BROOKLYN -- Cunard Line transported a small piece of
Hollywood to the New York waterfront on Friday night, staging the world
premiere of a new feature film, "The Greatest Showman," aboard the
Queen Mary 2.
The stars of the movie -- Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Rebecca
Ferguson and Zendaya -- walked a makeshift red carpet down a brightly lit
interior corridor of the ship, where the entertainment press recorded them on
video and in photos.
Director Michael Gracey briefly addressed a reception for
the cast and crew, their friends and family, 20th Century Fox studio executives
and Carnival Corp. leaders, who were on hand to share in the glamour of the
occasion.
"This is the first time there's been a movie premier on
a cruise ship -- ever," said a clearly delighted Arnold Donald, CEO of
Carnival Corp. Donald said the premier was an "affirmation of the type of
experience that Cunard affords its guests."
To accommodate the premiere, the departure of the Queen Mary
2 on its regular run to Southampton was held until midnight. Many of the guests
took advantage of the late-night opportunity to leave the ship for dinner or a
show in Manhattan.
Cunard cabin attendants at the entry to the gangway for "The Greatest Showman" premiere aboard Queen Mary 2. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
Those who stayed, however, could hardly avoid seeing that
something special was going on. The ship, illuminated by its own lights at the
Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in the borough's Red Hook neighborhood, was also
bathed in the brightness of high-powered searchlights that define a Hollywood
gala.
Inside the terminal, a portal to the gangway was framed by
oversized movie posters for "The Greatest Showman." A troupe of
acrobats juggled clubs, swallowed swords, kept a half-dozen hoops swirling
about their torsos or balanced one another in the air in improbable poses.
The film -- which opens in theaters Dec. 20 -- is a musical
about the life of show business and circus promoter P.T. Barnum, who was a frequent
Cunard passenger traveling between Europe and the U.S. In 1850, Barnum brought with him Swedish
soprano Jenny Lind -- played by Ferguson -- and they were greeted on the docks
in New York by a crowd of 40,000 fans.
Cunard screened the film for the first time for the cast and
crew in the Illuminations theater aboard the Queen Mary 2. Some scenes were
shot in the company's ornate office building on lower Broadway, and others on
the streets of Brooklyn.
Josh Liebowitz, Cunard's senior vice president North America,
said that in addition to booking passage on Cunard, Barnum also performed a
show on at least one ship, entitled "Sleight of Hand and Mesmerism."
Cunard began working with 20th Century Fox over a year ago
to promote the film. Liebowitz said Cunard was "thrilled" with the
results and would welcome the chance to work with the studio again.