TITANIC in Toronto

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 10:58pm

I'm going to Toronto in June and hoping to see "Titanic". Does anyone know of any discount codes? I could only find one online, so far, that only goes until May 31. But, I'm not really sure where to look for theatre discounts in Toronto or if there have been any mailer discounts?

Also, any advice on seating? I can't bring myself to buy the top priced ticket, but it seems like nearly anything below the top price is pretty far back in the theatre.

Any advice would be appreciated!

[all_that_jazz]

Posted: 5/5/15 at 11:29pm

The princess of wales looks big but sightlines are great.  The front half of the dress circle gives a great overall view but you still get detail.  Even the orchestra to about row m is great.  I have sat at the back of orchestra and last row dress circle and both were good but you lose face details

[Tag]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 11:26am

Code: Dreamship

May 19-24 - $39/$69

May 26-June 21 - $49/$79

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 2:10pm

Thank you both so much!

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 3:34pm

To add to the comment on the Princess of Wales Theatre - in addition to good sight lines, the mezzanine is very comfortable with good leg room (unlike the Royal Alexandra nearby).

[all_that_jazz]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 8:37pm

Oh don't even get me started about the royal Alex balcony. I'm 6'6 and I love that theatre but COME ON. I was in top balcony once I sat through enigma variations in the shape of a pretzle.   Yes the pow has lovely leg room

[lambchop2]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 9:03pm

I know it just opened, but did anyone see it last night/or is planning to see it soon? I'm interested to hear how the Toronto production is received.

[Tag]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 9:37pm

Show "curtain" (found on Twitter)

Updated On: 5/20/15 at 09:37 PM

[Tag]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 9:39pm

^Looks like a packed house, eh 

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:12pm

That's the same logo the Ahmason Theatre here in L.A. has for the upcoming production of Titanic.. 

Just a guess but maybe this cast will come to L.A. then maybe the broadway revival?

[Tag]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 10:17pm

^Yes I believe it is the same production.  Same director.

This current Toronto cast is mostly a British import.

[ggersten]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 11:15pm

Is Toronto using the Southwark Playhouse staging?

[ggersten]

Posted: 5/20/15 at 11:15pm

Delete - double post

Updated On: 5/20/15 at 11:15 PM

[LarryD2]

Posted: 5/22/15 at 8:36am

Anyone seen this? How's Ben Heppner sounding these days? 

[lambchop2]

Posted: 5/23/15 at 10:38pm

Some footage from the production: http://www.msn.com/en-ca/entertainment/story/titanic-musical-focuses-on-characters-not-ship-ben-heppner/vi-BBkaouk

I snagged tickets for 2 weeks from now and this makes me excited!

[FloydJoe2]

Posted: 5/25/15 at 8:52am

Does anyone know if there is some sort of rush for this or no?

[torst]

Posted: 5/25/15 at 9:15am

I saw the show on Friday evening and enjoyed it much more than I had the Broadway original.  Very fine cast, beautifully staged.  But - the sound is quality is horrible.  Everything is blasted at you, everything sounds the same and it I unclear who is singing when it is all so homogenized.  I do not know if it is a fault of the theatre, the sound designer or the lack of someone manning a sound board but the magnificent opening chorus might have better been appreciated from a block away.  That being said I will go back and see it again but perhaps this time take ear plugs!

  

[Thoroughbred]

Posted: 5/25/15 at 1:54pm

Hmm. I'll be in Toronto in June, so might have to try and catch this!

[lambchop2]

Posted: 5/25/15 at 3:35pm

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=959WAijpwjE

 

[lambchop2]

Posted: 6/7/15 at 9:02pm

Saw the show last night (Saturday) and wanted to share my thoughts. I thought it was a beautiful, emotional production with a few missteps.

The first misstep IMO was a scene right before the finale that stops the show dead in its tracks. The 'memorial' screen comes down, and the survivors in Carpathia blankets stand in front of it talk about what happened to the people in the water and the survivors ("the women were so brave!" "over 1500 people went in the water") but it's as if they're talking to the audience and it just pulled me right out. The actors were very emotional in this scene and I was sad that the writing made me unable to feel connected to them in what was clearly an intense scene for them. I think it would be a stronger scene if the survivors were talking amongst each other about what happened--or perhaps talking to reporters about what happened. Anything but the memorial screen and 4th wall breaking.

The second was the characterization of Harold Bride. I can only guess that the actor wanted his version of Bride to be distinct, but I'm not sure why the actor (or director) would think making Bride into... what I can only describe as someone who had Renfield's Mannerisms From Dracula, Dead and Loving But On the Titanic was a good idea. It's like he's in a completely different show from everyone else. It's such a shame because the actor has a nice voice and I loved the emotional connection that he developed with Barrett in the end, but it didn't click.

Aside from these two oddities, I thought the show was beautiful and exceptionally well done. This was my first professional production and I was very delighted (and emotionally wrecked) when I left the theater. I would gladly see it again if I could.

[lambchop2]

Posted: 6/10/15 at 8:43pm

So I was reading more up on the production and remembered that it's starting a national tour sometime in the 2015-2016 season (Ahmanson Theatre announced it for spring 2016). Does anyone know if any more dates have been announced yet? I wonder if Ahmanson will be the first stop.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/10/15 at 10:33pm

From the single photo, I'd say the set -- in terms of defining a concept -- is surprising: it looks fairly traditional, not a huge departure, if anything slightly more literal than the original. I thought this staging was more minimal. I'm not complaining, just surprised.  

[littlemouse921]

Posted: 6/11/15 at 2:56pm

Does anyone know if there will be Cast Recording for this production? I found this on Matt Beveridge's (the guy who plays Barrett) instagram:

 

https://instagram.com/p/2ZaWOKMVkk/

[lambchop2]

Posted: 6/25/15 at 11:48am

I haven't heard anything about a cast recording, sadly.

I wonder if by 'little' cast recording he meant it literally--just a little recording for the audio that they used in the trailer/footage reels for the show.

I'd love a cast recording with this cast, though. Or a professional video, but given that they seem to be touring (to some extent) I'm doubting it'll happen.

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 6/25/15 at 2:25pm

"...it looks fairly traditional, not a huge departure, if anything slightly more literal than the original. I thought this staging was more minimal. I'm not complaining, just surprised."

 

The staging is indeed quite minimal. 

STAGING SPOILERS AHEAD

For example, the scene with the loading of the lifeboat consists of ship crew members lifting the lifeboat passengers over the edge of nothing (pantomiming the edge of a non-existent boat) after which the passenger stands in a line next to the other passengers in the non-boat.  Other crew members throw two ropes to the two passengers on the ends of the line, they pretend to lower the boat with the ropes, and then the "lifeboat" sails by having its passengers split up into two halves of the line, then walking away in two opposite directions (wtf?  the 'boat' just split in half?).   I get that it saves money to not have an actual boat prop, but the running cost would have been the same if they had all walked in one direction, at least pretending that they were actually in a boat together.

The ship sinking is a bit more fancy, but not by much.  They do tilt the back deck of the set at the very end of Mr. Andrews' song just as the lights go out, and he slides down it the one-person-length or so that he is elevated as they tilt the deck more and more during his song.  It is tilted by very visible ropes. 

Another minimalist staging concept is re-using all of the cast members except for the actors playing Andrews, Ismay, Smith, and Isador Strauss to play more than one character, sometimes even different named characters in each of the classes (e.g. the same actor plays the Stoker, Guggenheim in first class, and another passenger with some solo lines in the third class ensemble number about coming to America).  They make no attempt to disguise his face through all those changes, so it is a bit disorienting wondering why the stoker is singing with the third-class passengers instead of, well, stoking, until you realize that he is supposed to be representing a different character there despite his identical appearance.  Same thing with Ida Strauss and a third-class ensemble passenger, Edgar from second class and a prominently-featured ensemble soloist in third class, Jim Farrell from third class and a first-class steward, the orchestra leader and a bellboy, etc.  It was very weird and disorienting.

END SPOILERS

Having said all that, the singing was superb, with Ben Heppner and the actors playing Andrews and the stoker being particular standouts in that regard.