musicpro442

Habañera?

Sorry. Autocorrecting after the editing window doesn't work too well. Should be Habanera.

But I'm sure after hearing "Les Tringles" butchered the night DW (who's French) and I heard it on Crown, "this soprano will add everything wrong but a tilde." -DW

I’m happy that Bravo will be added in May & looking forward to seeing the performance again. :)

Don't get your hopes up. I just saw the guest soprano going there when I was on Crown and her French was atrocious. I'm sure Kate Gordon will butcher Habañera in Bravo as much as she did the other Carmen aria in Encore.

But if you're looking forward to the company dancers and singers in Bravo, I'm sure they'll be fantastic as usual.

 

The Shorts on Ships selection however was a radical departure but, I fear, not a good one. It must be tough for performers on board having to endure what I suspect will be a tough crowd giving honest feedback. I can't imagine how depressing it must be for a performer to see a half empty theatre and then have some of the remaining guests walk out.

Frustrating for the performers, maybe. Major oversight by the independent contractors providing the productions. I fear Magic City Opera is going to be more of the same.

You have to know how to cater to a ship audience. These new shows aren't, it seems.

"I happen to like opera vs just classical music. But i walked out on the JR of an opera show with just 2 singers. I was so bored. A real opera is one thing but this was boring. now you are saying you did not enjoy several shows .people are leaving. I go on ship to see a fun show .i go to a major hall to hear opera. They stopped .the only repeat shows i do anymore was Gavin Brader and Bruce Parker. the others i am over with them. "

See, that's my biggest concern with the Magic City Opera / Opera on the High Seas production on the Journey. You can't do opera justice with a quartet of four resident singers, much less two. And if they have no cruise ship experience and no guest entertainer- type cabaret (which most opera singers *won't*), you're just asking for your contract to not be renewed with Azamara.

I'm not sure who the opera singers are, but entertaining a ship audience versus a New York classical audience should have been addressed in the training period. If they don't know how to do that, and it wasn't addressed, Magic City should have hired singers who naturally CAN.

The more I hear about it, the more I dread my upcoming cruise on Journey. I'd better book a lot of excursions and go to bed early, I guess.

I'm booked later this year for the Journey and I just got an email from Azamara about the new entertainment onboard. Something called "Opera on the High Seas" with four (supposed) opera singers and a pianist, doing highlights from operas and art song recitals.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you really need more than a pianist and four young artist (not even tried and true established) singers to really do opera justice? And who really wants to sit through static recitals of obscure art song that no one but a handful of classical music lovers might enjoy?

Don't think this is going to go over well, IMO. Sounds like my nightmare flashbacks of playing college opera scenes in undergrad. No gracias.

I think Jere Ring is as amazing as Perry and I'm befuddled as to how they keep booking mediocrity like Liam over Jere, who's hilarious, entertaining, AND talented. And his stories of those he's worked with in the past are incredible.

I've also felt the same way about the guest soprano of Bravo and Encore that I've seen in 2018. Most are just mediocre, not even real opera singers, and the one on the Crown at present (Kate Gordon) can't even pronounce the French in her Carmen aria correctly. I might be the only one who noticed, but certainly someone in management who knows better should have corrected her or hired a real opera singer who knew how to sing proper French.

The one on the Coral at present (yes, cruising on her again) looks as if she just threw her hair together in a ponytail with no makeup on. And in that grand ballgown, no less. DW had a lot more negative to say about her but I'll refrain until I can catch up on my reviews. Jennifer Fair is OK and on pitch, but more of a legit Broadway singer than a real opera singer and technically lazy in Encore compared to the last woman I saw here.

Makes you wonder about the standards Princess uses to hire some people. I don't even think they care how talented or entertaining someone is as long as a slot is filled. This needs to change.

I was on Coral as well. For anyone thinking of sailing her, do. Food and service was excellent, many crew remembered my name, ports were okay, but we'd been there many times before so we mostly relaxed onboard. Activities were cleverly fun and I loved the atrium ensemble. Shows are all outstanding, but my personal favorite is Encore. If you're lucky enough to have Barbi McCulloch as the guest soprano for Encore, you're in for a treat. I also heard her around the time the show premiered and she's the best soprano I've ever heard at sea.

Thinking about taking another cruise on the Coral again myself if Wifey and I can swing the 15 days away. It's just the right size of ship for us.

The soprano on our Royal Princess cruise was good. Much better than this performance:

Well I would certainly hope so. Bless the real Mrs. Jenkins from years ago for singing with her full heart.

That being said, I would hope anyone who tackles that aria anywhere sings it as Mozart intended. The soprano on Coral nailed it just as well as this famous coloratura soprano singing this role regularly. (Diana Damrau)

https://youtu.be/dpVV9jShEzU

Princess is lucky to have anyone who can do it as Mozart intended. Not just the high F.

is this show more like an opera or musical?? will younger crowds enjoy Encore? seems like its for more classical tastes and the younger crowd 30 and below might get bored sitting through it... please tell me people of all ages will enjoy this

We had a 7-year-old girl at our table and she said that she loved the show, especially the princesses in the pretty dresses who sang like Cinderella. Draw from that what you will. ;)

 

If one poster saw this "a year ago", that was "Bravo", not Encore. The shows are similar in format, and we found Bravo to be better. We saw it twice, it was so good.

Encore has been first on the Island Princess since Fall 2016 and second on the Coral since December 2016. I saw its second performance on Coral just before Christmas.

So yes, it *could* have been last year that someone saw Encore. I prefer the soprano's songs in Encore to Bravo. Much more difficult, some of the hardest to sing in the repertoire. Stay until the end to hear the hardest one. Not everyone can sing Queen of the Night.

You won't regret seeing it or Bravo on whatever ship you're sailing, OP.

We saw the premiere of Encore on the Royal this month. It was good but did not thrill me.

 

 

 

The concept is about the same as Bravo, which we saw on the Caribbean Princess in August.

One of my complaints is that the dancers don't have much to do. There is an onstage orchestra but still the sweetener track that overpowers the musicians. Danny Teeson, the creative director of Encore, was on our cruise to oversee the production on the Royal.

I think with the advent of Stephen Schwartz's Magic To Do and the new dancer-driven show Born to Dance, Encore strikes an elegant balance between them as an exquisitely singer-driven show.

If the guest soprano is worth her salt (as well as the company vocalists) in Encore or Bravo, that also should step these shows up a notch into world-class entertainment. But that would depend on the ship - and the soprano.

Not every show needs to have extensive dancing (or singing) to be an emotionally thrilling production, IMHO. It's the responsibility of the performers/actors/musicians onstage (however many there may be and in what variety and capacity) to make it emotionally thrilling, artistically provoking, or at the very least, positively memorable entertainment. The sweetener track is only as overpowering as the expertise of the sound man and needed as much as the expertise of the musicians onstage. Maybe the premiere was green and needed some time to meld all the elements successfully, including the sound.

Personally, I like the direction all of the new shows are taking, Bravo and Encore at the top of my list. I don't expect to be wowed by every show I see at sea, but when all the elements come together in those rare moments, it's really something.

When will you be cruising? I can offer my own limited advice from the few times I've sailed the Coral.

If Encore is as great as it was when I heard it on the Coral, you are in for a treat. The ship's company earned a well-deserved standing ovation. The guest soprano there was absolutely stellar and a real, résuméd New York opera singer.

Everyone on the cruise was talking about it, from the music selections to the costumes. A Do Not Miss.

Bravo is good, but Encore is better.

They DO read the surveys.

Fill them out, if for no other reason than to thank the cabin stewards, the dining room staff, the bartenders, even the cruise staff and entertainers who made your cruise one of a kind. Their careers and future assignments really do depend on your comments.

I know for a fact that the finalists chosen for Guest Entertainer of the Year competition are largely based on the positive comments from passengers in the surveys.

So fill them out, if only to help someone else. Maybe your and your friends' next cruise will be better because you helped the cream of the crew rise to the top.

If he's still there, Allan the Magic Man in Crooners Bar is the best. You have to ask him why they call him the Magic Man. Look for him. He's the best.

My personal favorite show was Encore. One of the most elegant shows I have ever seen on a ship.

On the Bayou is great, but there are better tributes to New Orleans on ships. Carnival used to do a show called "The Big Easy" with pyrotechnics and flying singers, so I'm a bit spoiled in that regard. It's a fine show, just not as good as Encore. Everyone will be talking about it the next day so don't miss it.

Jeff and Indy are great, as were Mike Wilson the comedian and the guest soprano for Encore who sings her own cabaret. She has a three octave range and has sung at Carnegie Hall. I was surprised she could sing everything from opera to Whitney Houston. Standing ovations for all of the above.

It's a fantastic ship for entertainment. Try not to let the scenery or dining distract you from seeing at least a late show.

When I was onboard, the production shows were Motor City, on the Bayou, What A Swell Party, and Encore : A Little Elegant Night Music with a guest soprano.

Not sure if all the shows will be on a seven day cruise, though, due to time constraints.

I'm pretty sure Encore will be on, due to its great reception.

I saw Encore on Coral and was absolutely blown away by their premiere cast. It's definitely a singer show with ballroom-style featured dancing. Look for the Spanish-themed dance duet set to an aria from Carmen. The vocalists were all very capable legit singers, but the guest soprano made the show. She has sung at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, I believe, and nailed every aria in every language. Best I have heard on either land or sea.

World class production for light classical/crossover on a ship, in my opinion. Hopefully it will go to more ships soon.

I was on the cruise one week before you and she DID have a solo show, and for many it was the worst show of all.

 

I stood in the back and watched many people walk out as she talked about herself non-stop in between songs.

Her ramblings included things like why she'd never change her name from Barbie, to how she didn't know "Porgy and Bess" was an opera.

When she wasn't talking, she was gulping down a huge bottle of water.

You could actually hear her drinking, as if she was in a cartoon.

People could not stop talking about how bad she was the next day.

If she was bad then, she was exceptional this current cruise. She had two standing ovations at her solo show(s) and Encore received the same as well.

I for one thoroughly enjoyed her voice. She's also very humble, sweet, and took time out of her schedule to answer all my questions about how she came to be on the ship. I also bought her CD.

All in all, the entertainment was excellent this cruise. I have yet to see Motor City but I'm every other show, including the cast's and comedians', were fantastic.

(I read this post a few weeks ago so I just wanted to let everyone know what I thought once I was onboard. Once I have time, I'll have a thorough review pending.)

Excellent ship overall, however.