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
