I recently recorded Celtic Thunder: Mythology off of PBS. I was vaguely familiar with the group, I like Celtic folk music and thought it might be good, and it was the cheesiest thing Ireland has e’er produced without leaving wet an udder: the stage is a huge Celtic cross, there are reels and accents that (allowing for the fact most of the cast really is Irish) have got to be enhanced, all the usual “Our daddy is drunk and the baby is dead and we’ve naught to eat but sheep droppings since March” type dirges followed by rollicking “Our daddy is drunk and the baby is dead and we’ve naught to eat but sheep droppings since March” dances, and it was just dreadful. Reminded me a lot of GLEE actually (which in fact had one of their former members, Damian McGinty, in a recurring role for a while): lots of sparkle and an occasional hummable moment and major points for eye candy (speaking of eyes, check out those of their lead singer) but ultimately so pandering and cheesy you’re clogged for 8 days.
Yet, they generally sell out wherever they go, even in 5,000 seat auditoriums.
Who’s another act- individual, group, play, you name it- who still packs them in but you find horrendously cheesy? (I’m defining cheesy as pandering, overly contrived, syrupy, etc.- but feel free to tweek it as you will.)
My vote is for the Miss America pageant. My wife won’t watch it with me any more, because of the mooing noises I can’t help but make during the Parade of Nations, and the hysterical giggling during the interview portions.
Either that, or synchronized swimming. All those years of dedicated training, and it looks like Flipper on crack.
Cheesy is also on the eye of the beholder and country. I’ve seen some shows (on DVD) from other groups, where the outfits, the set, the ensemble… are what the US consider very cheesy. Yet they’re performing to sold out stadiums, and I know they’re popular performers in their region (not lacking any money).
I always thought the music was top class and most of the dancing was great too but some of the costuming etc. was cheeserama. To be fair to its creators while it drew on tradition it was new in its scale and spectacle. It’s amazing how far it went from a relatively humble intermission act at 1994’s Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin.
Anything ‘On Ice’. Disney On Ice, Dancing On Ice, Stars On Ice, Kung Fu Panda On Ice, Holidays On Ice, Fantasy On Ice, Jersey On Ice, Nurenburg On Ice, you name it.
