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Entertainment innovator Peter Compton retires from Royal Caribbean

In:
14 Sep 2013

Peter Compton, who changed the face of entertainment on Royal Caribbean ships for 24 years, has retired from the cruise line.  Compton was responsible for bringing ice skating shows, Broadway shows and water shows to Royal Caribbean's fleet.

Compton, the Vice President of Entertainment and Guest Services, has opted to leave Royal Caribbean to spend more time with his family. 

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein had glowing remarks for Compton's departure, "Peter is simply the best entertainment professional the cruise industry has ever known.  He is responsible for Royal Caribbean's reputation for top-notch entertainment over the last 24 years. From professional ice skating to Broadway musicals to the AquaTheater, he constantly blazed new trails for us and the industry."

Joining Royal Caribbean in 1989 when the Sovereign class of ships were coming online and introduced large theaters with good sight lines and better facilities.  In 1990, Compton helped form Royal Caribbean Productions to enable the cruise line to customize shows.

Over the years, larger generations of ships were built and Compton was responsible for the entertainment onboard, such as suggesting the idea of ice skating shows to Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain.

Other highlights include partnerships with DreamWorks Animation and with Broadway producers that brought hits like 'Chicago,' 'Hair Spray' and 'Saturday Night Fever' to the ships.

Compton will be succeeded by Nick Weir on October 14. 

OceansTV to provide television channels to Royal Caribbean

In:
13 Sep 2012

OceansTV has announced that it has reached a deal with Royal Caribbean to supply a broad ranging TV channel package covering the European and Asian regions.

The deal covers ten of Royal Caribbean's ships, including Independence of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas, will receive the channels.  The deal will allow passengers on Royal Caribbean ships to watch in the comfort of their staterooms include RTL9, CNBC Europe and channels from the BBC, RAI and TVE.

Vision of the Seas will air a selection of Scandinavian channels including SVT1, NRK1, TV2 and Eurosport Nordic. Voyager of the Seas and Legend of the Seas which are offering cruises in Asia are showing popular channels onboard such as KBS World, CCTV4, CNBC Asia and MTV China.

"We've thoroughly enjoyed working closely with Royal Caribbean to supply them with a rich and entertaining TV channel package tailored to the tastes of the passengers onboard," said Andy McEwan, CEO of OceansTV. "Our network of TV content suppliers is growing all the time and we're delighted to be in a position to offer cruise lines such a fantastic choice of high quality channels."

Royal Caribbean to hold auditions for singers, dancers and gymnasts in Atlanta

In:
21 Feb 2012

Royal Caribbean is going to hold an open audition for singers, dancers and gymnasts on March 4th in Atlanta, Georgia.  Royal Caribbean Productions is looking to fill some roles in its various shows aboard its ships including its Broadway, ice and aqua shows.  

The audition event will be at the Atlanta Ballet and they are looking for talented performers between the ages of 18 and 40.

Anyone interested in attending should bring with them a current photo and resume.  In addition, singers should come prepared with sheet music in the proper key and 16-32 bars of a ballad and an up-tempo song. Must be able to sing various styles of music.  Dancers must be technically trained with a strong background in Jazz. Flying and tumbling skills are a plus.

Saturday Night Fever debuts on Liberty of the Seas

In:
04 May 2011

The hit Broadway musical "Saturday Night Fever" has debuted on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas and is the first Broadway show featured on a Royal Caribbean cruise in Europe.

Performed in Liberty of the Seas' state-of-the-art, 1,320-seat Platinum Theatre, the musical depicts Tony, the ambitious Brooklyn teen who spends his Saturday nights disco dancing.  Tony is played by  the British actor Lucas Rush.

The addition of Saturday Night Fever to Liberty of the Seas marks Royal Caribbean's third full-length Broadway musical to be performed on its ships.  The two other plays are “Hairspray” performed on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and “Chicago” playing on Allure of the Seas.

John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean to debut on Freedom of the Seas

In:
19 Apr 2011

Royal Caribbean announced John Targaglia's Off-Broadway family musical "ImaginOcean" will debut on Freedom of the Seas starting in May 2011.

ImaginOcean will be the fourth Royal Caribbean ship to perform the show, joining Oasis, Allure and Liberty of the Seas.

Tartaglia was excited to bring his show to another Royal Caribbean ship, "ImaginOcean made its debut on Oasis of the Seas where it ran for several months prior to opening at New World Stages in New York in the spring of 2010. Our goal as the producers of this show continues to focus on making this universal family musical accessible to as many people as possible -- on land and at sea -- and we are thrilled to continue our relationship with Royal Caribbean and install our fourth production on Freedom of the Seas next month."

Saturday Night Fever: The Musical to debut on Liberty of the Seas

In:
07 Oct 2010

Royal Caribbean International is slipping-on its boogie shoes this spring and debuting Saturday Night Fever: The Musical, the third licensed main-stage musical production at sea for the cruise line. Created by Royal Caribbean Productions in association with Robert Stigwood Organisation Ltd., the acclaimed-West End show will debut aboard Liberty of the Seas in April 2011, as part of the ship’s revitalization and shipboard enhancements beginning in late January 2011 aboard the popular Freedom-class cruise ship. Based on the hugely popular, 1970s feature film, Saturday Night Fever, the theatrical experience features a repertoire of hit songs from The Bee Gees song album sure to inspire guests to dance the night away.

“The debut of Saturday Night Fever: The Musical, created by Royal Caribbean Productions’ in-house entertainment team, continues to raise the bar for cruise vacations aboard one of our most innovative ships,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president, Hotel Operations, Royal Caribbean International. “Our award-winning musical productions have been so incredibly well-received by guests, first with Hairspray aboard Oasis of the Seas and then with the announcement of Chicago: the Musical aboard Allure of the Seas. It’s only fitting we broaden the selection to include a West End hit as Liberty of the Seas embarks on its maiden season in Europe for summer 2011.”
 
Saturday Night Fever: The Musical premiered in the West End at the London Palladium in 1998 and has been seen by over 10 million people worldwide, thrilling theater and music buffs alike throughout the years. On Liberty of the Seas, the story of Tony, the ambitious Brooklyn youth who spends his Saturday nights disco dancing, will be brought to life on stage in the ship’s state-of-the-art, 1,320-seat Platinum Theatre. The storyline and music that created the worldwide disco phenomenon will take guests away to a different era with such cult-classics songs as “Stayin’ Alive,” “Tragedy,” “If I Can’t Have You” and “Boogie Shoes.”
 
“We are glad to work with Royal Caribbean International to take Saturday Night Fever to fans and vacationers at sea,” said Robert Stigwood. “Royal Caribbean Productions’ commitment to innovative and quality entertainment will have guests out of their seats and groovin’ in the aisles.”
 
Auditions for the Royal Caribbean’s production of Saturday Night Fever, will be held Oct. 20-22 in New York. More details and a full schedule can be found at www.RoyalCaribbeanProductions.com.
 
In addition to Saturday Night Fever, Liberty of the Seas, along with Freedom of the Seas, will introduce some top-rated onboard features that debuted aboard Oasis of the Seas when the ships are revitalized during scheduled drydocks in January and March 2011, respectively. Many of the onboard enhancements will deliver some of the most exciting entertainment options at sea, such as the DreamWorks Experience, 3D movie technology in the main theater; an oversized outdoor video screens on the main pool deck to entertain guests and offer movies under the stars. Guests also will enjoy new onboard amenities such as iPod docks in every stateroom; the Wayfinder system, with its interactive touch-screen to direct guests, offer venue and restaurant descriptions, and the day’s schedule of programs; guest services kiosks on the Royal Promenade where guests can instantly view, print or e-mail their SeaPass folio or their personal calendar, or check-in and print airline boarding passes; and the popular Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, which provides nursery care for babies and tots through 36 months. Guests also will delight in the enchanting Cupcake Cupboard and the trendy décor of Vintages with its Enomatic wine serving system. 
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