Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Maury Yeston’s stirring score rightfully takes center stage in the sublime Encores! revival of TITANIC

• By drediman
• June 13, 2024
• No Comments

Wrapping up the fantastic 30th anniversary season of the Encores! series (which began buoyantly with an inspired production of Once Upon a Mattress starring beloved stage and screen star Sutton Foster and continued with a sizzling revival of Jelly’s Last Jam) — as well as New York City Center’s season, at large — is the much anticipated revival of Titanic, a musical retelling of the infamous nautical tragedy of the sinking of the legendary titular transoceanic cruise liner. The musical originally opened directly on the Great White Way at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in the spring of 1997 to much speculation (due to the high complexity of the staging, an out-of-town tryout was deemed unfeasible). And although it eventually went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical, its time in the limelight was somewhat eclipsed by the arrival of James Cameron’s blockbuster film later that year.

As with all things, with the passage of time comes perspective, and revisiting Maury Yeston and Peter Stone’s musical all these years later — especially through the lens of this superb revival — is a welcome reminder of the glories of their creation. Director Anne Kauffman rightfully and quite literally places Yeston’s stirring score center stage. As led by former Encores! music director Rob Berman (who conducts a luxurious 30-piece orchestra perched above the onstage action), the score has been given its full due. From thrilling operatic heights to some accomplished pastiche work to subtle textual underscoring, Yeston’s work shines brightly, firmly cementing itself as one of the most majestic scores of the 20th century (attention must also be paid to Jonathan Tunick’s genius original orchestrations). Stone’s book is no slouch either, offering audiences an efficient but sweeping topographical tapestry of the historical event, in favor of spending too much time fleshing out individual human dramas. Given the current economics of Broadway, it’s sad to think that we’ll unlikely see a musical of this magnitude done on Broadway any time soon.

Kauffman’s direction harkens back to the Encores! production of old in terms of simplicity of staging, tracking more closely to semi-staged concert than full production (which the series has veered towards in recent years), again allowing the focus to be on the material rather than the spectacle. The assembled cast is absolutely stellar from top to bottom, and they sing and act their respective roles with tremendous feeling and depth. Particularly memorable are Ramin Karimloo (sturdy and robust as Frederick Barrett), Chuck Cooper (imperious as Captain E.J. Smith), Chip Zien/Judy Kuhn (heart-filling as the Strausses), Samantha Williams (appealingly earnest as Kate McGowan), Alex Joseph Grayson (utterly charming as Harold Bride) and Bonnie Milligan (a bonafide scene-stealer as Alice Beane) — each create fully formed characters out of the few broad strokes they’ve been given to work with on the page. But perhaps most importantly, when the entire company raise their voices in concert during the musical’s soaring choral passages, the effect is sublime.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

TITANIC
Off-Broadway, Musical
Encores! at New York City Center
2 hours, 20 minutes (with an intermission)
Through June 23