NCL Announces Partnership With Famed Second City Troupe

NCL Announces Partnership With Famed Second City Troupe Norwegian Dawn is First Cruise Ship to Feature Renowned Improvisational Ensemble MIAMI, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) today announced its exclusive partnership with the famed sketch and improvisation troupe, The Second City. Debuting this month, six performers from the storied comedy empire will quip, sing and laugh their way through a special customized comedy revue aboard Norwegian Dawn on each of her roundtrip sailings from New York City. Performing an inventive and hilarious medley of satirical skits, songs, and improvisation, The Second City is always original, daring, and wildly entertaining. A world-class comedic troupe, The Second City has long been recognized as incubator for celebrities and is famous for encouraging the talents of many great performers, including: Bill Murray, Bonnie Hunt, Chris Farley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jeremy Piven, George Wendt, Mike Myers, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Tim Meadows and Tina Fey. "There's nothing better than a great laugh -- especially while on vacation -- which is why we're proud to be the first cruise line to offer such high-level comedic performances aboard one of our ships," said Colin Veitch, NCL's president and CEO. "In addition to great restaurants, amenities, itineraries, shore excursions and accommodations, we also want to offer our passengers the best and most creative entertainment options possible. This partnership helps us do just that." "The Second City has spent 45 years entertaining audiences from Chicago to Toronto, Las Vegas to London, Bahrain to Baghdad. It only seems fitting that in our anniversary year we would be provided the opportunity to extend our comic reach to the seas," said Kelly Leonard, Vice President of The Second City. "We are thrilled to partner with Norwegian Cruise Line -- their dedication to excellence sets a standard we are proud to meet." In addition to performing one night each sailing, The Second City ensemble will introduce the art and philosophy of improvisation to Norwegian Dawn passengers by hosting onboard workshops. Drawing on The Second City's history of ensemble improvisation, satire and revue comedy, these workshops will be dedicated to exploring passengers' artistic voices and providing the tools and techniques needed to express those voices. "The Second City troupe will also offer children's workshops through NCL's popular Kids Crew program," said Keith Cox, NCL's vice president of entertainment and onboard programming. "In addition to being fun and interactive, these workshops will introduce youngsters to many of the important principles of improvisation, such as the value of listening, working as a team and the amazing results of saying 'yes, and' rather than 'no, but.'" The touring troupe onboard Norwegian Dawn will be comprised of Brian Morris (Musical Director); Joe Canale; Molly Erdman; Paul Grondy; Kevin McGeehan; and Sue Salvi. "The Best of Second City" will replace Norwegian Dawn's current Music of the Night performance, which features the musical scores of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. One of NCL's largest ships, accommodating 2,224 passengers and 1,112 crew, Norwegian Dawn sails round-trip from New York to the Caribbean year-round. She features more dining options than any other ship in the world, with the flexibility of 10 different restaurants, as well as one of the most impressive art collections at sea including original works from van Gogh, Matisse, Monet and Renoir. She also features one of the biggest facility for kids (almost 5,500 square feet), spectacular Garden Villa suites, and like all NCL ships, she offers Freestyle Cruising, a more relaxed, resort-style cruise experience with complete flexibility and non-intrusive service of the highest standard. NCL Corporation is an innovative cruise company headquartered in Miami, Florida. With a fleet of 14 ships in service and under construction, the corporation oversees the operations of NCL, NCL America and Orient Lines. On July 4, 2004, NCL made U.S. maritime history when it introduced the reflagged Pride of Aloha, the first modern U.S.-flagged cruise ship in nearly 50 years. The 2,002 passenger ship is 100% U.S.-crewed, with most seafarers hailing from Hawaii. The company is currently building three ships -- Pride of America (delivery on June 6, 2005), Norwegian Jewel (delivery in August 2005) and Pride of Hawaii (delivery in April 2006). For further information on NCL or NCL America, agents in the U.S. and Canada may contact NCL at (800) 327-7030; visit NCL's website at http://www.ncl.com/ or on AOL at keyword: NCL; or to download high-resolution photography visit http://www.ncl.com/hires . Norwegian Cruise Line Edelman Public Relations Susan Robison, (305) 436-4762 Lauren Chilcote, (312) 297-7432 Heather Krasnow, (305) 436-4799 Lauren.chilcote@edelman.comPublicRelations@ncl.com Dan Sherman, (312) 240-2730 Dan.sherman@edelman.com Source: Norwegian Cruise Line CONTACT: Susan Robison, +1-305-436-4762, or Heather Krasnow, +1-305-436-4799, both of Norwegian Cruise Line, PublicRelations@ncl.com , or Lauren Chilcote, +1-312-297-7432, Lauren.chilcote@edelman.com , or Dan Sherman, +1-312-240-2730, Dan.sherman@edelman.com , both of Edelman Public Relations Web site: http://www.ncl.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment