Tiano: “We spend weeks on a ship together and still haven’t thrown each other overboard”

Tiano are the world’s leading cruise ship entertainers, who also happen to be a married couple. They have shared the details of a day in their lives —as well as the secret to a happy relationship—as they celebrate their 23rd anniversary.

West End performers Tiano have been wowing audiences for nearly two decades. Since appearing in leading musicals such as Dirty Dancing and Chicago, they have been in high demand as headline acts on luxury cruise liners. 

Who are Tiano?

Tiano comprises pianist and composer Christopher Hamilton, 51, and his tenor partner Shimi Goodman, 46 – who met in drama school in 2001. Shimi says:

“It was very much love at first sight. We rented a flat together in London immediately after graduation, and I started performing in the West End”. 

Shimi’s first show was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bombay Dreams at the Apollo Victoria, where he understudied the lead role. This meant eight shows a week, so not much time for socialising. 

“Chris took his self-penned musical to the Edinburgh Fringe (Over The Threshold) while I was touring with Evita as the alternate Che, so we were both very busy with our own paths. Then, when Chris started working on cruise ships, we barely got to see each other. It was hard sometimes, but I can definitely say absence made the heart grow fonder, and we had a mutual respect for the effort we each put into our careers”. 

After over a decade of big West End productions, Shimi decided to change direction and create his own show. He, like Chris, started performing on ships – and after a few cruises the couple started travelling and working together, performing their own individual shows before deciding to come together as Tiano.  

What does Tiano mean?

“We’ve always performed together since the day we met, but we came up with the name Tiano during the pandemic when we were invited to appear on a TV show, and they asked for our band name. We were always just “Chris & Shimi”, but that’s when we created the name TIANO (Tenor and Piano)”. 

The pair wed in 2021, and despite spending weeks at a time together on an enclosed cruise ship, have managed to go without throwing each other overboard (thus far).

“Living and working together can be testing – especially when there are not enough coat hangers in the ship’s suite wardrobe for all our glitzy show suits,” Shimi jokes.

“We enjoy working closely with each other, but it doesn’t mean we never disagree. We have to make sure that we give each other some space sometimes. Over the years we’ve learned how to listen to each other, compromise where necessary and try to get the best out of each other. We also have different roles in our little team, and we both know them. For example I’m good with anything to do with graphic design, photography, and video editing, and Chris withhis legal background is very good with any contracts and the financial side of things”.

What can we expect at a Tiano Show?

Tiano’s spellbinding performances include everything from opera classics to James Bond medleys, in several languages. After such acclaimed success, they feel it’s time to challenge stereotypes about the standards of performers at sea.

“The general misconception is that cruise ship performers are amateurish,” says Israeli-born Shimi. “But we treat every show very seriously and create something highly polished as we would do if performing at the Royal Albert Hall.

“Christopher comes from the world of classical piano, which means he practised every day from the age of four and won competitions and scholarships to go to Oxford.”

Cardiff-born Christopher stresses how there is nothing cheesy or second rate about their abilities, especially as the duo have just 45 minutes to win over an audience who haven’t paid specifically to see them. 

“Shimi has a BA honours with distinction from one of the top drama schools in the world. He’s played in some of the major shows with well-known artists and creators such as Brooke Shields and Andrew Lloyd Webber.” 

It’s not hard to see the appeal of Tiano’s glamorous lifestyle as they are employed on up to 20 voyages each year. 

“Getting a standing ovation from an audience who weren’t familiar with us before is extremely satisfying,” adds Shimi. 

Where can I see Tiano in London?

When back on dry land the pair are regulars at Piccadilly’s prestigious Crazy Coqs music venue and have recently released their debut album, Tiano. Having been together for over 20 years, they share their secret to a happy marriage.

“It would have to be communication. It’s key. Some people prefer the ‘sweep under the rug’ philosophy, but we are very much ‘get it all out’. But like everything else, relationships have their own DNA, and everyone should do what’s right for them. We also find music to be a wonderful tool and have so much fun making music together but also listening to it. We love going to concerts, musicals and other types of music performances and are lucky in that we have that passion in common”.

Shimi and Christopher’s goal is to continue lifting audiences globally and write further albums to spread the healing power of music in their stirring performances.