P&O Cruises ships have the ability
to carry out the same sort of technical tricks they have in the West End
At the heart of Headliners is Production Show Manager, Steve Bee. I managed to catch up with Steve to ask about the X Factor-style audition process in London, which saw more than 500 entrants trying out for around 60 positions. “We look for just over 120 performers in total, so we run two auditions a year,” he explains. “The people we choose not only have to perform together for six months, they also need to live with each other 24 hours a day. So when we’re casting, we are looking for people that have the right talent, and those we feel will fit together with the rest of the group.” And the performers I saw certainly are a talented bunch, multi-skilled singers and dancers who are all preparing to perform in a number of different shows on board. Indeed, with an average of eight shows running per cruise, today’s rehearsal is part of an eight-week process that will see the performers rehearse a new show each week.
During their six-month stint on board, they will continue to learn new shows, so the rehearsals don’t end here.
Watching them rehearse, their range of abilities is definitely not in any doubt. Dancers performed their complex routines, elegant lifts and impressive splits in front of me, while groups of singers practice their harmonies standing around a piano.
Behind the scenes, a team, which includes top directors, choreographers, set and costume designers among others, brings together a vast wealth of ideas and experience. “P&O Cruises ships have the ability to carry out the same sort of technical tricks they have in the West End, and a lot of the shows that you would see there, you can now see in concert version on board. So the line between West End theatre and Headliners is very close.”
Steve knows what he is talking about. He attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School and started his own acting career at the age of just 10, performing in musicals such as Oliver and Starlight Express. His experience in the entertainment industry makes him the ideal person to oversee all of the fleet’s on board productions.
I left the venue with a skip in my step, as excited as the performers themselves, and couldn’t help feeling a little bit envious of all the passengers who have the opportunity to witness the show live. If the atmosphere on board is as electric as it was at the rehearsals, they are certainly in for some fantastic evening entertainment.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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