Spotlight On New Production Show For Two Princesses

New Production Show on Enchanted Princess & Sky Princess

We were invited on Enchanted Princess yesterday, to an exclusive preview of a new production show ‘Spotlight Bar’, and we weren’t disappointed as the show was worthy of Broadway or the West End Stage.

Princess Cruises are of course renowned for their fabulous entertainment onboard their cruise ships, and so we were really excited to see this show which debuted on sister ship Discovery Princess earlier this year. Soon the show will be performed live by Princess singers, dancers and musicians as it is rolled out across Enchanted Princess and Sky Princess.

The Plot

Obviously I don’t want to spoil it for you, but loosely the ‘Spotlight Bar’ shares the story of a friendly neighbourhood bar where locals want to hang out, catch up, laugh, grab a drink and maybe sing a song or two, Relationships are forged, lost and reignited, all to a fabulous soundtrack. The imaginative, original show - transported us to a vibrant bar where we met and connected with local storytellers who shared tales of their lives through song. There was romance, heartache, lost loves and reunions, not to mention some bare-chested cowboys but that’s another story!

The Music

The ‘Spotlight Bar’ music, produced and arranged by Chris Egan and Tristan Francis, brought back many happy holiday memories and got our toes tapping ready to dance along as the cast performed renditions of favourite songs such as:

Brave,” Sara Bareilles
Don’t You Worry About a Thing,” Stevie Wonder
Havana,” Camila Cabela
Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus
Drink You Away,” Justin Timberlake
Freedom,” George Michael

The whole musical score was uplifting, with some of my favourite contemporary music by artists such as Bruno Mars and Lukas Graham (7 years). The ‘Spotlight’ band was made up of a collection of very talented musicians: Zachary McCullough (Drums/Music Manager; Irving Brown (Piano); Peter Serraville (Guitar); Ignacio Long (Bass) and Jonathan Crespo (Trumpet).

The singers brought every story to life with strong vocals from Damon McToy, Karmelle Pelham and Adrian Myles.

Choreography

The choreography was stunning and included a wide range of genres from contemporary to Latin and even some Line Dancing. It is hardly surprising when you read the credentials of Director and Choreographer Karen Bruce who has worked on a range of productions (see below), not least of which was five seasons of Strictly Come Dancing.

A word about the costumes too - Costume Designer, Jackson Lowell ensured there was plenty of glitz and glamour in this little local bar.

Spotlight Bar’s Creative Team

A show like this doesn’t just happen without the input from many people. The impressive creative team that worked with Princess to create Spotlight Bar includes:

Director and Choreographer Karen Bruce – working in the theatre and television, both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Bruce’s work includes direction and choreography of The Last Tango, Dance ‘til Dawn, Midnight Tango, Love Me Tender, The Bodyguard (the United Kingdom, Germany and United States), Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway BBC, Strictly Come Dancing (five seasons beginning in 2011), and on the second series of So You Think You Can Dance for the BBC. Bruce won an Olivier Award for her choreography of Pacific Overtures at the Donmar Warehouse and Best Choreographer at Premios del Teatro Musical for her work on Saturday Night Fever. She is notable for her acclaimed choreography for the Take That musical, Never Forget, directing and choreographing the UK productions of Footloose The Musical and Fame on tour and in the West End. Bruce is no stranger to Princess as she previously created several production shows from 1995 to 2006.

Scenic Designer Morgan Large – a prominent UK scenic designer for Rock of Ages, Fame, Tell Me On A Sunday, Wonderland (Theater Award Best Design), Room on the Broom (nominated Olivier Award) and Top Hat. He collaborated with Bruce on The Last Tango, Footloose The Musical, and Midnight Tango (nominated for Olivier Award).

Musical Director Chris Egan – a British composer, orchestrator, conductor and musical director who has worked extensively on film, television and theatre music, as well as live concerts. His credits include The Bodyguard, The Wedding Singer, Upstairs Downstairs, Downton Abbey and Shaun the Sheep 2. Egan is also Elaine Paige’s musical director.

Lighting Designer James Whiteside – with more than 15 years of experience lighting plays, musicals, dance and opera in the UK and internationally, Whiteside has worked for commercial producers, repertory houses and independent theatre companies. He’s designed lighting for small scale tours to West End musicals. Whiteside also collaborated with Bruce in 2006 on the Princess production Destination Anywhere.

Costume Designer Jackson Lowell – his designs featured on many celebrities and concert tours, including Katy Perry, Pink, Paula Abdul, Elton John, Barbra Streisand and Usher. He has also designed for many notable dance companies, such as Hubbard Street Dance Company, Paul Taylor, San Francisco Ballet, Twyla Tharp and Oakland Dance Company.

Enchanted Princess

The 145,000 GT, 3660 capacity Royal Class Enchanted Princess came into service in November 2021. She shares many of the features of her sister ship, Sky Princess but she also includes new restaurants and revised interior design in certain venues.

Find out more about Enchanted Princess and Sky Princess

You can find details of Enchanted Princess itineraries HERE.

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel agent, by calling 0344 338 8663 or by visiting the company's website at princess.com