The P&O Peacocks

Knowing a little bit about theatre and knowing lots of pro's who would never audition for cruise ship work - the very thought! - the pecking order for work as a dancing/singing artiste goes something like this....

1. West End

2. Major UK tour - Wicked, We Will Rock you, etc

3. Regional tour - Joseph, Blood Brothers etc

4. Summer season/panto

Then way down the bottom of the pecking order

100. Cruise ship

So does anyone else find it highly amusing that the singers and dancers walk round the ship when off duty like they have just won an Oscar? They strut around wanting you to know they are the cruise ship Headliners, often wearing their Headliners clothing but generally just making it obvious they are the "stars".

To be honest these artistes have average at best vocals and are average dancers hence why the only work they could get is on a cruise ship, though they would have you believe they turned Cameron Mackintosh down for the role of Eponine in Les Mis!

Passengers don't help as you see them gush and woo all over the Headliners as they leave the theatre telling them how wonderful they were. I can only presume most cruise passengers don't get to the theatre much on dry land.

I'm not knocking the shows, the shows are the best you will get..... on a cruise ship, but that is not a very high bar at all, it just amuses me the way the performing peacocks strut around the ship.

Can't say I've noticed them doing that to be honest.

I guess you failed your audition then! Lol

I love cruisin!

I have not witnessed this and have found the performers to be very charming folk.

They work extremely hard in a very tough business.

They are scared if they get injured as that is potentially the end of their season if they do.

I sat one evening just talking to a bunch of them when they were off duty and they range from very young straight out of college to a few that have done the circuit for a few years. They all have dreams and ambitions and to be working is better than no work and work is very hard to come by.

They audition against thousands yes thousands of others so places are hard fought.

It may not be the West End or Broadway but they entertain hundreds of people each and every night with folks queuing to get in.

Can't say that I have noticed it to any great extent certainly not with the permanent staff, most of them are quite young and tend to hang around together in a group when off duty. I have seen this sort of behaviour with one or two of the guest entertainers in the past but they have tended to be the least talented so really have nothing to parade about. The "star" performers usually either keep themselves to themselves or have been extremely charming and very down to earth.

Well, the ones we have come across have always been very charming and pleasant when we have come across them in their free time. Whereas they tended to keep to themselves, they smiled and acknowledged us when they came across us eg in the gym or ashore or indeed onboard ship, but were never 'strutting'. On our last cruise, most of them spent hours in the gym working hard at their fitness.

Will you please list positions 6 to 99 so we can see which other positions beat cruise ships :rolleyes:

There must be a pecking order on cruise lines as well as there must be a reason for Thomsons show teams to be more talented and work harder than P&O ones ;)

I wouldn't like to comment about the attitude of the performers as I have no direct experience of whether the OP's comments are fair or otherwise.

I would take issue with the 'best you're going to get on cruise ships though' as we have seen better and in some instances infinitely better in terms of production, singing, choreography and content. (May need to duck now!) The shows we've seen on P&O were rather mediocre, lacked sharpness, imagination and edginess. Clearly the standard of the performers is a part of that equation but the agency isn't providing the best standard of shows on cruise ship which we have seen. I might also say the standard of the orchestra wasn't what we expected either - we may have been unlucky there as personnel change but the particular shows on offer will be determined by P&O and the agency and these fall short as compared with others imo. Cunard and Celebrity had better musicians and Thomson production shows beat anything else we've seen into a cooked hat!

Despite being much traveled P&O cruisers (Ligurian), this is something I have failed to notice. Perhaps I am spending too much time and effort just enjoying my cruises. ;)

Cb

Despite being much traveled P&O cruisers (Ligurian), this is something I have failed to notice. Perhaps I am spending too much time and effort just enjoying my cruises. ;)

 

Cb

This is very remiss of you, you should know by now that cruises are not for enjoyment. :( you are supposed to pay thousands of pounds and then go and find loads of things to moan about. Some people.

I am going to take a notebook on my next cruise, very shortly, and write down all the faults I can find.

Only I am not sure what I will do with the rest of the book after I have filled the first line.?😱

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I don't often go to the theatre, but I do enjoy the Headliners. One of the girl's (One of the lead singers) was a tour escort on an excursion we did in Nagasaki. I certainly don't think she behaved in anyway as some sort of diva. She was very pleasant and took her task as an escort more seriously than most.

The only thing I will say was that when we were in Vietnam (I think) and there were huge queues for the tenders and a group of the dancers were allowed to go to the front of the queue. That was unacceptable and more down to the staff running the tender operation pandering to them and not to paying customers.

I've not noticed the dancers acting like peacocks at all.

Now the shop staff - off duty in passenger areas - they certainly seem to think that they are something special.

The OP has been giving the performing staff a hard time on another thread as well as this.

Just for the record, my daughter, who is presently at Soton training for 9 weeks as Principal Singer in a Headliners troupe, has worked extremely hard to get where she is.

From age 8 - 18 RSNO Junior Chorus

Aged 12 1st Boy in Mozart Magic Flute (Scottish Opera)

Aged 18 - 22 Edin Uni Footlights with many lead castings

Aged 22 Graduated BA (hons) Mathematics & Music

Present - Trainee Headliner

She turned down a West End opportunity to work on a ship.

Is that sour grapes I taste?

As I say I find it highly amusing and it's good to bring out of the box topics to the forum otherwise it would just be about drinks packages, select fares and sun loungers.

The OP has been giving the performing staff a hard time on another thread as well as this.

 

Just for the record, my daughter, who is presently at Soton training for 9 weeks as Principal Singer in a Headliners troupe, has worked extremely hard to get where she is.

From age 8 - 18 RSNO Junior Chorus

Aged 12 1st Boy in Mozart Magic Flute (Scottish Opera)

Aged 18 - 22 Edin Uni Footlights with many lead castings

Aged 22 Graduated BA (hons) Mathematics & Music

Present - Trainee Headliner

 

She turned down a West End opportunity to work on a ship.

 

Is that sour grapes I taste?

I would just like to wish your daughter all the very best. BREAK-A-LEG !!

Not noticed any peacocks on any P & O ship! I would think being in headliners would be a very pleasant way to pass a few years, seeing the world and earning money!!

I would just like to wish your daughter all the very best. BREAK-A-LEG !!

Thanks for all the good wishes.

Sorry, I missed her 3 years at Theatre School

Stewart

Thanks for all the good wishes.

 

Sorry, I missed her 3 years at Theatre School

 

Stewart

Of course and all the parental running around and fee paying lol

Does she know what ship she will be on ?

Of course and all the parental running around and fee paying lol

Does she know what ship she will be on ?

Yes. It should be the Ventura starting in November, i.e. Seven weeks from now.

...and you're right, about £150K has been spent on schools, music lessons, singing lessons, Uni, Theatre School etc. etc. Hopefully that's my contributions coming to an end. I keep dreaming of payback.

Yes. It should be the Ventura starting in November, i.e. Seven weeks from now.

 

...and you're right, about £150K has been spent on schools, music lessons, singing lessons, Uni, Theatre School etc. etc. Hopefully that's my contributions coming to an end. I keep dreaming of payback.

Lol that I totally understand

I am sailing on the Ventura in March so I will keep an eye out for her :D

… I keep dreaming of payback.

Do you get discounted cruises to visit her?

:D

Lol that I totally understand

I am sailing on the Ventura in March so I will keep an eye out for her :D

We've booked for 6 May.

This will be or first time on P & O. We've sailed extensively on Cunard, so it will be interesting to see the differences.

I wouldn't like to comment about the attitude of the performers as I have no direct experience of whether the OP's comments are fair or otherwise.

 

I would take issue with the 'best you're going to get on cruise ships though' as we have seen better and in some instances infinitely better in terms of production, singing, choreography and content. (May need to duck now!) The shows we've seen on P&O were rather mediocre, lacked sharpness, imagination and edginess. Clearly the standard of the performers is a part of that equation but the agency isn't providing the best standard of shows on cruise ship which we have seen. I might also say the standard of the orchestra wasn't what we expected either - we may have been unlucky there as personnel change but the particular shows on offer will be determined by P&O and the agency and these fall short as compared with others imo. Cunard and Celebrity had better musicians and Thomson production shows beat anything else we've seen into a cooked hat!

I find that some performers are far better than others, we have seen most of the shows several times on various ships and have found that some of the performances have been outstanding and others mediocre, there appears to be little quality control over the performances. I think that it is unfair to say that P&O are worse than other lines because you can get a poor group of performers on any line just as you can get good groups on any line.

Do you get discounted cruises to visit her?

 

:D

No, I'm afraid that we've had to pay full price. She'd better be good!

The OP has been giving the performing staff a hard time on another thread as well as this.

 

Just for the record, my daughter, who is presently at Soton training for 9 weeks as Principal Singer in a Headliners troupe, has worked extremely hard to get where she is.

From age 8 - 18 RSNO Junior Chorus

Aged 12 1st Boy in Mozart Magic Flute (Scottish Opera)

Aged 18 - 22 Edin Uni Footlights with many lead castings

Aged 22 Graduated BA (hons) Mathematics & Music

Present - Trainee Headliner

 

She turned down a West End opportunity to work on a ship.

 

Is that sour grapes I taste?

Good luck to your daughter, anyone who works had deserves success. There are good and poor performers wherever you go.