Tango Buenos Aires (The SOB Review) - Coral Theater on board the Jewel of the Seas*** (out of ****)Of
Fred Astaire,
Bob Thaves once said, "Sure he was great, but don't forget
Ginger Rogers did everything he did backwards . . . and in high heels!"
I was reminded of that line Tuesday evening on board
Royal Caribbean's
Jewel of the Seas when marveling at the fancy footwook included in Mario and Daniel's
Tango Buenos Aires, which starred "Walter and Marcela." Sure Walter was great, but Marcela did everything he did backwards, in high heels,
and with the ship rocking to and fro.
Conceived by Argentinian brothers
Mario and Daniel Celario (stars of Telemundo's "¡Viva Vegas!"),
Tango Buenos Aires enjoyed its official opening Tuesday. The Celario's creation provides cruise audiences with a deliciously seductive and sensuous dance confection. And thrilling, too, especially as the dancers move their bodies with passion and legs as if shooting daggers with expert precision.
The accompanying music included apparently requisite numbers from
Evita meant to evoke spirit of Buenos Aires, beginning with "On This Night Of A Thousand Stars" and concluding with a slightly hackneyed bilingual version of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina." But, along with several familiar tango staples was a wonderful rendition of
The Pajama Game's "Hernando's Hideaway" that was danced, not sung.
An hour-long show, the gorgeous
Tango Buenos Aires provided a breathtaking experience. If you're on board the
Jewel of the Seas anytime soon, make sure that if you only take in one night of entertainment during your sailing, make this the show to see.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for more information on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas
.Related Stories:Cruise Control (October 26, 2006)
Harm-lessly Funny (October 22, 2006)
Going To Sea Theatre (October 21, 2006)
Labels: Cruise Entertainment, Musical, Tango Buenos Aires, The SOB Review
Cruise ControlEarly this morning, I disembarked from a sold-out cruise aboard the
Jewel of the Seas, one of
Royal Caribbean’s myriad cruise options. As indicated earlier, I looked forward to putting the cruise line’s claim of having Broadway-style entertainment to the test.
Only one night of my five-night cruise included any entertainment that came close to a Broadway show with the opening of
Tango Buenos Aires (I’ll post a review later), although, truth be told, I did miss most of last night’s closing entertainment because the cruise line graciously helped me toast my dear grandfather’s 95th birthday with a special celebration all our own.
Although I anticipated more in terms of large-scale productions, I thoroughly enjoyed
Tango Buenos Aires, as well as the two nights of comedians – the amusing
Jeff Harms on Saturday and the hysterically funny
Troy Thirdgill (pictured) on Monday -- and a night of the reconstituted 50s group, (
Herb Reed and) The Platters, on Sunday.
If cruise line’s goal was to build upon each night with successively better evenings of entertainment, then they succeeded. As
I’ve reported earlier, Harms was funny, but there was no denying the magic that The Platters infuse into their 45-minute set for the packed-house where I dare say the average age was roughly 40. Although all but one of the original members has been replaced, their music with familiar stylings -- including hits like “Only You,” “Harbor Lights,” “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” and “The Great Pretender” -- struck the right chord for this nostalgic audience.
Even more entertaining was the comedic talent of Portland (OR)-born Thirdgill, whose politically incorrect take on everything from the way he’s inaccurately viewed because of his race to young white kids trying to act black to tattoos and body piercings had me doubled over in laughter. Not since seeing
Robin Williams live back a half dozen years ago have I convulsed with laughter to the degree I did with this amazing near-genius. I had never heard of Thirdgill before, but you can bet I won’t soon forget how much he entertained, and I look forward to seeing much more of him in the future.
In summary, I have to admit that I found my jaded self to be a bit surprised that all of Royal Caribbean’s onboard entertainment was first-rate. However, far from first-rate was the exasperatingly slow -- and as a result, excessively expensive -- Internet functionality on the ship. At $.33 per minute, I was only able to post a few items from sea due to the sluggish online connection. It was akin to riding in the worst non-moving taxi only to see the meter running and not being able to get out.
But if you can overlook that potentially inconsequential detail, all but the most jaded of cruise audiences will find the entertainment experience aboard the
Jewel of the Seas a delight.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Harm-lessly Funny (October 22, 2006)
Going To Sea Theatre (October 21, 2006)
Labels: Cruise Entertainment, Tango Buenos Aires, The SOB Overview
Harm-lessly FunnyAs promised, I just wanted to update you on the entertainment to date on the
Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas. We're docked today in beautiful Portland, Maine after sailing from Boston last evening.
Instead of the full-blown entertainment treatment promised on the cruise lines' Web site (that apparently is coming later in the cruise), last evening's on-stage performance came in the form of Florida-based comedian
Jeff Harms. To be honest, I had never heard of him before, but this white-haired version of Alec Baldwin provided a half hour of pretty decent humor.
Now, I'm no connoisseur of stand-up comedy, but I've always thought that it took a great deal more talent to make an audience laugh with thoughtful observations from life than going for the easy laugh by catering to the lowest common denominator with raunchy, vulgar humor. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate occasionally going in the gutter, but it does take a greater imagination to come up with something truly fresh. Harms certainly accomplished just that, even in the way he dealt with a near heckler situation early on. Much of his humor was based on observations he made on everyday life (like his riff on junk drawers in the kitchen) to how kids today are much the same as they ever were.
Since this wasn't a full-blown production along the scales that I had anticipated, I'm not providing my typical full-scale review. But I will say that I found Jeff Harms' act to be harmlessly funny, and that's a nice start for this voyage.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Going To Sea Theatre (October 21, 2006)
Labels: Cruise Entertainment, The SOB Overview
Going To Sea TheatreHave you ever heard claims by cruise lines that they feature "Broadway-style" or "Vegas-style" theatrical productions? Have you ever wondered whether the productions actually live up to the advance billing? You're not alone.
Over the course of the next five days, I'll be traveling aboard one of the largest and newest cruise ships sailing today:
Royal Caribbean International's
Jewel of the Seas, which departs Boston for such ports-of-call as Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine, as well as Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a return to Boston Harbor early Thursday morning.
While on board, I plan to take in as many of the cruise lines' shows as possible. After all, given my hardcore interest in theatre, how can I resist such entreaties as this from
Royal Caribbean's online promotion:
With the glitz, glamour and special effects, you'll think the ship has docked on Broadway. Performed in our magnificent theatre, our live productions feature the outstanding talent of The Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers, along with well-known performers and headline acts.
It could be a contemporary musical stage production or a Las Vegas-inspired floorshow. Maybe headline entertainment or a comedy act. Whatever or whomever is on stage, one thing is for sure you'll be amazed.
All production shows are produced exclusively for Royal Caribbean and the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers, with a variety of shows playing during your cruise vacation. Shows are offered several times each week, so be sure to check your Cruise Compass and Daily Planner for show times.
That's certainly a lot to live up to. Of course, I have absolutely no idea what's in store for me on this journey, but I'll be sharing details on whether Royal Caribbean delivers in the days ahead.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for information on Royal Caribbean.
Labels: Cruise Entertainment
