“Titanic” at Marriott Lincolnshire
“Titanic” is an Unsinkable joyous Hit!
How do you make a musical out of an American tragedy? The sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic on April 15th, 1912 was an event that still lives large in American history. And yet, Story/Book writer Peter Stone and Music/Lyrics creator Maury Yeston found the way to take a never-to-be-forgotten moment and humanize it, respect it, and re-tell it in a meaningful and also not-to-be-forgotten way.
Your evening should begin with a Titanic themed dinner in Three Embers (called the White Star for this production run because that was the name of the company who built the ship). And with food choices reportedly served on that ship, including short rib, salmon and chicken, it’s a great way to settle in for an evening that will capture your attention and emotions.
Who was responsible for the decisions that led to the disaster? The Captain, the designer? Did it matter anyway once the collision with the iceberg occurred?
How does one face a certain death on the high seas? If you’ve lived a long life, do you accept your fate? If you are young crew, do you just do your job? Can you send your loved one to be saved while you know your life will end?
These are not easy questions but the dialogue, the music and the blending of incredible voices keep you fixated throughout even as you know how this story ends….
This production truly relies on an incredible ensemble cast. Sure there are key roles…like the Captain thoughtfully played by veteran Chicago actor David Girolmo, the warmth of a deep long lasting relationship of Isidor and Ida Straus (played perfectly by Mark David Kaplan and Heidi Kettenring) and humor and class climbing ambition of Alice Beane (played with great humor by Lillian Castillo) and her class status accepting husband Edgar Beane, (a joy to watch as James Earl Jones II always is!)
But truth be told, it’s the ensemble that makes this show so powerful, so well done, so captivating. Actors play several roles, shifting costumes and personas as quickly as one can imagine and always have control over their presence, shifting tone and presence with the role. Amazing to watch….with voices so strong that you can’t avoid feeling the power and emotion of the production.
