Norwegian Cruise Line has been known for its straight-from-Broadway productions. And the Norwegian Viva, the line’s second Prima-class ship, is no exception.

The musical “Beetlejuice” serves as the signature onboard show on the new ship, which made its debut last month on a sailing from Trieste, Italy, to Lisbon.

The show is “by far” the biggest show ever produced for NCL, according to Richard Ambrose, senior vice president of entertainment and cruise programs.

However, changes are afoot with Norwegian’s entertainment offerings fleetwide. This past January, “Kinky Boots” was removed from the theater on the Norwegian Encore. The stage production of “Footloose” will end on the Norwegian Joy in late October, and the popular first-run showing of “Six,” which resumed in 2021, will end in January on the Norwegian Breakaway and in February onboard the Norwegian Bliss.

“Our direction will continue to be to deliver first-class, creative shows with quality talent and productions that our guests will love. That will not change,” Ambrose said. “While we may have removed some big-book musicals, we still have plenty of top entertainment to offer our guests around the fleet. We are currently working with the world’s best creative talents both inside and outside the theatrical realm and exploring new innovative and exciting entertainment for our guests.”

Ambrose said the Prima-class theaters allow for a more immersive show experience than a traditional proscenium theater does. (The proscenium is the plane separating the stage proper from the audience.) “The flexibility of the transformational theaters on Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva allows us to feature productions that go beyond what has been produced in the past on ships. In fact, the theater becomes part of the show with all its functionality, as opposed to just a venue that houses the show.” 

Versatile Prima-class theaters

Upgrades to the Prima-class theaters include the ability to partially or fully remove floor seating. Tweaks to the Viva theater extend beyond the original layout changes applied onboard the Prima and include an LED screen installed in the chandelier.

“Our theater has a different configuration, so that’s when the entertainment starts to take you to a different level,” cruise director Marzena Slodyczka said during a press conference onboard the Viva. “Walk in one day, you’ll see [a traditional] theater, all the seats are there as well as the stage. But the next day, you see only half of the seats, an extension of the stage and a light show emanating from the chandelier. A different day you might see there are no seats at all, but that is for a special performance of Syd Norman’s that we will host there. The show is designed for guests to enjoy, interact, be on their feet and dance.” (Syd Norman’s is a nightclub-type revue that regularly features acts like classic rock cover bands. This would expand on that concept in the larger space.)

In total, Slodyczka tells us that the theater has the ability for five different configurations.

“Every day, guests will discover something different and exciting, and that is the direction we are going for — to use this space to the fullest,” she said. “Here we are going next-level and creating shows around the space. It’s not just us showing you, it’s allowing guests to be part of the journey.

“Now when creatives come to us and say, ‘I want to remove the proscenium,’ we say, ‘Absolutely — and have you thought about removing the seats?’ At that point, their creative juices start flowing in overtime,” Ambrose added. “The possibilities with these theaters have me so excited for the future of NCL entertainment.”

First-at-sea productions ahead

NCL is developing a show on the Viva, “Icons,” which pays tribute to the likes of Elton John and Lady Gaga with six singers; it will run in addition to “Beetlejuice.” I caught a performance of the show while onboard the ship last month; it was entertaining and well performed but was straightforward in terms of production.

For now, “Beetlejuice” remains the featured show on the Viva. According to Ambrose, it’s a show the team has been working on for a while, and the timing coincided well with the launch of the line’s newest ship.

“‘Beetlejuice’ is a title everyone knows and loves, but most importantly, it’s a great show,” Ambrose said of the musical that earned eight Tony nominations in 2019. “The writers, producers and creative teams for the Broadway show did an outstanding job transferring the movie into a big splashy musical. Besides that, it is very, very funny. Our guests are going to be wowed, not only for the talent and the writing but also for the sheer size of the overall production.”

In addition to “Beetlejuice,” the Viva will introduce the popular game show “Press Your Luck Live,” which is free to play and gives guests the chance to win money.

Viva features other attractions, as well, including the two-level Speedway racetrack, Galaxy Pavilion VR arcade and escape rooms, a miniature golf course and towering waterslides and dry slides.

As for the rest of the fleet, the entertainment changes are a “multiyear initiative [that] will roll out first-at-sea productions and original programming on an ongoing basis across the fleet,” according to a statement from the cruise line. 

Andrea Sugranes, public relations manager for NCL, said that changes in the entertainment lineup could come as early as the fall.

Several Broadway-style shows continue to be performed on NCL stages. The line would not comment on how long these will run: 

• “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” on the Norwegian Prima.
• “The Choir of Man” on the Norwegian Encore and the Norwegian Escape.
• “Jersey Boys” on the Norwegian Bliss.
• “Million Dollar Quartet” on the Norwegian Getaway. 

Source: Read Full Article