Fort Lauderdale – Princess Cruise’s new ship Star Princess will debut from the Port Everglades later this year, but the new theatre show Splate is now solving the kinks at nearby Nova Southeastern University.
The Cruise Line entertainment team exhibited some of the performers’ efforts to give students and the media the taste of their sister ships to Sun Princess last year.
Two original productions head to the main stage. Rebecca Thompson Foley, head of the Line’s global entertainment, said she embraced storytelling that was truly appropriate for the theme of the ship.
“A person who’s had a bit of sneak peek from the company said, ‘We’ve never seen this. It feels refreshing. I’ve never seen this in Princess,” she said.
The Princess is partnering with Black Skull Creative, a British production company that has been working on during the 2012 London Olympics ceremony. Co-founder Dan Shipton was on hand to discuss the production of the show.
The title, titled “Illuminate: A Spectacle of Joy,” is set up like a nostalgic circus tent with players following the ringmaster’s queue.
“The Illuminate” is a show about bringing a modern spin to the iconography of the circus you know and love. We’re rethinking it with a pop sensibility,” Shipton said it would be a mix of aviation doctors, lasers and dance all into a heartfelt story. “It’s going to be a playful thing. It’s going to be a fun celebration of what really makes a live performance special. I think this is the bond between the performers and the audience.”
Another titled “Meridian” leaps against the “Star Princess” named “Star Princess”, with the exception of the end of course, with the story of a fictional journey of a ship sailing in an age that feels like “Titanic.”
“I feel that such an epic, cinematic performance isn’t happening anywhere at this point,” Thompson Foley said. “A lot of people feel like they’ve reduced, and we feel like we’re increasing it, in a very modern way.
Shipton presented the storyline accompanied by the four numbers of “Meridian” and the story that promises to translate the energy on display from the cast once in the ocean. The production combines original music with modern songs such as Ed Sheeran’s “Celestial” and Coldplay’s “A Lifetime Adventure.”
But it’s not just singing and dancing, but also the dialogue that drives what Shipton describes as “cleaning, a spectacular, cinematic view of love.”
“In the midst of nobility and outlaws, masquerade balls, moonlight decks, and young aristocrat Arabella Dovewood, we find ourselves captured between the heritage she was born and the fate she wrote,” Shipton said. “As the duty to save her hometown pulls her in one direction, and the mysterious sailor pulls her in another direction, she uses her mind as a compass to find her way home and sails the meridian.”
On display was a whirlwind of the cross, athletic performers hitting the mark. One number with MOPS as a prop was particularly interesting, but thankfully from something that has never been used, a small southeastern Nova room was flooded with floating dust. It’s all high energy, and performers show off the results of a three-week rehearsal.
Thompson Foley praised the performance for his conclusion.
“When you’re creating a show from scratch. Watch it. It’s about the audience, but also about talent. This show was built on them, so each and every one of you put something special for you today,” she said. “And once more, sneak peak first. That’s a great job.”
Cruise Line partnered with universities that allow the school to strengthen the arts programme, not only for practice spaces for performers, but also because they wanted to ensure that the princesses “added to the community and the arts community, the future of entertainers.”
“That means bringing in some of the NOVA students during this collaboration,” she said. “They have our professional performers covered in shadow, have master classes, even career panels in music, dance and art. Not only are they using facilities, but also creating beautiful performances of the future, and we couldn’t do it without Nova’s amazing partner.”
The two new shows will feature Viva La Musica. “Viva La Musica” debuted at Sun Princess as a main stage option for Princess Arena, but the line also announced other entertainment.
In a glass-enclosed ship space called the dome above the top deck, the Candlelight Concert Series, which mixes classical music with visual enhancements, will host a 45-minute concert at the ship’s atrium, Zapiazza, by a 15-member Princess World Orchestra.
It is also the home of the traditional Champagne Falls with “a multimedia celebration under the stars that promises to mix immersive light, sound and visual storytelling.”
“We are singing dancers, flying and dancing aerialists, skillfully cast, skillfully cast, multi-educational entertainment crew members with skills we have never used before, and we even have activity staff with additional skills.
There is even a class of graffiti on board.
“Legal,” she said. “You know because you want to throw it there – and it’s safe. Honestly, if you knew from my team what they did to make sure they were safe for the ship. They’re safe for the ship.
The ship has other unique features, including an expanded non-smoking casino area, many seats at the Irish pub, and more seating in the new art-inspired dining venue by Britt.
The ship will debut in the Mediterranean on October 4th, but will port the Everglades to begin sailing the Caribbean for seven nights in November.
