Too Much Tech…

Last night we watched the production show on the Cruise Ship we’re on vacation on. It’s essentially a dance show with some singing, but the whoever wrote/designed the show decided to highlight the tech over the people. While not an always bad choice, for me (and I’m biased as I make my living as a live performer) watching special effects on a screen gets old…especially when you have talented humans on the stage.

There was a lot of the time they had dancers doing their thing in the dark while the screens overpowered them.

robot cabaret show

I totally understand what they were going for, which was a high tech show. I think there were ways to do it, like simply lighting the live performers while still keeping their futuristic theme.

Then at then end something strange happened. The cruise director came out (which is normal) and mentioned that the six moving screens cost a million dollars each, so six million total. It was, as my wife said, “a strange flex“, where he was giving props to a robot. For six million dollars, you could have an insanely amazing show with minimal tech! In my view, the cruise director trivialized the humans in the show. A better thing to say would have been something like, “let’s not forget a round of applause for the million dollar robot screens…and another round of applause for the cast of Pixel’s Cabaret that came from 7 different countries and 3 continents to entertain you.” He’d still get to brag about how much the TV’s cost, but also honor the performers. Without them, I don’t think anyone would watch the 40 minute show of just flashing lights.

Look at your show, is the technology overpowering you?
We’re in a time where it’s easy to add production value to your show, but is it always necessary?
Does tech in your show get in the way of you connecting on a human level with your audience?

I could be old school and out of touch, but that’s my opinion.
-Louie

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