If there is one thing that Australians love more than cruising, it's musicals. Enter Stephen Schwartz's brand new musical - Magic to Do – a mesmerising musical and illusion show that will make its Australian debut on board Emerald Princess when it arrives in November this year.
Magic to Do, a Broadway-style musical exclusive to Princess Cruises, is the creative vision of Oscar and Tony award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz, whose works include Wicked, Godspell and Pippin. The show is the first of four which Schwartz will create exclusively for Princess Cruises over the next few years.
Described as a whimsical musical, the 55-minute show follows a married couple and a couple on the verge of a blossoming romance, mixed with big-number songs and dance and pyrotechnics. The show features songs by Schwartz, including Godspell's Day by Day and Defying Gravity (the showstopper from Wicked), along with a new number, A Little Magic, and will run once or twice on each cruise (depending on length), with an early session and a late session.
Princess Cruises' partnership with Schwartz to bring Broadway to cruise ships is a first for the global cruise industry. It will see the cruise line take on the task of changing the perception of onboard cruise entertainment (which a recent taxi driver described as like entertainment you'd see at the local sports club) into original live-stage spectaculars of world-class standard.
Magic to Do debuted on Crown Princess in October 2015 in the Port of Los Angeles. The show was well received by critics, thanks to a team of talented creators, performers and behind-the-scenes production crew who knew the little and not so little things (including how to fix a power outage that caused a 25-minute delay) about bringing Broadway to a cruise stage.
First, there is a moving stage. Performers need to learn how to cope with a moving stage where sometimes, in rough weather, it can be harder to stand still than move around. In production, costumes, make up, lightening and props designed not to slide all need to be made, transported and repaired on board if needed. There are also no stand-ins. Performers have to be versatile. They rehearse different parts, from dance routines to memorising lines to ensure the show goes on even if someone falls ill.
While there are limitations to stage productions at sea – don't expect backdrops being lower from the ceiling – the theatre on board Emerald is of Broadway-calibre with technical capabilities to match. There promises to be performers flying through the air on harnesses in Magic to Do, a Harry Houdini-type magician and a troupe of singers and dancers ready to storm the stage when the curtain rises.
Magic to Do is free for all passengers to attend. To catch the show, guests can head to the theatre anytime before the show commences - there is no need to book in advance.
Emerald Princess will be based in Sydney when it arrives in Australia later this year (from November 2016 to April 2017). The 3082-passenger ship will be the biggest Princess Cruises' ship to be based in Sydney to date.
Cruises on Emerald start from $1599 per person twin share for a 11-night New Zealand cruise.
See also: On board Australia's newest cruise ship
