Unlike the Oscar-winning 1997 film , this production isn’t centred around a fictional love story. Instead, it offers a heartbreaking and detailed account of the event, based on the lives of the real passengers on board the legendary ship in April 1912.To the super-rich, this giant floating city represented the future but the politics and the pressures to increase speed and make headlines would prove its downfall.
The splendour and extravagance of the era is on display. The first half of the production focuses on the hopes and aspirations of the first, second and third-class passengers, as they embark on their journey to a new life in America. The light-hearted dialogue is riddled with dramatic irony whilst being humourous. Much is said about the first class passengers but those in second and third class did not merit a mention in history books. Who knows what they would have done in the future? To the migrants, the ship represented hope for a new life in America. They stepped aboard full of dreams and this production gives us an idea of what brave people they were. For me, the most moving part is the love between Ida and Isidor Straus played by Valds Aviks and David Delve, she refuses to leave her husband, because she sees no reason to live without him. They performed their vocal duet ‘Still’ in such a manner that it was the most memorable song of the show for me, but it is full of so many memorable songs. The band is excellent and the production and special effects are outstanding. Over1,500 souls drowned on April 15,1912 and this poignant tribute keeps the tragedy in our memories. Titanic The Musical left a powerful impression. This darkly intense musical is a moving tribute and production depicting one of the most tragic events in human history. The standard ovation on opening was well deserved.
Titanic the Musical runs at the Regent Theatre from from Monday, April 24 to Saturday, April 29th.
Tickets start from £13 and can be booked at https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/titanic-the-musical/regent-theatre/calendar/2023-04-24
Photos by Pamela Raith
1 Comment
Alan Davison · April 30, 2023 at 7:53 am
It amazes me that this wonderful show is still relatively unknown considering it’s pedigree. The show was premiered on Broadway 6 months before the James Cameron epic of the same name and seems to have lost itself amongst the hype of the film version. Titanic the Musical is quality. An amazing score by Maury Yeston, nominated for 5 Tony awards and won them all including nods for Best Musical, Book and Score. Despite a respectable run of over 800 performances on Broadway, the show didn’t make the expected transfer across the pond to London’s West End. The first UK production wasn’t until 2005 with a notable production in Belfast and it was down to amateur companies to fly the flag until the Southwark and Charing Cross productions. So happy that this current tour is finally putting this wonderful show out there.