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Earning My Ears
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- Jun 24, 2005
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NY Times article You need to be an online member I believe (it's free). You can view the slide show without signing on
Here a little sample from the first page:
June 25, 2005
For Disney, All the Sea Is a Stage
By IRENE LACHER
LOS ANGELES, June 24 - Departure time was set for 5 p.m., but it was 6:30 when the Disney Magic cruise ship actually pulled out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, at a quick clip to make up for lost time. The cast for the cruise line's newest musical was in the middle of rehearsing, said Kevin Eld, Disney's vice president for creative production, when the ship suddenly listed.
"It was interesting to try to brace yourself when you're in the middle of a tap number and the floor is lifting 10 degrees," Mr. Eld said. "It was quite unsettling."
Cruise line entertainment has come a long way since Julie was the recreation director on "The Love Boat." Cirque du Soleil, the Second City troupe, Tommy Tune, Andrew Lloyd Webber productions and even the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (which sends recent graduates aboard Cunard's Queen Mary 2), have all performed for affluent seagoing vacationers. Now Disney has upped the ante with its latest attempt to gain a competitive edge in the crowded and growing cruise market: a musical premiere, "Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story," with 21 performers and a backstage crew of nine - double the cast of a typical show on a ship.
"Cruise lines are trying so hard to bring in younger, sophisticated people, and they can't serve up the same stuff they have on traditional cruises," said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of cruisecritic.com.
Disney Cruise Line has an edge in creating top-flight productions because its parent company is an entertainment behemoth, enabling it to draw on huge financial resources as well as a rich trove of copyrighted material.
"We are an entertainment company, so everything we do has to be over the top," said Tom McAlpin, president of Disney Cruise Line.
Disney is promoting "Twice Charmed" as a Broadway-style musical packed into the 52-minute performance that is typical of cruise ships. The show presents a version of the classic tale, giving Cinderella a wicked fairy godfather who sends her back in time to see whether she'll have her happy ending if the glass slipper breaks. (This is Disney, so of course she does.)
Here a little sample from the first page:
June 25, 2005
For Disney, All the Sea Is a Stage
By IRENE LACHER
LOS ANGELES, June 24 - Departure time was set for 5 p.m., but it was 6:30 when the Disney Magic cruise ship actually pulled out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, at a quick clip to make up for lost time. The cast for the cruise line's newest musical was in the middle of rehearsing, said Kevin Eld, Disney's vice president for creative production, when the ship suddenly listed.
"It was interesting to try to brace yourself when you're in the middle of a tap number and the floor is lifting 10 degrees," Mr. Eld said. "It was quite unsettling."
Cruise line entertainment has come a long way since Julie was the recreation director on "The Love Boat." Cirque du Soleil, the Second City troupe, Tommy Tune, Andrew Lloyd Webber productions and even the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (which sends recent graduates aboard Cunard's Queen Mary 2), have all performed for affluent seagoing vacationers. Now Disney has upped the ante with its latest attempt to gain a competitive edge in the crowded and growing cruise market: a musical premiere, "Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story," with 21 performers and a backstage crew of nine - double the cast of a typical show on a ship.
"Cruise lines are trying so hard to bring in younger, sophisticated people, and they can't serve up the same stuff they have on traditional cruises," said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of cruisecritic.com.
Disney Cruise Line has an edge in creating top-flight productions because its parent company is an entertainment behemoth, enabling it to draw on huge financial resources as well as a rich trove of copyrighted material.
"We are an entertainment company, so everything we do has to be over the top," said Tom McAlpin, president of Disney Cruise Line.
Disney is promoting "Twice Charmed" as a Broadway-style musical packed into the 52-minute performance that is typical of cruise ships. The show presents a version of the classic tale, giving Cinderella a wicked fairy godfather who sends her back in time to see whether she'll have her happy ending if the glass slipper breaks. (This is Disney, so of course she does.)
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