by Dennis Augustine
Last night aboard the Oceania Riviera was one we’ll remember. Cecile and I were fortunate to be chosen from the waitlist for Toscana, the ship’s exquisite Italian specialty restaurant. From the moment we sat down, we knew we were in for something special. The fresh bread centerpiece alone was a celebration—an artful assortment served with a trio of fragrant and flavorful olive oils.
The meal was beautifully prepared and leisurely enjoyed—each course a reminder of how luxurious it can feel to simply savor.
After dinner, we made our way to the Riviera Lounge for Broadway Dreams, a solo show by our talented cruise director Carson Turner. What followed was more than entertainment—it was a heartfelt journey through Carson’s life told through the Broadway songs that shaped him. Raised as an only child in North Carolina, he shared how musicals like Annie, Oklahoma, The Boy from Oz, and The Jersey Boys (my personal favorite) guided his path, even as his father—once a starting quarterback—hoped he’d follow a more athletic route. Eventually, his father saw Carson shine on stage and became his biggest fan.
Carson’s performance was a beautiful tribute to his parents and to the power of the arts. At the end, he urged us all to support arts education—so vital and too often underfunded. And as he often reminded us throughout the cruise after announcing daily activities:
“…If you do nothing else, be kind to one another.”
We stayed afterward to thank him, and Cecile shared that our daughter Michelle had also performed in many of those same shows growing up. Like Carson, neither she nor our son Jason were into sports—but both found joy and expression in music and theater. Jason played clarinet in his high school and college bands, and Cecile herself was a proud volunteer mom producer-helping stage musicals at JCC summer camp under the guidance of director Laural Perelman Cohen.
