruise director (I don't know what line). Dave is very learned and usually gives history seminars on board also. And if there is a LIARS Club, he is absolutely hilarious.


George Solomon is also a good entertainer. He is a singer and puts on quite a show. He is a bundle of energy.

Most of HALs other performers are not top-notch but they still work hard and make our evenings enjoyable.

[RuthC]

I absolutely agree with you about both Dave Levesque and George Solomon. I've been fortunate to have seen each of them on more than one cruise and now know to watch for them in the Daily Program. I have no idea where George gets his energy, but there ought to be a way to bottle and sell it.

Dave did the commentary during the scenic cruising of Prins Christian Sound on the westbound portion of the round-trip last year. I was amazed when I learned he had been the one presenting as I had only known him from the shows at that point. He went on to give some lectures that were excellent.