“Boat comedian.’’
For years, that was the comedy community’s ultimate insult.
“If a guy was a hack comic,’’ said Don Gavin, a veteran Boston comedian, “that was the derogatory term we all used.’’
“At one point,’’ said Michele Balan, a 2006 finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing’’ series, “comics thought that when you agree to perform on cruises you put yourself in a career coffin.’’
“American Idol’’ guru Simon Cowell didn’t help that impression, according to Gary Walker, Celebrity Cruise Lines manager of entertainment and cruise programs, “when he told an ‘American Idol’ contestant a few years back, ‘You’d be OK on a cruise ship.’
“That woke up the entire cruise industry to what people think of all cruise line entertainment,’’ Walker added, “even though it’s really comparable to what you’d find at Las Vegas or Branson, Mo.
“So the lines really went a step further to book the kind of talent that would appeal to all demos, especially the people who go to comedy clubs,’’ Walker said. “Now we look for comedians with totally fresh material, who are a bit edgier and more contemporary.’’
“We’re spending top dollar to get great comedians,’’ said Bret Bullock, vice president of entertainment for the upscale Crystal Cruises. “These aren’t your father’s comedy clubs anymore.’’
The Carnival Cruise Line now has a Punchliner Comedy Club on every ship and celebrity comedian George Lopez is their official patron comic-presenter.
“Last year we did 21,000 comedy shows,’’ said Mark Tamis, Carnival’s senior vice president of guest operations. “We had 5.6 million audience members for our shows, and had a roster of 135 comedians, year round. Over the last six months, we’ve asked our guests what they like most about our cruises, and comedy is almost always one of the things they mentioned.’’
Nearly all the big cruise lines have followed suit if not quite with the same a-comedy-club-on-every-ship goal. “Comedy is a vital part of every cruise,’’ said Bullock. “Our guests take Crystal Cruises to escape and have a good time, and what better way to do that than with laughter?’’
Balan had been doing comedy for 20 years, and avoiding cruise lines, until she performed two years ago at the Nantucket Comedy Festival. Cruise industry people in the audience liked what they heard and approached her.
“I told them I was not ready to end my career,’’ she quipped. “But they just kept coming back to me saying, ‘Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it.’ So I did, even though I went kicking and screaming, and now I love it.’’
For years, that was the comedy community’s ultimate insult.
“If a guy was a hack comic,’’ said Don Gavin, a veteran Boston comedian, “that was the derogatory term we all used.’’
“At one point,’’ said Michele Balan, a 2006 finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing’’ series, “comics thought that when you agree to perform on cruises you put yourself in a career coffin.’’
“American Idol’’ guru Simon Cowell didn’t help that impression, according to Gary Walker, Celebrity Cruise Lines manager of entertainment and cruise programs, “when he told an ‘American Idol’ contestant a few years back, ‘You’d be OK on a cruise ship.’
“That woke up the entire cruise industry to what people think of all cruise line entertainment,’’ Walker added, “even though it’s really comparable to what you’d find at Las Vegas or Branson, Mo.
“So the lines really went a step further to book the kind of talent that would appeal to all demos, especially the people who go to comedy clubs,’’ Walker said. “Now we look for comedians with totally fresh material, who are a bit edgier and more contemporary.’’
“We’re spending top dollar to get great comedians,’’ said Bret Bullock, vice president of entertainment for the upscale Crystal Cruises. “These aren’t your father’s comedy clubs anymore.’’
The Carnival Cruise Line now has a Punchliner Comedy Club on every ship and celebrity comedian George Lopez is their official patron comic-presenter.
“Last year we did 21,000 comedy shows,’’ said Mark Tamis, Carnival’s senior vice president of guest operations. “We had 5.6 million audience members for our shows, and had a roster of 135 comedians, year round. Over the last six months, we’ve asked our guests what they like most about our cruises, and comedy is almost always one of the things they mentioned.’’
Nearly all the big cruise lines have followed suit if not quite with the same a-comedy-club-on-every-ship goal. “Comedy is a vital part of every cruise,’’ said Bullock. “Our guests take Crystal Cruises to escape and have a good time, and what better way to do that than with laughter?’’
Balan had been doing comedy for 20 years, and avoiding cruise lines, until she performed two years ago at the Nantucket Comedy Festival. Cruise industry people in the audience liked what they heard and approached her.
“I told them I was not ready to end my career,’’ she quipped. “But they just kept coming back to me saying, ‘Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it.’ So I did, even though I went kicking and screaming, and now I love it.’’
Source:
articles.boston.com
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