Princess releases "Magic to Do - The Story Behind the Magic" on YouTube

Hey All.

I've been raving about Magic to Do on my two "Live from the Crown" blogs, and today Princess released a documentary on its making:

Enjoy!

Steve.

Very cool, thank you for posting this :)

I saw the show on our last cruise and thought it was absolutely horrible. Worst show I've seen on Princess by far. The show is like every bad idea for a show put together with random music.

It really is not good!

It really is not good!

To each his own. I've seen it twice and loved it both times.

To each his own. I've seen it twice and loved it both times.

I've enjoyed it twice despite my skepticism before seeing it about a production show with some basic magic. It worked for me & the theater was full so obviously not everyone thinks it's "not good". ;)

I got to talk to Michael Misko (the magician/actor/singer) and it was interesting to hear his insights about the show.

Haven't seen it yet, but after watching the video, can't wait.

To each his own. I've seen it twice and loved it both times.

It looks a bit like a cirque du soleil style production?

A newbie question here: typically how long does a production run before the cruise line looks for a new one? I'm looking for a best guess, not for you to be mindreaders.

Being very "cast-specific" does this mean it's only on one ship?

It is running on the Emerald and Ruby according to the youtube clip.

The Ruby did not run it on the May 5 voyage, even though it was mentioned in the pre-cruise emails.

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I saw the show on our last cruise and thought it was absolutely horrible. Worst show I've seen on Princess by far. The show is like every bad idea for a show put together with random music.

 

It really is not good!

I saw it twice. The first time it had a lot of blood and gore with a slasher. I hated the show. Months later I saw it again and they eliminated the slasher scene but I still don't like the show. It was disjointed.

I have seen it several times and it did start to grow on me a bit, but the Prestidigitation segment is simply out of place on a cruise ship. I really don't want to see bloodshed and violence, even with shadow puppets, during a cruise ship production show.

It is best viewed from the middle of the theater. We found the makeup to be a bit too garish when viewed up close and we also missed some of the action occurring towards the back of the stage.

I do think that Colors of the Wind is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen on a cruise ship.

I've seen it five times now. This marks four more viewings than I've ever been willing to give a Princess production show. I'm a Stephen Schwartz fan, but that doesn't make me a particularly easy sell.

What I really, really like about the show is the abandonment of any pretense of narrative arc. It's a delightful revue in the style of _Jerry's Girls_ or frankly a plot-reduced take on his own _Reflections_. It's got hummable numbers.

_Prestidigitation_ has been reworked of late. It's no longer directly gory - merely menacing. I actually think it works pretty well. I agree with PescadoAmarillo - _Colors of the Wind_ really, really works. _No Time At All_ is actually really well-staged too, and I thought the vocalists on both Ruby and Crown are really strong - pay special attention to the bust lines of the chorus line.

The three ships it's running on are the three that had the HD-projection based shows - projected set elements are a major component of the production. I would not be surprised to see it spread to Royal/Regal as additional casts can be built and rehearsed.

I was very dissapointed it was not on my last Ruby sailing on May 8th. ( Still a great cruise, but I really was looking forward to seeing it.) h well, guess I'll have to book another cruise and hope for the best.....poor me! lol!

Being very "cast-specific" does this mean it's only on one ship?

It debuted in October 2015 on the Crown and have read it's also on the Ruby & Emerald.

Talking to the lead performer about the requirements (acting, singing, magician & dancer) there are a limited number of performers who can do it & it's also physically demanding. That would be my guess about why Magic to Do was not performed recently on the Ruby and it could limit the number of ships with this show. The show also appears to need the digital display screen which is probably another limiting factor.

The original bloody shadow screen portion of the show was eliminated & better than when the show debuted last October.

It's a 53 minute show unlike the other shortened shows at about 30 minutes. I was told that the 3 performances per night (anytime entertainment?) has been eliminated but they are still only 30 minute shows.

We've seen it a couple of times & thought is was pretty good and at least it's an attempt at bringing something new to the entertainment besides the old tired musicals they've had forever.

I was told that the 3 performances per night (anytime entertainment?) has been eliminated but they are still only 30 minute shows.

That's what we experienced also. It was obvious to some of us all along that Anytime Entertainment ultimately meant cheaper and less entertainment.

Thank you for an insightful thread, I watched the video and am interested in watching the full production.

As noted by others the 30 minute Princess shows are a disappointment if one has to arrive up 20 minutes before the show to get a seat and as to the poster who stated the theater is full for the show this is meaningless as the seating capacity is too low to meet demand with 2 shows even if horrendous.

I was on the Oasis TA when Cats was launched, I am a Musical, Opera, big Gilbert and Sullivan fan yet had managed to avoid Cats when it first ran in Toronto years ago. I saw it the first time while on Oasis and all I can say is I avoided it with good reason and be careful what you wish for as longer is not always better especially at 2 1/2 hour with intermission.

That said perhaps Princess is trying to up her game to compete with Royal Caribbeans entertainment at sea domination.

I wish them success and future employment for musicians, singers and dancers at sea which is an area the cruise lines are cutting.

I saw the show on our last cruise and thought it was absolutely horrible. Worst show I've seen on Princess by far. The show is like every bad idea for a show put together with random music.

 

It really is not good!

It's a pseudo-Broadway Musical for people who've never seen a professionally performed Broadway musical.

I love Wicked! Seen it 3 times, it was excruciatingly painful to hear the songs butchered during the performance. And the magic was on par with what you bring in for a 10 year olds birthday party.

Yet some people love it so I guess.... To each his own!

We saw Magic-To-Do in February on the Emerald. Nobody in our group was particularly enchanted, but nobody hated it. I didn't care for much of the 'magic tricks' - boring, and nothing new.

....but yes, Colors of the Wind was incredible - the flying, floating, ephemeral fabric was unique, and entrancing.

Thanks for posting the link....We have been on the Crown 3 times this year and only saw the show one time. We were sitting in the back, so I do not think it was done justice. After seeing it once I had no interst in seeing it again but after seeing this video I've changed my mine. Thanks again.

Mike the Magician .. has got quite a personality.

He did the liars club and did an additional magic show that were very entertaining.....so make sure to catch him in something.

We were on Crown May 13 cruise, saw the show. The video makes it look much smoother, more elegant, more organized than the real thing. I think they are trying to do too much. Individually, the elements are probably ok. But all together it's a bit chaotic. For example, this preview video doesn't really show the amount of projected and other visual effects which are really distracting. Maybe Princess can start there, to streamline the production....just my opinion. Others may differ. Enjoyed the cruise, though!