It’s a bit of a running joke in my close friendship circle that I famously saw the Titanic movie with Leo and Kate (Jack and Rose) 6 times at the cinema when I was a teenager in the late 90s. So of course, when I announced I was going to see ‘Titanic the Musical’ which has come to Nottingham Theatre Royal as part of its 10th anniversary tour, this unsurprisingly reignited another round of good natured ribbing. But there’s always been something about the legendary tragedy of 1912 which has captivated me, and being a lover of musicals, also, this show ticked all the right boxes. Although it should probably be mentioned that this show stands apart from the hollywood blockbuster movie with no Jack and Rose or Celine Dion to speak of.
From the moment the curtain rose the audience was taken on an emotional journey recounting the ill-fated maiden voyage of RMS Titanic through captivating music, powerful performances, and a real sense of historical significance. After 15 minutes or so I was struck with the thought that this musical performance is like one of those Italian operas I’ve seen and heard, but never witnessed with my own eyes, in as much as the vast majority of dialogue between characters was done through singing, but, unlike Italian operas, this time I could fully understand what was being said.
Having a cast of around 20 actors who played all the types of passengers on the fateful voyage, the emotion conveyed through the singing was palpable; from the giddy excitement of everyone boarding the steamliner at Southampton to the fear and sinking realisation of inevitability after the iceberg collision at close to midnight and some 90 odd miles from New York. I particularly enjoyed the costumes on display which beautifully displayed the class system so prevalent of the era – from the sooty, ragged clothes of the coal chuckers in the engine rooms to the opulence and formality of the crystal chandelier banquets of the staterooms. The final part of the play was particularly poignant when a large screen descended with the names of the approximately 1500 souls who lost their lives with some of the passengers who survived standing in front of it sharing their inner thoughts and feelings on the tragic events of the night past.
All in all it was a brilliant performance by all the cast and crew and one which deserves all the plaudits it’s receiving. Bravo!
Review by James Toomey
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