Anyway, most people I know haven't heard of the 1997 musical by Maury Yeston and Peter Stone. It tells the well-known story of the RMS Titanic, the "unsinkable ship" that left a port in the UK and never made its destination of New York City. It's definitely an ensemble musical, and follows several different stories throughout the show. The characters span all the classes and even include the staff and crew. The show opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 23, 1997 and ran for 804 performances before closing in 1999.
But really, everyone should know and appreciate this musical.
1. Real names, real people. Unlike the movie, all of the characters in the musical are based on real characters. A handful of them had names or circumstances changed slightly for dramatic effect, but they all existed to some extent. Some of them were wealthy business men and their wives, like John Jacob Aster and his wife, Benjamin Guggenheim, John B. Thayer and family, and Isidor and Ida Straus. Others were immigrants looking for a new life in America, like Kate McGowan and Jim Farrell. But each one of them had a story, and many were tragically cut short by the sinking of the ship. Somehow, knowing that each of those people existed makes the story that much more tragic.
2. Haunting melodies. The mood shifts beautifully through the use of the music. What starts out as a grand endeavor ends in minor keys and horror. The transition from "To the Lifeboats" into "We'll Meet Tomorrow" gets me every time. Each and every father and husband, assuring his wife and kids that he will see them in the morning, if they just get on the lifeboat, he won't be far behind. The crew members who selflessly gave their lives to make sure whole families could get on the lifeboats. And Ida Straus who wouldn't abandon her husband and chose to stay behind with him. All the men and women who left loved ones back in Europe and knew they'd never see them again. Just.... the emotion. Every time. (I'm listening to the soundtrack while I'm typing and practically sobbing. As usual.)
The show also boasts "The Blame," a song between the J. Bruce Ismay (owner of the ship), Thomas Andrews (designer of the ship), and Captain E.J. Smith. I can't help but imagine what conversation might have actually taken place between them: all feeling guilty and responsible, but also wanting to put the blame somewhere else, to not take fault on themselves.
3. And we can't overlook the fact that it won 5 Tony awards, including Best Musical in 1997.
4. Plus it's got to be a designer's dream (or maybe a nightmare), because what other show requires you to sink a giant ship, right on stage? It should win everything just for that ambitious stage direction. So many possibilities with that concept. The set of the original Broadway production had three levels to help create the vastness of the ship.
5. Maury Yeston's thoughts about Titanic: "What drew me to the project was the positive aspects of what the ship represented—1) humankind's striving after great artistic works and similar technological feats, despite the possibility of tragic failure, and 2) the dreams of the passengers on board: 3rd Class, to immigrate to America for a better life; 2nd Class, to live a leisured lifestyle in imitation of the upper classes; 1st Class, to maintain their privileged positions forever. The collision with the iceberg dashed all of these dreams simultaneously, and the subsequent transformation of character of the passengers and crew had, it seemed to me, the potential for great emotional and musical expression onstage."
I have very few regrets in life, but I have always regretted not trying out for this musical when we did it my junior year. But I did get to see it, because all my friends were in it. So thanks to them, I found all these lovely pictures to remember it by (ah, the beauty of Facebook... shout-out to Lyss for posting them back in 2008). Also, shout-out to Zach and Eric for always indulging my requests for them to sing "The Proposal/The Night Was Alive" to me, because I just love the song. And them.
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