SANTA CLARITA, Calif.,
May 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- Last fall, Princess Cruises raised the curtain on a
new musical revue titled Magic to Do, from the Oscar, Grammy
and Tony award-winning composer of Wicked, Pippin and
Godspell Stephen Schwartz.
The show, a cruise industry first, premiered to rave reviews and
today the cruise line debuted a special documentary, Magic to
Do: The Story Behind the Magic, chronicling the journey
of the show production from the partnership announcement, to
auditions, to raising the curtain on the opening performance for
Princess Cruises guests.
Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7840051-princess-cruises-magic-to-do-documentary/
The new 25-minute documentary gives viewers a behind-the-scenes
look at how the show came together through the direction and
creative talent of Schwartz, as well as a cadre of Broadway and
Hollywood talent, cast members and
the Princess Cruises entertainment department. The documentary is
available on the cruise line's YouTube Channel and will also air
regularly on Movies Under the Stars outdoor theaters and stateroom
televisions across the line's 17-ship fleet, as well as on
princess.com.
Magic to Do, Schwartz's first production for a cruise
line, celebrates his lifelong fascination with magic and combines
thrilling illusions with some of his most famous songs, such as
Magic to Do from Pippin and Defying Gravity
from Wicked. The show also includes a brand new song written
exclusively for Princess called A Little Magic. Brought to
life by a vibrant cast, imaginative costumes and make-up, stunning
scenic designs and baffling illusions Magic to Do originally
debuted in the Princess Theater aboard Crown Princess in
October 2015, and is now also
available aboard Ruby Princess and Emerald
Princess.
The Story Behind the Magic features interviews with
Stephen Schwartz, the creative team
and cast, including:
- Gabriel Barre,
internationally acclaimed director whose credits include the
national tour of Pippin and the current Broadway musical,
Amazing Grace, which will be touring the United States.
- Don Frantz, associate
producer of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast on
Broadway, among many other Broadway and international
accomplishments.
- Jeremy Railton, four-time
Emmy winner whose extensive background in theatre, film, television
and multi-media design includes the 2002 Winter Olympics opening
and closing ceremonies and the Academy Awards.
- Mark Hartman,
award-winning music director with numerous Broadway credits
including Sondheim on Sondheim, Avenue Q and the
national tour of Pippin.
- Jennifer Paulson-Lee,
choreographer with credits including Enter Laughing, the
Musical, A Rockin' Midsummer Night's Dream, 101
Dalmatians and Seussical.
- Alex M. Calle, art
director on Warner Brothers Theme UAE, Galaxy Entertainment Macau
and award-winning Crane Dance project in Singapore.
- Dominique Lemieux,
costume designer to Cirque du Soleil including Mystère,
Alegría and A New Day with Celine Dion. She also designed the costumes for
Pippin on Broadway.
- Danny Fiandaca, sound
design, having worked on various tours and productions, including
Come Fly Away (Broadway), Catch Me If You Can (First
National Tour) and Lonesome Traveler (Los Angeles). He's also been associated with
Princess Cruises for more than 10 years.
- Jim Steinmeyer, the
mastermind behind many of the great magic illusions over the last
25 years, created the magic experience in Magic to Do.
Steinmeyer has worked with some of the greatest magicians of all
time including Doug Henning,
Siegfried & Roy and David
Copperfield.
In addition, the film showcases the show's original cast,
including Stephanie Hodgdon (Eve),
Danny McHugh (Pip), Michael Misko (Magic Maker), Kurt Robbins (Adam) and Courtney Stokes (Cat).
"Our partnership with Stephen
Schwartz has been an incredible, collaborative opportunity
for everyone involved and we wanted to chronicle the entire journey
of the making of his first musical at sea with The Story Behind
the Magic." said Adrian Fischer,
vice president, entertainment experience for Princess Cruises. "We
hope viewers can see the passion and commitment that went into the
unique production through this engaging documentary."
Princess Cruises engaged producer, Shayne Fraeke of PREMIERE TV
to make the film, which was directed by Igor Kovalik.
During his 40-year entertainment career, Schwartz has won four
Grammys, three Academy Awards for "Best Song" and "Best Score" for
Pocahontas and "Best Song" for The Prince of Egypt and received the Isabelle Stevenson
special Tony Award. He is the only songwriter in Broadway history
ever to have three shows run more than 1,900 performances.
This partnership with such a major creative talent from Broadway
and Hollywood includes a
multi-year collaboration to oversee the creative development of a
total of four new musicals to debut across the fleet over the next
several years. This adds to the cruise line's "come back new
promise," designed to elevate the onboard guest experience
resulting in more transformative moments, lifetime memories and
meaningful stories to share from a cruise vacation.
Additional information about Princess' partnership with
Stephen Schwartz can be found at
http://www.princess.com/schwartz.
About Princess Cruises:
One of the best-known names
in cruising, Princess Cruises is a global cruise line and tour
company operating a fleet of 17 modern cruise ships renowned for
their innovative design and wide array of choices in dining,
entertainment and amenities, all provided with the experience of
exceptional customer service. A recognized leader in worldwide
cruising, Princess carries 1.7 million guests each year to more
than 360 destinations around the globe on more than 150 itineraries
ranging in length from three to 111 days. The company is part of
Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE:CUK).
About Stephen
Schwartz:
Stephen
Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway hits
Wicked, Pippin, Godspell and The Magic Show.
For film, he wrote the songs for the DreamWorks animated feature,
The Prince of Egypt, and
collaborated with composer Alan
Menken on the songs for Disney's Enchanted, as well
as the animated features Pocahontas and The Hunchback of
Notre Dame. He collaborated with Leonard Bernstein on the English texts for
Bernstein's Mass, and his first opera, Séance on a Wet
Afternoon, was produced at Opera Santa Barbara and New York City Opera. Mr. Schwartz has been
inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of
Fame, and has been given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. More
information can be found at http://www.stephenschwartz.com/
Newsroom:
Additional media information is available
at princess.com/news
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SOURCE Princess Cruises