Titanic (UK Tour)

Thom Southerland's somewhat restricting revival of the greatly underappreciated Titanic the Musical leaves a lot to be desired, as it renders Maury Yeston's beautiful score into a spectacle with little life nor the splendor that it deserves.

Few stories in human history match the tragedy of the Titanic's creation and demise. It's a tale that has captivated generations: a story of class, of overreaching, and of the human desire to dream for innovation, and Peter Stone's 1996 musical stands as the pinnacle of its many adaptations. Unfortunately, with this most recent smaller-scale revival directed by Thom Southerland, much of the majesty of Yeston and Stone's magnum opus is lost (at sea), and instead borders on the mundane for much of the first act.

Maury Yeston's criminally underrated score stands as one of musical theatre's finest: the sheer scope of the intricacy in its largely sung through soundtrack is nothing short of admirable and only grows more wonderful with further listening - it's tragic, it's intimidating, it's romantic. Inspired by British composers such as Elgar, the sweeping melodies capture a genuine operatic beauty that, in my opinion, stands as one of the best scores of the 1990s. There's just one slight problem... it's a tad bit boring. Uncompromising in its plodding nature, the production does little to compensate for this; the direction lacks dynamicism, and little movement in both the the cast and set forms a sense of stagnation throughout the piece. Such a problem becomes most noticeable in Doing the Latest Rag, wherein the jaunty and joyous number becomes a cluttered scattering of movement, overshadowed by the burdening set. As a whole, this results in the whole show coming off feeling a little dry (no that wasn't a pun) and completely devoid of life - something necessary if we are to care for the poor souls who will inevitably die onboard.

The performances on the other hand are phenomenal, bringing the historical figures to life with vibrancy. For a show that juggles so many characters, and many actors taking on multiple roles throughout, the talent of the cast in creating distinct portrayals of each figure makes the plot far easier to follow. While this really is an ensemble show, with the collective cast working together to create an impressive sense of scale and depth to the diverse many onboard the Titanic, several performances stood out as exceptional: Adam Filipe as the stoker Frederick Barrett gave a thrilling rendition of Barrett's Song, Emily George, Niamh Long and Lucie-Mae Sumner were delightfully charming as Kate Murphy, Kate Mullins and Kate McGowan respectively, and Bree Smith gave a wonderful depiction of Alice Beane. However, it's Ian McLarnon as Thomas Andrews, the designer of the Titanic, who steals the show with is haunting rendition of Mr Andrews' Vision, which makes for a thrilling climax and a jaw-dropping moment.

While criticism may be aimed at the set design, the lighting design by Howard Hudson must be applauded, creating aesthetically gorgeous moments on stage. From the shadowy, flame-lit boiler room to the misty night-time top deck, the lighting takes what is otherwise an unchanging set and transforms it into carefully crafted settings. The same can be said for David Woodhead's costume design, which is not only vast in its variety and multitude, but also beautifully detailed, perfectly capturing the different classes, statuses and roles of those on board. A trio of creative perfection is completed by Andrew Johnson's sound design, who forms a chilling atmospheric audio that - in the absence of spectacle on stage - creates a sense of genuine threat throughout the auditorium in the show's most climatic moments.

I'm somewhat heartbroken to be writing a negative review for this show; Titanic the Musical stands as one of my favourite musical scores, and when staged with creativity and grandeur makes for a sublime theatrical experience. Yet, with the stifling set and aimless direction felt within this production, the enjoyability of this show rides upon Yeston's phenomenal score and the talented cast performing it, which while both brilliant enough to earn the show 3 stars, are held back by the bafflingly limited scale of this production of a musical that really ought to be a 5 star feast for the eyes, heart and soul.

Titanic the Musical continues its voyage on a UK tour until 5th August

https://titanicthemusical.co.uk/tour.php

[Watched 06/07/23]

Photography credit: Pamela Raith