Titanic: The Musical Sets Sail at The Ritz Theatre Company!

When a smaller theatre company like the Ritz decides to take on an epic work like Maury Yeston’s Titanic: The Musical, one can only hope that the production does not sink like its infamous namesake. Fortunately, The Ritz Theatre Company not only manages to stay afloat, but pushes full steam ahead to a moving and enjoyable theatrical experience.

 

The wisest choice the Ritz makes is to eschew spectacle in favor of content. Rather than cramming the stage full of elaborate sets, Bruce Curless and Bill Yerkes (the Set Designer/Producing Artistic Director and Stage/Vocal Director, respectively) evoke the emotion of their story through ambience and the performances of their cast. Shortly into the show, one no longer sees a minimalist set; they hear, smell and feel everything the doomed passengers on board do. In fact, so intense was the atmosphere created by the directorial and lighting decisions that the audience seemed almost afraid to move when the intermission arrived.

 

The cast, which boasts some stunningly powerful voices, also kept the audience spellbound. Taking on Yeston’s challenging score with aplomb, their harmonies are air tight and their cohesion as an ensemble fantastic. Collaboratively, they capture the excitement and despair of those aboard the ill-fated ship with passion and sensitivity that is plentiful and moving.

 

Following the lives of several different characters aboard the ship, Titanic sets its principles the tall order of making the audience care about them in a very short amount of time. Fortunately, the Ritz has found an extraordinarily talented group of actors who invest so much life into their characters that one finds oneself hoping that perhaps history can be changed and tragedy be avoided.

 

Maureen Corson and John Jackowski (both fresh off of their stints in the Ritz’s excellent Crimes of the Heart) bring charisma and strength to their roles. Corson, as Alice Bean, a star struck busybody who longs to hobnob with the upper class, displays astute comic timing and instincts that manage to elicit laughs even as the passengers are scrambling for life boats. Moreover, she has a rich, velvety mezzo soprano that warms up even the craziest comic scatter. Jackowski is utterly endearing as Charles Clarke, a man who makes up for what his bank account lacks with love and big dreams; his altruism is so affecting that the audience is instantly engrossed in his character’s welfare.

 

Steven Zellers as the ship’s captain and Benjamin Lovell as its 1^st Class Steward embody the humanity and pride of their characters beautifully. Both convey a sense of duty to and love for their passengers that makes the inevitable conclusion of the journey all the more heartbreaking. Jessica Doheny and Sean Flaherty are both plucky and charming as a young Irish couple looking to make a new life in America and C.J. Sikorski and Sean Downing strike every emotional chord with their stunning voices in a breathtakingly beautiful duet. Finally, Eleonore S. Thomas treats the audience to her gorgeous soprano in a tear-jerking Act II number with the lovely and affecting Steve Pollack.

 

Those not playing principle roles are called upon to play several parts throughout the show and manage it so successfully that, at times, it can seem like the cast is double its actual size. Most notable in this category is Michael Angelini, who makes a meal out of each role he is given, wringing every comedic drop from his time on stage.

 

 

The Ritz’s accomplished production of Titanic is every bit worthy of Maury Yeston’s outstanding score. No one creates a haunting melody quite like him, and the cast and orchestra rise to the challenge of bringing those melodies to life. In fact, the finale is so perfectly realized that even the most cynical spine would have to feel a tingle going down it.

 

Those unfamiliar with the Ritz or Titanic: The Musical should take this opportunity to get to know one of the most charming houses in the area and the exciting work it has bravely – and successfully – taken on. Practically at the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge, a trip to The Ritz Theatre Company is a short but spectacular voyage that Centre City audiences should certainly take.