Titanic the Musical

18th-22nd April 2023

Birmingham Hippodrome 

Danielle Tarento in association with Mayflower Theatre, Southampton and Harmonia presents Titanic the Musical. 

Music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and directed by Thom Sutherland. 

Just before midnight on the 14th April 1912 the RMS Titanic operated by White Star Line struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean, sustaining catastrophic damage to its starboard side of her bow. Tragically sinking in two hours and forty minutes with the loss of more than 1,500 men, women and children and 706 survivors. 

Of all the theatre productions I have watched and reviewed this has been one that I have felt mixed emotions about! Personally and my own opinion has been that it almost 'goes against the grain' to produce a show about such a devastating tragedy in modern history and linking it to musical theatre. 

With that said I was intrigued, as I have always been captivated by the events of this 'unsinkable' vessel and curious to see how this musical production panned out. 

Always in the back of your mind and throughout the whole performance you are continually reminded of the fact that this is based on true events. From the moment it commenced, this strong performance captivated the full auditorium - you could actually hear a pin drop. What a wonderful way to captivate the audience prior to the performance commencing where several leading characters on stage quietly discussing events, and as the lights dimmed indicating the start, the stage was filled with a succession of dramatic songs and smooth lighting between the transition of scenes. 

The cast was strong, stirring and thought provoking! And even though we were in the audience watching the initial events unfold I felt part of the ship as the cast looked into the audience admiring the ship!

Events were portrayed with accuracy and sympathetically performed with song sequences carefully choreographed as the cast departed the stage via stairs and into auditorium. 

The whole production was accompanied by a live orchestra which certainly creates a presence and atmospheric feeling. 

I must add a warning that some scenes may potentially upset or offend some members of the audience as characters can be clearly observed using cigarettes and the use of a firearm with a loud sudden noise in a dramatic and upsetting scene! 

I sensed many of the audience were expecting a romantic style performance and were slightly disappointed; probably expecting a similar storyline to the 1997 Hollywood movie blockbuster! The musical did not disappoint as it focused on key characters and highlighted the issues of different classes in society. 

Captain Edward Smith played by the extremely talented Graham Bickley led a vocally and impressive cast of equal talent; talent that virtually sang throughout the two hour and forty minute performance! A good rapport between all cast members that graced the stage! Incredible!

In its tenth anniversary year it has to be one of the most dramatic and hard hitting productions, especially the visual effects in the latter part of the play as the 'unsinkable' Titanic slips beneath the waves. It was at this moment that the tragic events really brought a tear to the eye with the drop of the curtain revealing the names of the deceased passengers, leaving the main surviving characters in front of the audience. 

I do not want my own judgement and opinions of this musical to cloud this 'Titanic' performance with a rating of 4/5 stars, so based on the storyline, set/lighting, costume, choreography and acting I must give it a 5/5 star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️