CRUISING IN STYLE ON QUEEN VICTORIA: CUNARD'S ROYAL COURT THEATER

Gala nights (the clever and glamorous rebranding of the outdated and dowdy- sounding "formal nights") are one of Cunard's signature features. Some galas come with a playful theme, and "Roaring 20s" is one of their perennial offerings that capitalizes on the voluptuous vintage aesthetic of the Cunard Queens. Although adherence to the theme is not mandatory (while formal wear is), guests are encouraged to don attire and/or accessorize in 20s styles, and I was delighted to see that a number of our fellow passengers had accoutered themselves in the spirit of the evening! As part of the theme, Cunard offers, for instance, signature cocktails inspired by The Great Gatsby (which are conveniently priced at the amount that would allow them to be purchased as part of a drinks package). Very often, they end up hosting a big band night in the Queen's Room (our favorite!) as part of the 20s festivities. However, the band rarely plays actual "roaring 20s"-style music in the course of the big band evening (at least not at the 15 or so such themed galas we've attended); they oddly focus instead on arrangements either from or in the styles of the '50s, '60s and even the '80s, with a smattering of token 30s/40s pieces in 30s/40s settings. But none of that hot, coke-fueled style jazz that made the 20s, well, roar! (Admittedly, I don't expect the musicians to achieve said roar the way their jazzmen forbearers did...😏). During our 20s Gala, for instance, the band didn't even play The Charleston! I don't know about you, but I expect a Roaring 20s party to sound like a revel in a certain fictional bootlegger's nouveau riche mansion on Long Island or a cabaret in Weimar Berlin! The one musical/dance nod offered to the 20s theme was the super simple, super fun "Social Charleston" line dance that they taught, sadly during one of the breaks, though, so we danced to recorded music instead of the wonderful playing of the big band (I might suggest teaching/practicing the Social Charleston during the break, then having it be the first piece played when the band returns). Whining about the music selection aside, the entertainment staff did something even stranger with the Big Band Ball in the Queen's Room: They had only two sets of big band music, inserting one of their duos into the middle set. The duos are lovely, talented people, but their performance did not exactly align with a gala occasion, with a vocalist and a pianist playing against a backtrack recording for 45 minutes (I wish they'd ditch the backtrack...). They had this arrangement also during the big band gala evening in the first half of our 25-day voyage. I thought it was a fluke, but apparently not. 😏 Now, persnickety musical pedantry aside, the Queen's Room Orchestra and the Royal Court Theater Orchestra played beautifully! Noah, the vocalist, has this uncanny ability to sound exactly like the original artist who produced the song, and the band was definitely on, delivering sassy solos each in turn! As far as I know, Cunard is the only cruise line that offers a big band evening, and I hope they keep it up! Some guests are not fans of the themed evenings, but we certainly are; it adds extra spice to the evening, even if not everyone participates. For our part, Ryan donned his vintage 1920s tails with white tie, which we procured over a decade ago on UK eBay for a mere hundred quid. The sophisticatedly structured tailoring in the coat is absolutely exquisite and practically a lost sartorial art at this point. And yes, Ryan did in fact perform perspirational acts in honor of Terpsichore in this weighty ensemble, i.e. we danced until there was more water in his clothing than in his body. 😅 I went with a silk bias-cut gown that is honestly more 1930 than 1920, purchased 20 years ago on the super sale rack of Lord & Taylor's, but shhhhhhh. 😉 For my coiffeur, Ryan succeeded at creating the most iconic hairstyle of the 1920s, the glamorous faux bob! I'm particularly pleased and impressed how it turned out! About eight months ago, Cunard announced that it was eliminating themed galas, and they briefly implemented the change, leading to quite an outcry from many loyal Cunarders - of whom I was one. I'm delighted that they have relented and resumed the tradition! #cruise #cunard ##QueenVictoria #stylish #theater #cruiseship #cruising