Weekly Appreciation - Titanic

[EugLoven]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 4:45am

WEEKLY FEATURE

To encourage feedback and to build community, I am going to feature a musical each week for APPRECIATION. It is open for POSITIVE comments where people to share their memories of the show and special experiences! This will serve as a FRIENDLY FORUM.

WEEK #1: TITANIC: THE MUSICAL

I just wanna wave the flag for "Titanic" the musical. I'm doing some late night IBDB surfing tonight and finding how much I just love this show. This production was just so breath-taking and such an under-dog for so long... until it nabbed the deserving Tony.

And I'm becoming flabber-gasted discovering who was in the Original Broadway Cast! Michael Cerveris (Assassins), Victoria Clark (Piazza), David Garrison (Wicked Tour), Brian d'Arcy James (Wild Party), William Youmans (Wicked).

Anyone else out there just adore this quiet musical? So breathtaking. I've really got an unquenchable thirst for knowledge about the real Titanic (did you know there's only 3 survivors alive today), and this musical helps me just be swept away in the tragic majestic tale.

What's your experience with this show? Anyone see it? Memories? If only I would have seen the tour when it was in SF... I was too young at the time. But when the ship rises at the end of Act II *gasp*



Updated On: 5/3/09 at 04:45 AM

[Urban]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 7:12am

I have to admit I have always liked this musical. I love the opening numbers full of hope and wide eye optimism to have those same themes turned 180 during the second act (the line 'we must get off this ship' has always made me shiver.

Yes, it wasn't perfect, there are things I'd change (mainly trying to stop putting to much factual infomation into the show). But what show is perfect? In fact some of these flaws in 'Titanic' are the reason I love it. "We'll Meet Tomorrow" is particularly heartbreaking. And the Strauss duet is really moving as well (actually the fact that Maury Yeston decided to give the Strauss's a strong part particularly moving).

I mean screw Kate and Leonardo. Isidor & Ida Strauss where the ULTIMATE love story. He was to much of a Gentleman to get on a liveboat before any other man and she refused to leave the side of the love of her life. Now THAT is a kleenex momement.

[Albin]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 4:04pm

One of my favorite scores...and our community theater group is mounting a production this coming January...and I'm auditioning!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 4:13pm

I'll repost my comments... I love titanic. I saw the first national tour twice. I love the music and I think the book, which is often overlooked, by the late great Peter Stone is fantastic. I just didn't like the sets and costumes for the tour or Broadway quite as much as I LOVE the sets for the German and UK productions.. mmm...

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 4:14pm

I loved this show and saw it 9x (including the final performance). The opening number was quite spectacular. What a great ensemble cast.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 4:32pm

Man, I hated this show when I first saw it. Then, I bought the OCR on cassette (wow, I'm dating myself). The score seemed so much better once out of the theater. I would have killed to see it again before it closed. I picked up the OCR on CD at the flea market yesterday. Happy memories.

[Jon]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 7:36pm

I don't care how noble and wonderful Mr. and Mrs. Strauss are in this show - When Marshall Fields becomes Macy's, I WON'T shop there!

Posted: 9/26/05 at 7:41pm

I never saw it, but I borrowed the CD from a friend. It was good.

[DWalk]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 9:37pm

I fell in love with the CD before I saw the show. I then made a special trip to New York to see the show on Broadway. Since then I saw the tour in Dallas and also a regional production. What I loved about the regional production was how well the show stood up with mainly just the score to rely on.

When I first saw this show advertised in Playbill, when I saw When Pigs Fly, I thought it was a really stupid idea and never would have predicted that I would love the show.

[musicalfandukie]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 9:44pm

i was in this show a few years ago..its one of my favorite shows with a beautiful score and a it's very powerful and emotional show also.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 9:45pm

I want to be a ladies Maid,
Ladies maid in America,
In America the streets are paved with gold....

Eugene, I used to live in SF, and you could hear Titanic coming out of my windows ALL the time.......I own it in English AND in German......sadly never got to see it

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 10:08pm

I just wish there was a more complete recording avaialble. Jay Records should do a two disc studio recording featuring the entire score... mmmm....

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 10:45pm

Titanic will always have a special place in my heart. I was also one of those who hated it initially, and then I saw the segment on the Tony Awards and was so enthralled that I went out and bought the cassette (and I was only 13 at the time, Yankeefan, so I don't know how badly I'm dating myself) and listened to it pretty much obsessively for a year and a half. I saw the show itself four times, including the last show, and I remember loving every second of it and being completely awestruck by everything, from the score to the performances to the sets. I also remember swooning through The Proposal/The Night Was Alive (one of the most beautiful love duets out there), and bawling through a good part of Act II (We'll Meet Tomorrow and Still). That show introduced me to Maury Yeston who, along with Adam Guettel, is one of my favorite theatrical composers, to the talents of so many bright stars on Broadway, and to my fairy godmother and mentor, who is pictured in my avatar.

I haven't listened to the recording in a while because I STILL don't have it in C.D. form, but this post makes me want to rectify that right away. Gah! I miss that show!

[ScubaSteve]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 10:57pm

The way I picked up this recording was kind of odd. I had this gift certificate to send away for one CD through this mail-order service, may have been BMG, can't be sure. Anywho, I really didn't like anything avail, so I picked a Crash Test Dummies one, but they made you pick a second one, in case the first one was out of stock. So, I looked at everything again, still was unsure about what to put down, then I remembered that, for band, we were doing this medley of songs from Bway shows, and 'Godspeed Titanic' was one of them, so I put that down as my 2nd choice. Crash Test Dummies was out, so it became the first cast recording I ever bought.

The show hits some really nice songs, particularly "Barrett's Song" and "The Proposal/The Night Was Alive". Agreed that there is way too much historical information ("7000 heads of fresh lettuce, Titanic. 1,100 pounds of marmalade, Titanic. 55,000 china dishes, Titanic." Okay, we get the point). Total shocker on Victoria Clark, and as Alice Beane no less, a much, much different part vocally than Margaret Johnson. And don't forget David Elder (42nd Street). Not great (can't be sure if that was a weak year on Bway, dunno when it came out), but it has its moments.

[Urban]

Posted: 9/26/05 at 11:54pm

It was a kind of weak year on Broadway. It's two big competitors at the Tonys where "Steel Pier" and "The Life" (acutally I do like both of them).

Of course the "Chicago" revival was released as well swamping them all... Updated On: 9/26/05 at 11:54 PM

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 12:02am

I have the Dutch cast recording of Titanic and it's just as amazing.

[hot_brdwy_diva]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 12:09am

Waaaay back during my freshman year of HS our theatre did it. Supposedly we were the first amateur production of Titanic. I was stage crew/usher/random passenger - oh and the moving cart...controlled by moi. The music was SO beautiful! I still think it was one of my high school's better performances. I cried almost every night, you really get swept up into the music towards the end. Since then I've loved it.

Yea when I first got interested in Light in the Piazza I was like HEY! It's Alice Beane! (the role Victoria Clark played in Titanic.)

[cturtle]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 12:10am

TITANIC will also always have a special place in my heart. it was the first show i ever saw on BROADWAY. i was finally actually there, and i loved the show

[EugLoven]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 12:15am

WOW! This is EXACTLY the kind of response I was looking for. Sometimes I lose faith in the BWW.com community when there are so many negative and argumentative comments on petty posts.

However, I wanted to get a thread going with wonderful remarks on something... well... wonderful.

Again, thanks! I really do love "Titanic" and only wish a production would spark up again somewhere near SF -- or a revival tour? I sing the OBCR everywhere I go (so we've got two things in common, Elphaba *points up*) I try to explain the magic of the show to my friends, but they snub-it off thinking it's a story that can't be put to music. They're wrong! It's gorgeous.

Thanks everyone for sharing their comments and appreciation. This is good joo-joo for the boards! Maybe I'll make it a weekly thing! Positive feedback for our long-lost favorite musicals!

I'm making it my new BWW.com mission! Can I rely on y'all for comments on future posts? :)

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 12:16am

I only got to see it twice, but I adored it. I thought it was a pretty good show, but I think the score is fantastic.

[Urban]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 12:43am

Thanks to you [b]EugLoven[/b], I am just about to get my Titanic CD out and relisten to it. LOL.

[wickedwitchofthechest]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 12:56am

Titanic will always have a special place in my heart. As a child growing up in southern Mississippi, trips to Broadway were few and far between, but my parents promised my sister and me that they would take us to NYC for our thirteenth birthdays and let us choose a show to see. I picked Titanic. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous and heart-rending, and my sentiments haven't changed. I love this show!

(Although, I will admit to wanting to laugh when the toy boat sailed across the stage at the end of Act I.)

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 1:30am

I LOVE Titanic! It's one of the first Cast Recordings I ever have and I Feel in LOVE with Victoria Clark! Glad to know she had more success.

So did Brian D'Arcy James appear shirtless too?

Also, the song "No Moon" is such a hauntingly beautiful ballad.

[EugLoven]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 3:36am

There USED to be a website devoted the the US Broadway show... but I can't find it now!

It had great production photos and a full OBC bio page. As well as several awesome historic pages, including a passenger roster and documents.

It used to be www.dodgers... something. Can anyone find it?

[BWIDB Charlie]

Posted: 9/27/05 at 4:19am

The website of The Dodger Theatricals is www.dodger.com - they just revamped their website, and I think it looks great. However, from my (quick) glance, I think they took down all additional TITANIC pages. Sorry.

As for the show, I have a quick question for anyone. I remember hearing a Maury Yeston interview, a couple of years back, regarding a new duet for Kate McGowan and Jim Farrell - I believe this is in Act II. He mentions they thought of it during a foreign production. Does anyone know more about this song? Is it on the German cast recording? Let me know, as I've wanted to hear this song. Thanks everyone.

Charlie
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Updated On: 9/27/05 at 04:19 AM