Hope floats at the Marriott Theatre for Titanic The Musical
On a fateful night in 1912, the R.M.S. Titanic sank at sea when the ship struck an iceberg only four days after leaving Southampton. While there are no survivors of the Titanic alive today, the popularity of the historic tragedy lives on in movies, books and musicals.
Five-time Tony Award winner, Titanic The Musical was written by Peter Stone, accompanied by music from Maury Yeston. The musical version premiered on Broadway eight months before the blockbuster film from James Cameron hit the theaters in 1997. While Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson were fictional characters, the musical features actual passengers and crew members onboard the ship. This grounds the story with a heavy tone as compared to the campy Celine Dion vehicle, Titanique, currently playing at the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago.
All aboard for a trip to the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort for an unforgettable immersive experience with many bells and whistles. Prepare to be submerged in a world of imagination where spectators can hum along to a history lesson.
The 113th anniversary of the doomed watercraft happened on April 15, 2025, and a day later, the Marriott Theatre celebrated its 50th anniversary season with the premiere of Titanic The Musical. The curators have been thinking outside the box and this resort makes the perfect venue to bring their vision to life.
Start with a dinner reservation at the Three Embers Restaurant inside the complex before the show. The White Star Grill is a reference to the ocean liners built by the White Star Line, a British shipping company that owned the Royal Mail Ship Titanic.
The chefs and staff have cooked up a prix fixe menu tied to the Titanic with tons of tasty treats. Try the Salad from the Promenade Deck with potatoes, green beans and tomatoes, then steer over to the First-Class Pub Steak “Port of London” bathed in Parliament Sauce.
Sip on Five Eyes' honey ale made in nearby Mundelein and take advantage of the surrounding photograph opportunities in the area. Don't worry, there's no iceberg lettuce to run into on the menu.
Follow the path to a theater in the round and ticket holders should be careful when entering and exiting the massive room, as performers use the sloped space efficiently throughout the show. Luckily, there's no splash zone, as spectators can be seated right up front by the dangling lifeboats.
From the first note played by the live orchestra, there's a feeling of dread and foreboding with ominous music in the overture. The creepiness doesn't stop there and the dialogue is full of foreshadowing with lines hinting at the events yet to come.
Sonically, the musical is an ensemble piece with a few solos and duets sprinkled in. There's a grand opera approach to the material, making it closer to Sweeney Todd than Hamilton.
The seat layout invokes an environment similar to watching prize fighters in a boxing ring, with the players involved. Choreographed and directed by Conor Gallagher, the entire team has worked diligently to honor the original vision of the musical.
The doomed watercraft is the backdrop for an even deeper story as immigrants attempted to travel from Southampton, England, to New York City to pursue the American dream. The classist society aspect of the tragedy is still unfortunately alive today, as rich patrons are treated differently from the poor. In the case of 2,200 people onboard the trip, only 1,500 survived and their wealth was factored in along with their placement on the vessel.
Thanks to global warming, this tragedy could happen again as the melting of glaciers still creates icebergs and further instability in the Arctic region. Titanic fanatics can feel safe with this production on a maiden voyage at the Marriott Theatre.
