‘Titanic’ sets sail at The Riverbank
MARINE CITY, Mich.–As theatre genres go, musicals are more often associated with comedy or farce than with tragedy. But when a tragedy is written as a musical, and written well, the resulting show often has incredible impact. That is the case with Titanic the Musical, on stage at The Riverbank Theatre in Marine City. Under the direction of Edmond Reynolds and the music direction of Paul Decker, Titanic explores the motivations and reactions of passengers and crew aboard the state-of-the-art luxury liner.
The cast of Titanic is a true ensemble, in that there are no main characters per se. The story is driven by the intersecting stories of characters based on real-life passengers and crew of the ill-fated ship. Story lines are pretty evenly distributed among the characters and nearly every character has a spotlight moment. Most of the cast portray multiple characters representing passengers of different classes.
An early theme of the story is the idea of a brand new world: the hope of a better life for the third class passengers, the struggle for a less restricted moral and class structure for the second class, and the exciting push for new technology for the first class. The Titanic represents all those hopes and more.
Titanic the Musical is also a story of contrasts. The carefree excitement of the passengers contrasts with the hesitancy of the crew to push Titanic to her limits. The desire of the White Star executive to create a spectacle of the ship contrasts with the conservative preferences off her captain. And of course the calm and uneventful early voyage contrasts mightily with the sudden disaster that ultimately befalls it. Artistically, the lyrics and dialogue convey optimism, while the underlying music conveys a more somber mood.
The music and score of Titanic are thought provoking and era-appropriate, while punctuating the story with mood and emotion. In the same way that the story is unencumbered by the weight of a main character, Titanic the Musical is not defined by one or two blockbuster numbers; rather, the music keeps the story moving at a balanced pace, and helps build the momentum to the climax of the story in a compelling yet unobtrusive way. There is a lovely mix of solo, duet, trio and ensemble pieces, including some very well blended and executed unison passages, especially in the show opening. Vocals are top notch across the board, voices are well balanced with each other, and with the music. The prominence of a violin in the score not only signifies the era, it also effectively suggests a melancholy human voice and recollects the string quartet that continued to play on board the real ship until its last moments before plunging to its sea grave.
While the show is not dominated by a single performance or number, there are absolutely some highlights to look forward to in this production. One noticeably bright and lovely voice is that of Jordan Gagnon as Kate Murphey. Midway through Act I is “Lady’s Maid,” one of the more joyful ensemble numbers expressing the dreams and aspirations of the third class passengers for their new lives in America. At the end of Act I, the description of the cold night and calm sea in “No Moon” builds and intensifies as the gripping facial expressions of crow’s nest lookout Frederick Fleet (Matt Copley) evolve from calm to sudden panic before the Act culminates with the jarring collision.
In Act II, emotions run the gamut from annoyance, confusion and denial to alarm. The men in the most prominent positions aboard—ship designer Thomas Andrews (Aaron Dennis Smith), White Star Line executive J. Bruce Ismay (Dale Dobson) and Captain E. J. Smith (Randolph Skotarczyk) perform an intense and angry trio in “The Blame.” In “To the Lifeboats,” the ensemble sings multiple lyrics and melodies simultaneously as the passengers come to the full understanding of their grim situation, and panic and grief set in. An emotional and thematic highpoint occurs in “Mr. Andrews’ Vision,” during which Andrews, a true realist and the first to acknowledge the certain fate of the Titanic and most of her passengers, laments not identifying the design weaknesses of his creation that was hailed as “unsinkable.” This song is creatively used to visually convey the progression of the sinking of the ship.
There are other stunning and effective visual choices, such as the separation of the survivors from the victims by the semi-sheer scrim. Costuming is absolutely lovely; lighting, video projection and sets are well designed and executed.
The original Broadway version of Titanic the Musical won five Tony Awards in 1997, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Peter Stone) and Best Original Score (Maury Yeston). This Riverbank Theatre production is the ensemble version, adapted for a smaller cast, simpler set and orchestration more reminiscent of the real band aboard the Titanic.
Titanic the Musical does have some welcome and tasteful moments of levity early on, but overall does honor to the grave nature of the disaster and the legacy of the victims without sensationalizing the tragedy. While the grim and serious tone of the story might preclude very young viewers from appreciating this production, it is certainly appropriate for even young teens mature enough to understand tragedy. Those with a strong interest in Titanic history might also visit the excellent Titanic exhibit about a block from The Riverbank at the Mariner Theater (open Saturdays), featuring an 18-foot-long builder’s model of the Titanic, the most authentic ever built. A new Michigan Titanic Memorial will also be unveiled across the street from The Riverbank on May 12, 2018.
Titanic the Musical is playing on the Riverbank Theatre stage through May 20, 2018.