Norwegian Cruise Line continued its legacy of innovating cruise ship entertainment as it announced that the five-time Tony Award nominated musical ROCK OF AGES will be featured on Norwegian Breakaway, along with two additional Broadway shows: the dance sensation BURN THE FLOOR and CIRQUE DREAMS & DINNER JUNGLE FANTASY. The line also introduced all of the varied and exciting entertainment acts and venues that will debut on the ship, including the famed comedy troupe The Second City and Howl at the Moon at Headliners Comedy Club and New York’s own Slam Allen in Fat Cats Jazz & Blues Club.
“As a lifelong New Yorker, it’s critically important to me that Norwegian Breakaway becomes New York’s ship – the only way to cruise from New York when she arrives next May. Our goal is to bring elements of New York on board so that guests will feel a real connection to the ship as New York’s true flagship,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. “With ROCK OF AGES performing in the Breakaway Theater, along with BURN THE FLOOR, CIRQUE DREAMS & DINNER JUNGLE FANTASY in the Spiegel Tent, and all the other entertainment offerings, we are truly bringing Broadway to the high seas and delivering the high caliber entertainment that New Yorkers have come to expect.”
ROCK OF AGES is one of the longest running shows in Broadway history and offers Broadway’s best party. The New York Times has called the show, “Absurdly enjoyable! About as guilty as pleasures get!” The classic rock love story of the decade features such feel-good, sing-out-loud songs such as “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “I Wanna Know What Love Is,” “Here I Go Again,” “Don’t Stop Believin,” and more. The Broadway show is now also Hollywood’s biggest party as the film of the musical by New Line Cinema was released on June 15, 2012.
In addition to being a bona fide Broadway hit musical, ROCK OF AGES was a runaway success in Toronto and Australia; has a production running in London’s West End; and has several successful licensed productions in Asia.
ROCK OF AGES is lead produced on Broadway by Michael Cohl and Jonathan Linden of S2BN Entertainment and Matthew Weaver. Norwegian Breakaway will feature multiple, specially-designed entertainment venues throughout the ship so that guests can choose from a wide variety of entertainment each evening of their cruise with choices to appeal to a broad audience.
BURN THE FLOOR
Offering shows in both the 800-seat Breakaway Theater and more intimate performances in The Manhattan Room, dance sensation BURN THE FLOOR will dazzle guests with their re-invented ballroom dancing.
Beginning with, and maintaining all the wonderful traditions and the social history of the Ballroom dance art form, BURN THE FLOOR is a groundbreaking show, serving as a melting pot of styles, energy and excitement for today’s generation of dancers. It is Ballroom “supercharged.”
During the course of the show, the dancers perform all the Ballroom and Latin styles, including The Waltz, Cha Cha, Samba, Salsa, Rumba, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Mambo, Tango, Swing, Jive, Lindy Hop, Viennese Waltz, and Paso Doble. The music is eclectic, from Swing and Waltz classics to J-Lo and Credence Clearwater. Two vocalists perform in many languages during the show, including English, Spanish and Portuguese.
The show premiered in London in 1999 and toured the US for the first time in 2000, including performances at Radio City Music Hall. After touring around the world, in a variety of countries, including Japan, Singapore and Australia,BURN THE FLOOR premiered on Broadway in 2009. Originally intended to be a limited run, the show opened to rave reviews in New York and extended its original run into January 2010, performing 193 shows. Already staged in more than 300 cities globally, BURN THE FLOOR is currently in the midst of its World Tour of the Broadway Production with dates in Holland, Australia, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan, and will return to the US later this year before joining Norwegian Breakaway in 2013.
CIRQUE DREAMS & DINNER — JUNGLE FANTASY IN THE SPIEGEL TENT
Following the huge success of the revolutionaryCIRQUE DREAMS & DINNER on Norwegian Epic, famed producer/director Neil Goldberg will present an adaptation of the Broadway show CIRQUE DREAMS JUNGLE FANTASY featuring the best of both critically acclaimed productions. The new show will be entitled CIRQUE DREAMS & DINNER – JUNGLE FANTASY and will perform in the ship’s intimate Spiegel Tent.
Proclaimed “the grandest circus spectacle east of Vegas” by New York Magazine, CIRQUE DREAMS JUNGLE FANTASY debuted at the Broadway Theatre in 2008 and is, to date, the first and only show of its kind to ever perform on Broadway. The show received an American Theatre Wing, Best Costume Design nomination and has played to over 3.5 million people in more than 200 cities throughout the United States, as well as thousands of U.S. military troops and their families throughout 10 countries.
CIRQUE DREAMS & DINNER – JUNGLE FANTASY will feature an international cast of Cirque Dreamers performing amazing feats while bringing to life a soaring Ballet of Butterflies, Flipping Monkeys, Hopping Frogs, Spine-bending Lizards and Fanciful Birds in an exotic, awe-inspiring adventure.
FAT CATS JAZZ & BLUES CLUB FEATURING SLAM ALLEN
Following his extremely popular performance as the house band in the Jazz & Blues Club on Norwegian Epic, New York’s own Slam Allen will take the stage in Fat Cats Jazz & Blues Club on Norwegian Breakaway. Fat Cats will feature nightly live blues and jazz performances by Allen and other world-class talent. The urban setting creates a hipster vibe complete with full bar and comfortable leather sofas and chairs. Fat Cats will also feature outdoor seating on The Waterfront, a Norwegian Breakaway exclusive, where guests can enjoy a drink and the live music while feeling the warm ocean breeze.
For more than 20 years, Slam Allen has been entertaining audiences around the world with his unique blend of soul and blues. For the past eight years, he has played an important role, as the lead singer and guitarist, in the legendary James Cotton Band. Music is in Allen’s blood — he got his start from his father and uncles who were known as the Allen Brothers Band. On Norwegian Breakaway, Allen will play a wide range of songs from B.B. King and Otis Redding to his own original music in the intimate Fat Cats Jazz & Blues Club.
THE SECOND CITY AND HOWL AT THE MOON IN HEADLINERS
Headliners Comedy Club debuts on Norwegian Breakaway with the hilarious improvisational comedy of The Second City, as Norwegian continues its exclusive partnership with the famed troupe. For more than 50 years, The Second City has honed the skills of comedic legends such as Bill Murray, Chris Farley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Tina Fey, Steve Carell and Jason Sudeikis. The ensemble aboard Norwegian Breakaway will perform a special customized comedy revue of satirical skits, hilarious songs and inventive improvisation. The venue’s design centers on a show lounge format with a small raised stage, concrete floors and brick walls with a full bar.
The world’s greatest rock n’ roll dueling piano show, Howl at the Moon, which received rave reviews on Norwegian Epic, will also be featured in Headliners on board Norwegian Breakaway. This total entertainment experience features talented piano players who not only entertain the guests; they make the guests part of the show. The fun is centered around two baby grand pianos and a full out rock show with Howl’s entertainers playing the best music from 70’s rock to hip-hop for four hours per show. Howl at the Moon, with multiple locations across the United States, encourages people to channel their inner rock star, so guests should get ready to clap, sing, dance and howl.
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Source: NCL press release
Header image: NCL
