Show times on Riviera

[jawsbad]

Will be sailing on Riviera for the first time in January.  Are there two shows in the evening and at what

times?  Can make my specialty dining reservations soon and want to plan so I will be able to go to the show without rushing dinner.

[seachelt]

There is one showtime, 9:30 on Riviera. 
(current and previous sailing)

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 minutes ago, seachelt said:

There is one showtime, 9:30 on Riviera. 
(current and previous sailing)

All O ships are one show at 9:30 pm

[Eemrald]

What is the show?

[espmass]

Is there a show pretty much every evening or just a few times during a cruise?  Thanks.

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, espmass said:

Is there a show pretty much every evening or just a few times during a cruise?  Thanks.

There is a live show every night at 9:30 PM (rarely a different time for whatever reason) except in some occasional ports where local government or union regulations may limit live entertainment options. (On the other hand, at some ports, local talent will share the song and dance of their predominant culture - e.g., Tango, Hula).

 

These are small ships with small theaters. So don’t expect wannabe Broadway musicals (or trapeze artists).

On each ship, there is a small resident troupe of young singers and dancers who do a variety of cabaret productions. Like all crew they are on multi-month contracts. And when not performing, they do a variety of jobs from dance lessons to nightly trivia et al.  Note that, if you’re on a long multi-segment cruise (comprised of mainly shorter cruises), there will be some repetition of the cabaret and other shows.

There is also a VERY versatile live band that accompanies performances, does pre-show and happy hour performances, occasional “on-deck” music, etc. And, of course, there’s the omnipresent (almost) string quartet. And Martini’s nightly piano player.

 

In recent years, (since formation of the NCL Holding consortium) O has started using the same talent management as NCL. IMO, this has resulted in better and more varied talent and improved production. 

 

A lot of the acts are the usual cruise ship circuit soloists/duets, comedians and magicians and, depending on the length of your cruise, you may see 2-3 of their different acts during a cruise segment before they move on.

 

FWIW (and with the understanding that this New York native has traversed Shubert Alley on many occasions), one of the most entertaining live performances I have ever seen was on an O ship. I can’t remember his name (senior moment). But, he was an older fellow (actor/singer) who (accompanied by a pianist) shared the story/songs of his life on Broadway vis a main focus on his family’s relationship with Ethel Merman. It was an engaging/entertaining/educational look at a cross section of “The Great White Way.” At the end of one of his two shows, I remember looking over at one of the younger O  troupe performers (who I know aspired to the stage on Broadway or the West End) and said “Buy that guy a drink and just listen.”

O is not Vegas (thankfully!) and it does Good when it comes to basic entertainment on a small ship with a limited “playing field.” If it’s “big shows” you want, Broadway has reopened. Book a cruise that starts/ends in NYC (or even London) and do a pre/post cruise stay there. We do this every couple of years and it always includes a “Broadway Binge.”

Edited October 29, 2021 by Flatbush Flyer

[LHT28]

3 hours ago, espmass said:

Is there a show pretty much every evening or just a few times during a cruise?  Thanks.

Every evening

may not be productions shows nightly  but there are single acts also

 

[espmass]

Thanks.  Yes, I had been told that Oceania does not have the large Broadway musical type shows that some of the other cruise lines have.  Just wondered if there was at least something every night so that I know how to plan dinner reservations once allowed to do so.  

 

[pinotlover]

To be clear, the evening shows take several different paths. They may be any of the above: A full Oceania  troope song and dance show; a single performance by a particular outstanding Oceania team member; an outsider musical talent; or an outsider comedian. Quality varies greatly on both the onboard Oceania performance team members and the outside contractors. 
 

I would encourage you to check out the outside talents yourself. I have witnessed incredible shows, by outside contractors, that have been incredible. Performers that have appeared in venues before tens of thousands and give unbelievable performances aboard ship. On Oceania they may bomb because their 1st performance is on a night where the geriatric crowd is tired out from a 3 hour shore tour from earlier that day.

 

The comedians are different. Some are just hilarious. However, some guests , similar to here on CC, show up looking for an excuse to be offended, and most every comedian supplies that opportunity . 80-90% of the crowd are almost rolling on the floor laughing , while 10-20% walk out offended and bad mouthing the performance at every opportunity.  I will say that US citizens don’t always understand British humor or that of other countries from which the comedian may live. FWIW, I’ve been on several cruises where We US citizens were not the majority on board and our ability to grasp other countries humor was merely a sign of our non awareness.

 

Give the shows an opportunity and in most cases I think you’ll find them entertaining.

[madera1]

Does the piano player take requests or change up nightly selections?

[edgee]

7 hours ago, espmass said:

Thanks.  Yes, I had been told that Oceania does not have the large Broadway musical type shows that some of the other cruise lines have.  Just wondered if there was at least something every night so that I know how to plan dinner reservations once allowed to do so.  

 

Just plan to be finished with dinner by 9:30 when shows normally start. Easy to plan.

[Rainbow3fe]

On 10/29/2021 at 8:23 PM, madera1 said:

Does the piano player take requests or change up nightly selections?

    In our experience it really depends on the piano player.

     On one O cruise the young man who only played what was in the book that Oceania provided.  He didn't know Broadway tunes or popular favorites.  

   On our last TA Oct 2019 we had an amazingly talented piano player who improvised and did singalongs. We ended up with a large group of groupies who gathered for drinks every night. 

     Wait and see how the experience makes you feel. 

Felice