“All in all, Titanic the Musical is a remarkable, expectation defying production…” Yeston and Stone’s ode to tragedy evokes the lyric opera of a bygone age.
📍 Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
📅 Tue 20 to Sat 24 Jun 2023
🕖 Evenings 7.30pm | Matinees Thurs & Sat 2:30pm
🕖 Running time: Approx 2 hours 30 minutes (includes interval)
🎼 Music & Lyrics: Maury Yeston
✍️ Story & Book: Peter Stone
🎬 Director: Thom Southerland
⚒️ Set & Costume Designer: David Woodhead
💡 Lighting Designer: Howard Hudson
🔉 Sound Designer: Andrew Johnson
🎶 Musical Director: Ben Papworth
🎂 12+
🎭 Wheelchair Accessible Venue, Wheelchair Accessible Toilets, Audio Induction Loop
Such is the impact of a certain movie that theatre-goers may be forgiven for expecting Titanic the Musical to be one continual riff on Celine Dion’s greatest hit. Fortunately Maury Yeston and Peter Stone’s creation has nothing at all in common with that particular Jame Cameron blockbuster, save the subject matter. Instead, this show would be fitting entitled, Titanic the Opera, for both narrative and score are better described as that most unknown of creatures: a contemporary tonal opera.
There’s an audacity to the entire endeavour, which eschews the hummable ear-worm in favour of long, lyrical passages, as well as lacking any central hero’s journey to follow. Instead we are introduced to occupants of the doomed ship from 1st class to 3rd, who may share the voyage, but that’s about it. The opening passage, as grand as any G&S gambit brings the occupant dock-side, where the ship is being admired by its makers, and over-aweing its soon to be inhabitants. From ‘In Every Age’ through ‘Godspeed Titanic’ the piece grows in sophistication and volume, finishing in a full-bodied choral number fit to knock your socks off.
From there the action winds between decks, the top overseen by the triumverate of Captain Edward Smith (Graham Bickley), ship designer Thomas Andrews (Ian McLarnon), and ship owner J. Bruce Ismay (Paul Kemble). They are quite the powerhouse group, a trio of differently timbred voices, and very different characters. Then it’s to the first class dining room, where the hyper wealthy sing of the stock markets kindess to their bank balances and so on. Representing the second class are Alice Beane (Bree Smith) and husband Edgar (James Darch), the former determined to join the rarefied class above, the latter unamused by such ambitions.
Smith is particularly charming, her time on board the closest to an old-time Hollywood adventure, and her voice alive with the thrill of her time abord
In the Engine room, Lead Stoker Frederick Barett (Adam Filipe) pines for his love left on Irish shores, whilst in Third Class Kate McGowan (Lucie Mae-Sumner) one of three Irish Kates onboard, finds romance and ambition for life in the new world with Jim Farell (Chris Nevin). For the most part these different worlds, closer in transit than in their lives upon land, carry on independently, at least for the longer first act. This act concerns itself with the joy preceding the inevitable tragedy, the sense of adventure, and the possibility of transformation inherent to each life headed for the fabled land of the free.
The pick of the numbers here is ‘The Proposal/The Night Was Alive’ sung by versatile light tenor Filipe and delicate baritone Alastair Hill as wireless operator Harold Bride. It’s a beautifully counterpointed number, one proposing through the ether, whilst the other declares love for the airwaves themselves.
Post collision, and intermission, the action neccessarily shifts tone, as the ocean rises to claim the majority of the ship’s occupants. Recriminations erupt between the ship’s C-suite. Denial rules the wealthy. A brief evacuation to the first class lounge delights Beane. However, inequality comes to bite the lower classes in Steerage, who are at first kept below decks, supposedly to facilitate the escape of their betters.
There’s some magnificent pathos in ‘We’ll Meet Tomorrow’ when the cast entire conspire to say their goodbyes as women and children ushered into lifeboats (though not all, the boats would ultimately be half full leading to the survival of but 73.3 percent of the women and 50.4 percent of the children.)
Ulimately proceedings narrow down to designer Andrews, alone at his desk, castigating himself over failures in the boat’s construction, and envisioning its end in ‘Mr. Andrews’ Vision.’ McLarnon’s tenor enjoys some real force, and there’s real despair lacing each word.
Now, the set isn’t the most impressive construction ever seen on stage, a frame of riveted steel containing a wooden floor, and a simple wooden deck perched above. It serves its purpose, but those who flirt with the operatic would do well to consider that genre’s reliably lavish approach to setting. To a degree, more is more, and the sheer magesty of the Titanic present in the music, is not part of the visual spectacle.
Whilst reports of the Titanic’s sinking do confirm a politeness to proceedings, there’s a dip in the show’s energy as the end nears. Which isn’t to say there aren’t one of two fraught moments, or that there isn’t a strong sense of tragedy once the survivors take the stage before a drop down list of the 1,517 souls lost on that fateful night in 1912.
A final, glorious reprise of ‘Godspeed Titanic’, however, certainly rouses the audience to a resounding, pathos-edged conclusion; a vision of what might have been, but for the fateful decisions of a few men, and their investors. All in all, Titanic the Musical is a remarkable, expectation defying production and reaching successfully into a world of grand, light opera almost completely lost to history.
Titanic the Musical is produced by Danielle Tarento in association with Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, and Harmonia.
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