Smash hit West End and Broadway musical Avenue Q, the secrets behind brand new musical The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ – The Musical and a string of West End stars will all feature in the line-up for Stages – the UK’s only musical theatre festival at sea.
Classical Brit Award winner Alfie Boe, Olivier and Bafta Award winner Sheridan Smith and successful musical theatre group Collabro have already been announced as this year’s headliners for Floating Festivals Stages cruise returns this October.
Plus organisers have revealed they will be joined by the West End and Broadway award-winning musical Avenue Q for three exclusive shows across the four-night cruise. The Avenue Q shows are exclusive to Stages and will be the first time the show has ever been performed at a festival, let alone at sea!
Elsewhere award-winning UK musical director Nick Barstow will present a series of events onboard including RE:Arrangement starring current Alice Fearn (Wicked), Noel Sullivan (Hearsay and West End star), Andy Coxon (West Side Story) and Kelly Mathieson (The Phantom of the Opera). All will be performing a series of shows and solo performances across the cruise and there will also be a not-to-be-missed group performance celebrating everything From Hammerstein To Hamilton.
West End stars Steph Parry (42nd Street) and Luke Bayer (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Alyn Hawkes (Follies) and Emma Housley (The Wizard of Oz) will present songs from the musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Pippa Cleary and Jake Brunger, the composers and writers of the West End’s newest musical The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ – The Musical, will also be onboard providing an exclusive insight into this exciting new production.
For musical theatre lovers who want to join in and take part, Stages is introducing the Stages Academy – a fully interactive programme of seminars, workshops and events getting into the backstage and behind the scenes element of the West End and Broadway. All delivered by Jenna Russell, Lizzie Gee, Paul Taylor-Mills, Willy Mukendi, Tom Gribby and Ben M Rogers.
Theatreland’s anonymous cult figure West End Producer is also back onboard, there will be a series of Q&A events with industry experts and media and each evening the West End Cabaret Bar SingEasy will provide open mic sessions with all the stars, plus guests will be able to sing-a-long to their musical theatre favourites.
And there is still more to be announced.
The four-night Stages roundtrip cruise Southampton-Dublin-Southampton takes place onboard Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas from 14-18 October 2019. The Stages cruise is produced by Floating Festivals.
Unlike other chartered cruises, Floating Festivals does not just replace the usual cruise ship entertainment programme, it transforms the ship into a full musical theatre floating resort.
Jonathan Blackburn, the brainchild behind Floating Festivals, said: “The line-up for Stages 2019 is shaping to be a huge hit. This is our second Stages festival. Last year passengers were blown away with the amount of entertainment and activities we had onboard and this year we are creating even more content.
“We have a fantastic line-up planned with performances from huge West End and Broadway stars, exclusive shows, the most hilarious musical theatre comedy with Avenue Q, fascinating Q&As, the launch of Stages Academy and much more.
“Stages is no basic themed cruise, it is a true music festival at sea celebrating the crème de la crème of the West End and Broadway and gives our guests a 100% showbiz experience in the lap of luxury.”
As well as being part of Floating Festivals passengers will be able to enjoy all the features of the Explorer of the Seas including a miniature golf course, the unique FlowRider surf simulator, the signature Royal Caribbean Rock Wall, ground-breaking virtual balcony cabins, the Vegas style Casino Royale, luxurious Vitality Spa and Fitness Centre, three pools, six whirlpools, outdoor cinema and a selection of luxury boutique shopping experiences.
Stages will depart Southampton for four nights from 14 October 2019 and includes a full day in Dublin.
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