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The legend of the
Titanic
is a haunting, yet uplifting tale of dreams and hubris, unfinished stories and transcendent moments. It is a story that has been told from so many perspectives in the more than a century since the unsinkable ship did, tragically, go down on her maiden voyage in 1912. But perhaps no retelling of the events captures both the scale of the drama and its intimacy as perfectly as the Maury Yeston/Peter Stone musical, Titanic,
with
its
majestic
score
and
tightly
woven
book.
And
now
in
an
epic
and
astonishingly
beautiful
new
co-production
created
by
MSMT
with
the
Fulton
Theatre,
this
masterpiece
comes
to
life
with
a
sensational
cast
in
a
dazzling
visual
production
that
focuses
on
the
profoundly
touching
humanity
of
the
saga
–
of
the
lives
lived
and
lost,
the
lessons
learned
and
remembered.
Yeston's
award-winning
1997
score
is
a
gorgeous,
multi-layered
aural
tapestry
that
affords
some
of
the
most
thrilling
choral
singing
in
recent
musical
history.
Mostly
sung
through,
it
shapes
the
narrative
in
soaring
song
and
waves
of
orchestral
sound,
while
Peter
Stone's
book
neatly
captures
the
mordent
ironies
of
the
tale
and
even
manages
some
dark,
but
cathartic
humor.
Directed by Marc Robin, this Titanic focuses on the lives of those who made the
fateful voyage. Robin accomplishes the admirable feat of spotlighting personal
instances of lyric beauty and encasing them in a monumental framework. As if
in a Greek tragedy, the audience has the chilling sense of the interaction
between the individual and the universe. Each story is told in meticulous detail
with infinite care. The pacing is taut and compelling, and the second act staging,
as the disaster plays itself out, is fraught with all the truly terrifying chaos of the
sinking . The staging makes powerful use of the three-level set, the turntable,
and all the other high-tech video devices, integrating them organically into the
dramatic fabric. Brilliant touches are the intermittent timeline that adds tension
as well as specificity and the epilogue notes that bring individual stories to a
close.
Musical Director Ray Fellman (Erik Wakar, Assistant Music Director)
demonstrates full mastery of Yeston's luxurious score. The arrangements of Ian
Weinberger's orchestrations, though reduced from the Broadway original, feel
full and powerful not only because of the six-person orchestra's soaring playing,
but also because of the glorious, layered sound of the thirty magnificent voices.
The visual production is breathtaking, creating a vivid sense of actually being on
the ship surrounded by a vast sea. Paul Black's scenic design (Katelin Walkso,
props) consists of a tiered set of ramps and stairs, moved on a turntable to create
various configurations, some shifting panels, and a huge video wall that raises,
lowers, and tilts as it screens Jorge Cousineau's beautiful projections that
recreate the ambiance of the elegant Titanic and the frigid North Atlantic.
Cousineau's designs are sometimes still, sometimes animated, and at times, they
seemed to pulsate with life, as if the ship itself were a living, breathing creature.
An effective touch is to use the orchestra pit to suggest the lower decks of the
ship, thereby adding a sense of depth and height. Paul Black's lighting bathes
the entire design with perfect subtlety, blending in a painterly way the three
-dimensional elements with the two-dimensional ones. The night scenes at sea
are eerily beautiful, just as the glittering soirées are dazzling.
Jane Alois Stein (Kevin S. Foster II, Wig Designer) creates the luxurious period
costumes that define character and class. Sound Designer Shannon Slaton has
the challenge of balancing the thirty voices and six off-stage instruments to
create a beautiful mosaic. The complex production with countless moving parts
is in the able hands of Production Stage Manager, Amy M. Bertacini and
Assistant Sean Leehan.
The cast is a formidable one, deep in talent (thirty-six Broadway credits among
them), and passionate about the piece. Rarely, does one have the opportunity to
assemble so many beautiful voices on one stage, and the effect in both solos and
ensembles is nothing short of exquisite. David Girolmo heads the ship's crew as
Captain Edward Smith, imbuing the ill-fated seaman with a brittle dignity and
redeeming stoicism. As his first officer, William Murdoch, Ian Knauer gives a
touching portrait of insecurity and guilt and sings "To Be a Captain" with pure
lyricism. Jonathan Arana flawlessly conveys the efficiency and loyalty of Charles
Lightoller.
Eric Jon Mahlum portrays the owner of the White Star Line, J. Bruce Ismay, as a
crass, demanding businessman, whose concern for making headlines ignores
safety. His rich baritone adds measurably to the trio "The Blame." Kevin Earley,
as the ship's designer and builder, Thomas Andrews, anchors the piece offering
the meditative prologue and poignant epilogue, and he has one of the most
stirring solo moments in "Mr. Andrews' Vision" as he desperately attempts to
figure out what went wrong in his design as the ship sinks.
Yeston accords the ship's crew some lovely solo moments. Michael Di Liberto is
often funny, always touching as the faithful Steward Etches; as Frederick Fleet,
Andrew Kotzen's clear tenor gets to deliver the most chilling line of the entire
show, as he shouts out "Iceberg straight ahead!" Nick Case is endearing as the
dedicated radio operator, Harold Bride, and he uses his fine lyric tenor to create
lovely harmony with Barrett's in "The Night Was Alive." As Frederick Barrett,
the stoker, Michael Nigro has the opportunity to shine in several stirring solos.
His characterization has the authenticity of a rough-hewn Midlands miner,
redolent of coal dust and sweat, but who, nonetheless, is a gentle romantic at
heart. From his first entrance as he bids goodbye to his sweetheart, to his robust
rendition of "Barrett's Song" with all its pent-up anger and energy (and dazzling
high finish), to his lyric proposal to his love, and his heartrending farewell,
"We'll Meet Tomorrow," he delivers his vocal moments with passion and power.
The first-class passengers (the Astors/Elliot Sterenfeld & Cari Walton, Charlotte
Cardoza/Cheslea Peña, the Widners/David Buergler & Camila V. Romero, the
Thayers/Jalen Kirkman & Jasmine Gillenwaters, Mr. Guggenheim/Elijah
James) all comport themselves with the elegance of the age, in gracefully
choreographed sequences. Of this storied group, perhaps the most affecting
moment belongs to Linda Balgord and Michael Iannucci as Ida and Isador
Straus, who sing a heartbreakingly beautiful duet, "Still," as they resolve to go
down together with the ship.
 
Second class passengers are represented by Charis Leos and Blake Hammond as
Alice and Edgar Beane, warring over their social status, and delighting the
audience with their squabbles and antics. The couple has the opportunity to
take center stage in "I Have Danced," and they provide necessary comic relief
and warmth. Stella Kim as Lady Caroline Neville and Matthew Hydzik as her
forbidden fiancé Charles Clarke have several opportunities to tell their story of
class conflict and subsequent elopement - Kim with an air of upper-class
refinement and a lovely lyrical soprano and Hydzik with the appropriate ardor
of her optimistic suitor.
Among the third-class passengers, Carolyn Anne Miller sparkles as a steely,
determined, yet winsome Kate McGowan, who delivers "Lady's Maid" with an
appealing mixture of idealistic dreaming and practical Irish common sense. She
is ably supported by the other two Kates, Kat Wolff (Kate Mullen) and Sarah
Miramontes (Kate Murphy). Eli Weary makes Jim Farrell all rough and tumble
tenderness, so that Barrett's decision to give up his place in the lifeboat to
Farrell, enabling him to accompany Kate, becomes all the more meaningful.
David Buergler as the musician Hartley strikes the perfect mood of lilting
Gilkded Age optimism in "Ragtime" and pathos in "Autumn" with its nostalgic
foreshadowing of the impending tragedy. The remainder of the large ensemble
playing multiple roles – (Kelly Autry, Collin Flanagan, and Albert Sterner)
-contribute small but significant touches to every scene and add to the overall
opulence of the choral passages.
This is the kind of production that bears seeing more than once, for while the
audience will surely grasp the grandeur and the scale at first viewing, there are
so many singular moments with their myriad small details that merit revisiting.
Three years in the making, this mounting of Titanic was set to play in
2020, but was derailed by Covid. Nonetheless, it has been worth the wait.
Arguably the most sophisticated technological production MSMT has ever
mounted, this Titanic is also one of the most arresting in emotional substance. It
is a fitting way to inaugurate the 2023 MSMT season and a perfect tribute to
Curt Dale Clark, who celebrates his tenth anniversary as Artistic Director this
summer. Like Clark, who has been the heartbeat of the company for the past
decade, Titanic is the inspiring, uplifting theatrical opening this community has
longed for and deserves. Sail on great ship, Titanic…MSMT's production is
worthy of the legend.
Photos by Jared Morneau
Titanic ran from April 20– May 21, 2023 at the Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, PA
and then from June 7-June 24, 2023, at MSMT"s Pickard Theater, Brunswick,
ME
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