Musicals on RCI Ships, reviews only please

[Drock20J]

I wanted us to have a place where we could give some reviews on the Musicals that are provided on the ships. With ONE caveat. Please limit your hate for Cats! So, here is the template to fill out:

 

Ship:

Sailing:

Show:

Thoughts on the Production:

Thoughts on the Cast:

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?:

Would you see the show again?:

Any other notes?:

Pictures?:

[Drock20J]

Ship: Harmony

Sailing: 9/5/19

Show: Grease

Thoughts on the Production: The production was good, nothing too crazy that would WOW anyone, but solid.

Thoughts on the Cast: The cast was great! No real weak links in the cast. The only thing I would downplay is the attractiveness/ size of Zucco. I think he should be the most handsome of the T-Birds, and not scrawny.

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?: No

Would you see the show again?: Probably Not

Any other notes?: This show is WAY more sexual than you remember. Every song will be familiar and fun. Just a reminder... there is NO INTERMISSION! Go potty before the show!

Pictures?: no

[Drock20J]

Ship: Oasis

Sailing: Noro- Cruise (January 2019)

Show: Cats

Thoughts on the Production: AMAZING! The production was a near identical twin to that of Broadway. The set was so cool and the lighting was on point!

Thoughts on the Cast: I have seen cats now 5 times and this might be the best cast I have ever seen! The talent and skills of the actors was apparent! Top-class!

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?: I was supposed to, but due to the noro-breakout it was canceled!

Would you see the show again?: a Millions time, YES!

Any other notes?: This was the first time I was able to be close to the stage. I was able to see the makeup clearly and a few cats playfully played with me. It was an even better show up close!

Pictures?: No... Iwas too close and did not want to miss anything/distract the actors.

[LuCruise]

Ship:  Allure

Sailing: April 2016

Show:  Mamma Mia

 

Thoughts on the Production: 

I've seen Mamma Mia 25 times in total (Broadway and Toronto) and thought this was  a pretty good production.  The set is a bit simpler than seeing it off the ship (e.g. the platform didn't raise), but overall pretty good.

 

Thoughts on the Cast:  Very talented (but would be a change of cast now as it was a couple years ago)

 

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?:  No (probably only production I would have done this as I love this musical)

 

Would you see the show again?:  Duh...yes!

Any other notes?:  

 

Pictures?:  Didn't take pictures as I sat front row center (before suite and the key seating), so only have the beginning (as they kept the curtain open as you arrive unlike at "regular" productions)

[LuCruise]

Ship:  Symphony

Sailing:   March 2019

Show:  Hairspray

Thoughts on the Production:  Excellent. It's not my favorite musical but I really enjoyed it.  Set, costumes, directing were all excellent.

Thoughts on the Cast:  Also excellent.  They cast Tracey perfectly as the 'mom', etc.  

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?:  No.  The option existed but didn't think it would be worth the money. (Thought about it though)

Would you see the show again?:  Yes.  Almost went again on stand by but didn't end up.

Any other notes?:  It is the full show but well worth seeing.

Pictures?:  (Sorry, all I have)

[twangster]

Ship: Symphony

Sailing: Oct. 28, 2019 Transatlantic

Show: Hairspray

 

Thoughts on the Production:   I'm not a "musical" person but I quite enjoyed the show.  I wouldn't normally go to a musical off-ship but Royal has opened my eyes to this form of entertainment and since it's included, why not?    

 

Thoughts on the Cast:   First cast approaching end of contract.  Thought they did an awesome job and were well cast by Royal.

 

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?: Yes

 

Would you see the show again?: Yes

 

Any other notes?:  The more I've cruised and participated in the backstage tours courtesy of Crown and Anchor the more I've discovered the level of effort that goes into Royal productions.  It's amazing just how much work goes into putting these shows together.   

 

Pictures?: In no particular order...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Backstage Tour:

 

 

 

 

 

[the2006Junket]

Ship: Serenade of the Seas

Sailing: 9/11/19 Boston - Bermuda

Show: Vibeology

Thoughts on the Production:  I thought this was one of the best cruise productions I've seen!

Thoughts on the Cast:  excellent voices!

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?: no

Would you see the show again?: yes

Any other notes?:

[rimmit]

Ship:  May 2017

Sailing:  Anthem

Show: We Will Rock You

Thoughts on the Production:  I have never seen the production in the west end or broadway.  The sets seemed pretty intricate with lots of detail and lights.  The costumes were top notch.  Overall I can or fault the production value.  The music was good.  We just found the story rather wonky and strange and we left halfway through, and we are big theater people.  It just didn’t appeal to us and we are late 30s but most people seemed to enjoy it.

Thoughts on the Cast:  The cast was more than capable with the leads doing a pretty good job.  No one can imitate Freddie Mercury but they did a decent job.   Dancing was great.

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?:no

Would you see the show again?:  we didn’t make it through the first performance.

Any other notes?:  overall excellent production value.  Just wasn't our kind of musical.  Not huge fans of juke box

musicals,  but we love mamma Mia.  Didn’t really like rock of ages that much.  Prefer things like rent, les Mis, and Hamilton. 

[twangster]

Ship: Anthem of the Seas

Sailing: Various, 2017-18

Show: We Will Rock You

 

Thoughts on the Production:   One of the best shows at sea.  As a rock and roll music lover and a fan of Queen I've seen this show three times and I don't plan to miss it when I sail Anthem again in a few months.  It's one of the shows that opened my mind to later attend more shows on Royal ships since I'm not a big musical or a show kind of person.  

 

Thoughts on the Cast:  Well cast by Royal and I'm looking forward to what a new cast might do for the show next time now that it's been a couple years.

 

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?: Yes

 

Would you see the show again?: Definitely

 

Any other notes?: It starts off slow and you may wonder at first what you got yourself into.  Stick with it, by the middle of the show you can feel everyone is really getting into it.  By the end of the end show the audience is fully engaged and it's been standing ovation three for three.  Loving rock and roll and Queen in particular goes a long way.

 

Pictures?:  These pictures go back a couple years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Backstage Tour:

 

 

 

 

At this point set pieces for The Gift were coming out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

Ship: Empress of the Seas

Sailing: July and August 2019

Show: Three Sequins and Feathers

 

Thoughts on the Production:  On Empress this is the main show so it's worth mentioning.  I'm not always into small ship entertainment and I nearly missed this show because I assumed it's a small ship, what could they have going on in the theater?  Boy was I wrong.  The good thing about doing a B2B is that you get to see it twice.   

 

Thoughts on the Cast:  Wait, is this show on a small ship?  What?...  This cast could have just as easily been on a much larger ship and they would be well received.   Flawless performance.

 

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?: Not offered.

 

Would you see the show again?: I did.

 

Any other notes?:  Royal has Showgirl themed shows on many ships.  While not a musical exactly if we limit this thread to just pure musicals there are few shows to review.   When Royal brought Empress back into the fleet they didn't just refresh the ship but also the shows.  This is modern Nick Weir era entertainment, not your typical small ship kind of show.  

 

Pictures?:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Live music from the Royal Orchestra, not piped in music on tape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2019 by twangster

[Judyrem]

Grease

Harmony

July 7

 

Wonderful show

No behind the scenes.

 

I have seen many shows on Broadway, and in the West End of London and except for backdrops it was very well done and comparable to many Broadway, West End productions.

 

 

Mamma Mia

Aug 22

Allure

No behind the scenes

 

Ab fab production with limited set productions, but the talent and enthusiasm were incredible.

 

Seeing Mamma Mia again next Monday!😁

It will be different seeing it at night with a glass of wine, I saw the others as matinees.  I will probably start to dance!🤪

[Wildcatfish]

Ship:  Allure of the Seas

Sailing:  8/11/19

Show:  Mama Mia

Thoughts on the Production:  Absolutely wonderful! Great singing.  The audience got involved and rocked the house!  ...and the spandex!!- Great costuming.

 

Thoughts on the Cast:  Excellent, talented cast that was very energetic.  You could tell they enjoyed performing this show.  I met cast members later in the week on the Royal Promenade who told me how much they enjoy the show, and the freedom they have to improvise.

 

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?: Yes.  For a ship at sea they have excellent back stage facilities.

 

Would you see the show again?:  I saw it three times on this cruise, and "Mama Mia... Here we go again"!

[Drock20J]

Ship: Harmony

Sailing: Sept. 5th

Show: Columbus

Thoughts on the Production: The set was great! The ship was massive looked great! This to me was the best part of the show. The show was a little incoherent at times and did not make much since, but the music was good and fun.

Thoughts on the Cast: The cast was good. The main actor playing Columbus was perfect for the role! When he gets off the ship he should look at being in a production of "Something Rotten!"

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?: No

Would you see the show again?: Probably not.

Any other notes?: The audience was TINY due to the hurricane shortened cruise, but the cast still brought the energy.

Pictures?: No

[sdpete]

This is one of my favorite posts.  So few posts about entertainment on CC.  Why?  

 

 

Ship:  Quantum (1) and Allure OTS

Sailing: 2/20/15, 4/24/16, 10/16/16, 3/4/18

Show:  Mamma Mia

Thoughts on the Production:  Who needs Broadway?

Thoughts on the Cast: Impressive

Did you do a Behind the Scenes Tour?: No

Would you see the show again?:  Yes!

Any other notes?:  Anyone know the names of the actors?  Want to follow their careers since cruise.

Pictures?:Yes

Edited September 19, 2019 by sdpete