Titanic the Musical

Titanic the Musical is the musical that tells the story of the people on board the fated vessel.

Sharon Fox was the director of this outstanding show.  So much thought had been put into this production from the passengers entering the Titanic from the sides of the auditorium making the audience feel as if they are also onboard.  The show was paced to perfection, so well thought out there was no wasted movement.  Bravo and thank you for telling this incredible story with the attention to detail it so richly deserves.

Samantha Ashby was the Musical Director.  I do not think I have seen an amateur show so well sung in a long time; I could pick out the different harmonies it was that well-rehearsed.

Opening a show in a spotlight, is one of the loneliest and nerve-racking things an actor can do, and this is exactly what Tom Clarke did as the architect of the Titanic Thomas Andrews.  He was note perfect and so engrossing it set the stage for what was to be an amazing production. 

Captain E. J. Smith was played by Ian Ding.  What I enjoyed most about his performance was the way Ian gave E.J. Smith a complexity, his honor for being the captain of the Titanic but also the relief that he is about to retire.  The song ‘The Blame’ in act 2 was a great moment, between the Captain, Thomas Clarke and J. Bruce Ismay (Tom Slater-Watson), there was a lot of emotion captured in one song.

Micheal Bentley played Etches and what a performance! He embodied the role and his moment at the end when he opened the Champagne showed just how the crew on Titanic were, duty came first, what a marvelous performance.

Maddie Dawson played Kate McGowen, her Irish accent was one of the best I heard, I even asked if she was Irish, it was that good! Tim Webb played her love interest Jim Farrell, impressive voice and characterisation, it was a shame his accent did not match Kate’s.

Liam Nixon (Wireless Officer Harold Bride) and Logan Petterson-Cooper (Stoker Frederick Barett) both gave impressive performances but their song in act 1 ‘The Proposal/The Night is Alive’ was a lovely duet and a special mention to the props team who created some magnificent props including the telegraph machine in this scene.

I wish I could mention all 52 performances, but there are too many to mention.  Every person gave their all and made this important historical event come to life.

The costumes were so well crafted, congratulations to Judy Parsons and the wardrobe  team, I understand from speaking to Leslie that several costumes were made by the society, this is a fantastic achievement.

The set was a character itself, built by the society and made it easy for the scenes to flow.  The rowing boats at the front of the stage was again a wonderful addition meaning the chorus could stay on to sing and it was a big part of the overall story, it was just a shame from where I was sitting the boats were just too low for me to see them completely. The chandelier bookending the start and end of the show was such a great way to start and end the production.

Overall, this was a sensitive well thought out event, it was not a show, it told a story extremely well and I felt what the characters felt, I cried at one point, it also meant a lot to the cast who were also emotional at the end.  Thank you for inviting me and you should all be very proud!

Scott Welch

Rep for Region 9 on behalf of Leslie Judd

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.