Cunard is creating a theatre group for its next new liner, the Queen Elizabeth.
The 21-strong Queen Elizabeth Theatre Company is, according to president Peter Shanks, a first for the industry.
It will take responsibility for all the evening entertainment, which will include a performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, scenes from Neil Simon plays, and a comedy current affairs show similar to television game shows Have I Got News For You and QI.
Shanks said: “The whole programme has not yet been settled on, and it is a risk because this hasn’t been done before, but we are confident that it will work very well.
“Normally the entertainment team would be about 14 or 15-strong, so we have a few extra which adds a cost but we won’t be bringing in outside acts.
“Because we have British and American passengers predominantly, we had to choose content that would work well both sides of the Atlantic and Neil Simon and Shakespeare both fit the bill.
“Our research suggests that 50 minutes is about right for an evening show on board so Twelfth Night, for example, has been adapted to fit that time period.”
Shanks expects Twelfth Night to run for a couple of years before being replaced by, possibly, another Shakespeare play.
The Queen Elizabeth will unveiled in October this year.