Entertainment of Epic Proportions
By Luisa Frey
May 25, 2009

Blue Men, jazz and blues legends, acrobats who double as waitresses and all else that glitters can be found on NCL's new Epic!

What in the world do Blue Men, jazz and blues legends, and acrobats who double as waitresses have in common? They're all part of the eclectic entertainment slated for Norwegian Cruise Line's 4,200-passenger Norwegian Epic.

"No longer will cruise ship entertainment focus on two shows in one venue," stated Andy Stuart, Executive Vice President, Sales, Marketing & Passenger Services. When the mega-ship Norwegian Epic is launched in July 2010, it will feature some of the most unique entertainment at sea. Many of the headliners have established themselves on land, thus living up to NCL's aim to be the cruise industry's "game changer," according to Stuart.

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Blue Man Group

If NCL's press event this week in New York City is any indicator -- it was complete with cirque entertainers and a Blue Man stage show at its original Astor Place Theatre venue in New York City -- then Epic passengers are in for a welcome surprise in traditional cruise ship entertainment.

"The face of Norwegian Epic's entertainment is blue," voiced Stuart at the event. This is because the Blue Man Group will perform aboard Norwegian Epic's 685-seat theater on each cruise. Blue Man Group is known for unique theatrical shows which combine music, comedy and multimedia theatrics. The main actors are three Blue Men who perform such antics as catching multiple gum balls (that squirt paint, no less!) in their mouths or drumming to create a fluorescent light show backdrop.

The show aboard Norwegian Epic will be site specific, meaning there will be an overriding nautical theme. Thus, guests who have seen the show on land will not be witnessing an exact replica of the Blue Man Group performance which has been a constant fixture of the New York City entertainment scene for years. Other cities where Blue Man shows are presently being staged are Boston, Chicago, Las Vega, Orlando, Berlin and Tokyo.

Blue Man shows appeal to a broad range of ages and cultural backgrounds.

Cirque Dreams and Dinner under the Big Top

What do you get when you combine a Spiegel tent, a cruise ship, dinner and sinuous waiters? Cirque Dreams and Dinner.

Norwegian Epic will sport the only big top at sea which will be the backdrop for a very unique, theatrical dining experience. Neil Goldberg, founder of Cirque Productions, was at the Epic press event and noted that the show will be true to the Cirque brand.

"Contortionists will double as waitresses bending over backwards (literally) to pick up passengers' napkins," he said. "Aerialists will drop from the sky to fill up passengers' water glasses," Goldberg added.

The two hour show will be appropriate to guests of all ages.

Next Page: Headliners Comedy Club

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