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Princess Cruises Unveils Newest Stephen Schwartz Production “The Secret Silk”
Third Show in Industry-First Partnership puts a Contemporary Spin on
Ancient Asian Tale with Live Puppetry by Jim Henson's Creature Shop
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (January 11, 2018) – PrincessCruisestoday revealed the third production show created in collaboration with Oscar-,Tony- and Grammy award-winning composer of "Wicked," "Pippin," and "Godspell,"Stephen Schwartz, and his team of professional creators. "The SecretSilk,"is a remarkable tale of adventure, romance, and enchantment that featuresfamiliar music and brings together some of Broadway's best to transportaudiences onboard. The new show, created and directed by Tony Award-nominatedJohn Tartaglia, debuts exclusively on Royal Princess starting in mid-February2018 as the ship sails the Caribbean.
"Presenting this timeless, ancient fable asthe third production in our partnership, through the accomplishments of John'screativity and Stephen's guidance and vision, will no doubt deliver anoutstanding entertainment experience for our guests," said Denise Saviss,Princess Cruise vice president entertainment experience.
"TheSecret Silk" is the story of an Asian folkloric tale with a contemporaryspin, featuring inspired performances through the use of music, dance, puppetryand visuals. Adapted from the ancient fable "The Grateful Crane," the storyfeatures Lan, a beautiful, selfless young woman who possesses a magical gift,secretly creating brilliant silk fabrics. Audiences will be introduced tooriginal life-sized puppet creations by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, and anoriginal song, "Sing to the Sky," both made exclusively for the line'sproduction. A sneak peek at the newest show in the line's repertoire can beseen here.
"I am thrilled to have John Tartaglia join meon this production journey with Princess," said Stephen Schwartz. "His puppetrymastery is sure to dazzle guests on the high seas."
"The Secret Silk" premieres aboard RoyalPrincess, followed by Island Princess in May 2018 for the Alaska season, andDiamond Princess in fall 2018. Production team for "The Secret Silk" includes:
John Tartaglia,(Creator and Director) an American puppeteer, actor, singer, dancer, voiceartist, and comedian, whose theatre performance credits include a TonyAward nominated Broadway debut in "Avenue Q," "Beauty and the Beast," and"Shrek The Musical." His acclaimed off-Broadway, national and internationaltouring show "ImaginOcean" premiered in November as a new Jim HensonCompany series on PBS entitled, "Splash and Bubbles." John is also the host ofSiriusXM On Broadway's "Sunday Funday."
Shannon Lewis,(Choreographer) is a veteran of 10 Broadway shows including starring in theoriginal cast of "Fosse," winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical.Choreography includes "Shrek the Halls," "Joseph and the Amazing TechnicolorDreamcoat," and "A Dog Story."
Anna Louizos,(Scenic Designer) is a three-time Tony Award nominee with more than 18 Broadwayshows to her credit. Currently her sets and costumes can be seen in "School ofRock" on Broadway, London, and the U.S. tour.
Clint Ramos,(Costume Designer) is a set and costume designer for theater and live events.He has designed over 200 shows on Broadway, both in the U.S. andinternationally. He is the recipient of the Tony Award, Obie Award forSustained Excellence, three Lortel Awards, the TDF Irene Sharaff Award, two ATWHenry Hewes Awards, and a Helen Hayes Award.
Brad Ellis,(Musical Director) is a former Los Angelessession musician who now orchestrates for major U.S. symphonies, and is bestknown as the curiously silent piano player on "Glee."
Adam Gwon,(Original Song - Lyrics) is a composer andlyricist whose musicals have been seen around the world in more than 200productions, including off-Broadway and in London's West End.
Jihwan Kim,(Original Song - Music) is a composer andcomposition teacher based in New York. His works include "Cupid and Psyche"with lyricist Sean Heartley, "Cinderella After the Ball" and "The NutcrackerSings" with lyricist Eddie Sugarman.
This theatricalpartnership adds to the cruise line's Come Back New Promise, amulti-million dollar investment to enhance the onboard guest experience,ultimately resulting in more transformative moments, lifetime memories andmeaningful stories to share from a cruise vacation. The line's partnership withSchwartz brings four exclusive production shows to Princess Cruises' guestsincluding "Magic To Do," "Born To Dance," "The Secret Silk" and a fourth to bedebuted in 2019.
Additionalinformation about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travelagent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237), or by visiting the company'swebsite at princess.com.
About Jim Henson Creature Shop:
Over the past 50 years, Jim Henson's CreatureShop™, a division of The Jim Henson Company, has been one of the premierpractical visual effects companies in the entertainment industry; creatingmemorable puppet and creature characters for film and television. Following inthe footsteps of Jim Henson, the Creature Shop continues to be on the forefrontof technological innovation in both practical visual effects, and nowanimation. They have developed a breakthrough in animation with their patentedEmmy-Award winning Henson Digital Puppetry Studio. The groundbreaking systemproduces immediate real-time animation of 3D generated digital characters. TheCreature Shop also functions as a creative service company to the rest of theentertainment industry, working on projects in the areas of film, advertising,and themed-entertainment; and creatively collaborating with artists in themusic industry.
About Princess Cruises:
One of thebest-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a global cruise line and tourcompany operating a fleet of 17 modern cruise ships renowned for theirinnovative design and wide array of choices in dining, entertainment andamenities, all provided with the experience of exceptional customer service. Asan award-winning destination leader offering international cruise vacations,Princess carries two million guests each year to more than 360 destinationsaround the globe on more than 150 itineraries ranging in length from three to111 days. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE:CUK).
Newsroom:
Additionalmedia information is available at princess.com/news.
For more information contact:
Brea Burkholz,661-753-1542, bburkholz@princesscruises.com
Negin Kamali, 661-753-1539, nkamali@princesscruises.com
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