Titanic The Musical At Sheffield Lyceum Review

Reviewed by Jenny Bray

This is a musical I actually went in to with a good idea of the storyline thanks to the film. It is worth noting though that this musical is not the same plot as the film. There is no fictional romance of Jack and Rose and no ‘My heart will go on’ song. Instead, this musical is based around real life individuals amongst several different groups of people, split between 1st, 2nd and 3rd class decks, and the large crew employed on the ship, both above and below deck. It provides a dignified insight about their lives and the maiden voyage of the Titanic on that fateful day in 1912 when it sank after hitting an iceberg between Southampton and New York. Interestingly, I discovered that this musical actually opened on Broadway in 1997, 6 months before the film was released (I discovered this when reading the programme!).

Knowing that, in the end, most of the cast would end up drowning felt slightly odd when this musical started with lots of laughter, happiness and excitement at the Titanic being finished and about to set sail for the first ever time, as a heralded ‘floating city’. At this point the cast move from the stage through the stalls so include the audience with them as the ship is filled with goods ready for the journey.

When the 3rd class deck is shown, it highlights that these people are generally hoping for a better life and more opportunities in America. This is in stark contrast to the 1st class passengers who are on for fun and the prestige of being on the first trip as well as to enjoy the fine dining and entertainment experiences being provided to them by the crew.

Having watched the film, I wondered how the musical would depict the water rising and the people once in the sea. None of this is explicitly covered in this musical, there are just mentions of the water levels rising with the detail at the end being covered by those in the life boats views and experiences of those who ended up in the water once the ship disappeared below the surface.

Obviously, this isn’t the most uplifting of storylines. However, the singing and unravelling of the passengers stories make it less macabre. It has a total of 25 songs throughout, and is mostly sung. It’s obviously a very moving story, particularly because it is based on real life. I found the first half more interesting than the second half, which seemed to elongate some aspects and skip over others. The bit I found most odd was towards the end, when Thomas Andrews (Ian McLarnon) is holding on to the helm as the ship sinks and the lights go dark as he falls, yet when the lights come back on the helm is lowering and he is standing there again. There didn’t seem to be anything to distinguish between the living and the dead in the final scenes.

The music was very fitting and helped engage the audience in the unfolding scenes. However, for this particular show, the music was a little loud with the microphones not quite being loud enough, so I wasn’t able to hear all the words at all times, which was a shame.

The stage setting is the inside of the Titanic so mainly dark and metal, with steps that show that the main stage is a room below deck. The stage adapts to a variety of the ship’s rooms with different props, including the captain’s room, the 1st class restaurant, the communication room, the engine rooms and others. The overall ship setting remains at all times, which works, but is a little uninspiring. Effective use of spotlights and other lighting help counteract this.

The cast is larger than for most productions, with 25 actors in total. I liked that this musical embraced actors of all ages. I particularly liked Ida Straus (Valda Aviks) and Isidor Straus (David Delve) and their portrayal of still being deeply in love after a long and happy marriage, so much so that they stay together rather than Ida joining the women and children on the boat when they are being evacuated. I also liked Kate McGowan (Abi Hudson) portraying her hopes and dreams of a better life in America as a 3rd class passenger.

The costumes are traditional for the 1910’s, with upper class women wearing big dresses and matching large hats and men also dressing formally. The 2nd class people were almost as equally well dressed with the 3rd class people less so.

The Lyceum theatre is well signposted around the city centre with plenty of parking nearby. Remember to pick up your ticket for the 1st hour free at the Charles Street Q park car park if you park there. There is a bar on each floor and a snack shop.

This is a thought provoking version of the tragic events, which still hits hard even though you start out knowing how it will end. Various historical facts are included throughout, including about the ship itself and then the vast quantities of various items of food taken on board. Towards the end there was a huge banner with lists of the 1517 people who died with some of the survivors facing towards it and speaking about hearing and seeing those left in the water. That scene would have been a good one for the show to end on, although there was a little more after this. As mentioned, this is very moving and all credit to Maury Yeston, who wrote the music and lyrics, for packing in so many uplifting songs in to the plot. Although I prefer my musicals a little more light hearted, this was certainly a powerful tribute to the events of that night.

Rating: I rate it a 3.5/5

Tickets cost from £15 to £55.50
Titanic the Musical is at Sheffield Lyceum between 18th and 22nd July 2023.

For more information or to book tickets visit www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk or call the Box Office on 0114 249 6000
Sheffield Theatres, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 1DA