Titanic - The Musical, Stage Art, Chapel Off Chapel, Sunday July 10th 2016
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James Cutler the director has created a superb version of
"Titanic - The Musical" by Stage Art, at Chapel Off Chapel. "Titanic" was the 1997 Tony Award winning Broadway musical. I had tickets when it was being staged in Melbourne after its Sydney season did not tour. I have seen footage of the opening number on Broadway and was eager to see how they would stage this musical with a reduced cast playing multiple roles.
Well I came home and bought tickets for another viewing it was so good. My comments of the second viewing are at the end of this review.
The set was a raked stage with an ocean of space to allow for entrances and exits. The chairs were brought on in the first scene and placed on either side as in a
Greek chorus. We too are the voyeurs and
observers of this tragedy. Set design by Simon Coleman,
Robbie Carmellotti and James Cutler provided us a floating stage to create depth for both the different class of passengers and when required for the ocean.
The main thing I did not like was the lack of clarity in the projections. These projections reminded me of the entrance hall to the
"Titanic" exhibition both in Melbourne and to a lesser extent the shorter hallway used in the
Las Vegas version. In these exhibitions there was clarity with the projections and the times but in the theatre they were sometimes hard to see against the white outline of the ship's portholes etc. The second viewing consolidated these thoughts.
The lighting by Giancarlo Salamanca created the haunting effects required to build the tension. The blasts were simple and effective. The second viewing confirmed the simplicity of the lighting design to emphasise the emotional tragedy.
Sound Design by
Marcello Lo Ricco created such realistic sound effects and reminded me of
"Sensurround" used first in the movie
"Earthquake" in 1974. The first time the sound effects are used made the audience all sit up and take note, as they did on the second viewing.
Costume design by
Lucy Laurtia imbued the period, though some of the characters did not look as polished as they should - with some ill-fitting uniforms for the male cast. The ill fitting uniforms were more noticeable on the second viewing and detracted from the quality performers ability to hold their credibility.
I had tears rolling down my face during the farewells and
loading of the first class passengers scene.
The truth and sincerity of these actors was breathtaking. See below for my note on the second viewing.
Musical direction by Kent Ross was terrific. The singing was melodious and rich as the band played superbly. There was maybe one or two bung notes in this hugely sung through musical. The harmonies were sensational and when the whole cast sang - the harmonies were rich and sublime.
The opening number had the passengers come in via the aisles. This created a sense of excitement as we could only just see them, as they were trying to see this new liner. Plus the aisles were dressed with ropes and luggage to provide the audience the experience of boarding the liner too.
The hitting of the iceberg left me with a shudder. The second viewing had me watching how the cast created this moment.
The "Wake up" announcement to each class of passengers was stirring - with Henry Etches (
Christopher Southall) and
Adam Di Martino as a Bellboy on either side of the stage moving to each cabin. Their door knocking did not have the humour of
"The Book of Mormon"! These superb performers were doing their duty to rouse passengers and also to keep calm. Their disquiet created superb tension. This built the tension for the final farewell hug with the captain.
The Third Class (or rats) were caged animals and the use of cast to create a barrier both physically and with four chairs was visually confronting. The second viewing had my attention more as how the director drew our attention so quickly from the First Class passengers to the Third Class. This was such a clever and simple transition that has me in awe of
James Cutler's skill.
Some of the chairs were used to create the lifeboats. I had tears rolling down my face during the farewells and loading of the first class passengers onto the life boats during "To the lifeboats/We'll meet tomorrow". There was honesty in the depth of respect for these characters by the actors. The truth and sincerity of these actors was breathtaking.
The boats were lowered. The wailing and crying was truly disturbing. The lifeboat sailed away by means of the actors carrying their chairs and solemnly filing across downstage and out into the foyer. Another simple and powerful device to transport us back in time to these historic events.
Three men were left standing on deck. There was so much happening in this silence and stillness It is probably the most powerful silence I have ever seen staged in over 51 years of attending theatre - you could hear a pin drop. The stillness went on for a long period of time and the pauses between the three men's short dialogues were palpable. They created an honest sense of futility and despair. The cigarette smoking and trying to make sense of their final hours was gut wrenching. My heart was pounding at these three men realising and contemplating their fate.
The (deck) chairs falling overboard into the moat around the stage created a sense of realism. The sliding and scrambling up the raked stage was so simple and desperate. The hanging on to the sides of the ship and each passenger losing their grip and falling into the Atlantic was so simple and so effective. It goes to show that good theatre does not always need expensive and flashy sets.
Choreography by
Rhys Velasquez created a feel for the 1912 era with the dance exhibition/class and more attention to social etiquette of the period was needed. The second viewing shows how appropriate
Rhys Velasquez choreographed this sequence. I still agree that some of the social manners needed refinement.
The acting and singing overall varied, which highlighted those who had a more detailed characterisation. One of the stand out performances included Don Winsor as Thomas Andrews the engineer who commanded our attention.
Casey Withoos as Alice Beane desperately wanted to be in First Class while embarrassing her husband Edgar Beane played by Harley Morrison. Both these fine actors worked well to create tension in their relationship, including their separation.
Henry Etches was played superbly by Christopher Southall. He was respectful of his duties and his position to the end.
Joel Granger as Harold Bride, the radio operator was sensational in his portrayal of the various dramatic levels of this role.
Paul Batey as the Captain E.J. Smith sang with his rich baritone voice though need more physical authority in his demeanour. Sadly his uniform was ill fitting which is unforgivable by the costume department.
The three Kate's worked well together and provided lush female harmonies during "Ladies Maid". They emphasised the hopes and dreams of new immigrants with sincerity and no hint of sycophancy. Their honesty highlighted the complex contemporary issues of boat people.
Adam Di Martino as a Bellboy sang beautifully during "Wake Up, Wake Up" with Henry Etches played superbly by Christopher Southall. His farewell hug with the captain left me with a lump in my throat at both performances highlighting the fragility of youth.
James Brown made a marked impression as William Murdoch. His final scene was simple and theatrically strong with the use of the chairs to make a sound effect and the illusion was stylistically disturbing. His exit was into the lit aisle - as if meeting his maker.
Sam Bennet provided depth to his performance by visually and vocally differentiating his various characterisations. His attention to characterisation detail is admirable.
Some of the characters were two dimensional for example Lady Caroline played by Greta Sherriff as she was too busy physically. This stood out against her lower class boyfriend who appeared more physically First Class with his stature and demeanour. If the director chose this clashing of cultural backgrounds - I am afraid it did not work. The Lady Caroline character needed more stillness. The second viewing saw a more composed Lady Caroline.
Some of the posturing prior to beginning a song was a little contrived rather than characters physically flowing into songs. There is a marked difference with those characters who needed to physically prepare a singer's stance rather than using their character's physicality. This was less so on the second viewing.
There were very few props with the luggage, trunks and cases carried on and left upstage to create a sense of atmosphere. A bell was used while a turned up suitcase was used for the Marconi morse code radio machine. . All other props were mimed - of which some made sense but there needed more attention to detail when glasses or canapes were on one tray, and how glasses suddenly disappeared. Some of the miming was clear and at other times bizarre and weird. For example all of a sudden a glass would disappear and not be put down. More attention was needed.
An odd choice was the use of four different angles for the radio/telegraph room. Firstly, we were introduced to Harold Bride played by
Joel Granger using two trunks to create a desk en-face. Secondly he was sitting with the two trunks sideways to the audience covering his left ear. Thirdly during the look-out scene Harold Bride was singing a duet downstage centre with Frederick Fleet played sensationally by
Alex Thomson. Finally Harold Bride was sitting in the moat on stage right with a spotlight focused on him. Maybe this choice was to show his position compared to where the captain was located. But here he was lost amongst the action - albeit I am grateful for the spotlight as I was searching for him during this scene. I would be interested to see the later three scenes using the same two trunks en-face perspective for clarity and consistency.
The second viewing emphasised the side on perspective highlighted the listing of the liner.
The rich anthem "Godspeed Titanic" is reprised during the finale with marvellous harmonies. The curtain calls were simple and very enthusiastically cheered and applauded by the appreciative audience. Sadly a few front row audience members could not wait for the cast to clear the aisle before they left. Thankfully the second viewing had a more respectful audience.
I was disappointed that a young man in the centre of D Row turned on his mobile phone while the band were finishing the show in darkness. This was not only a d lighting distraction but this young man missed the poignancy and accuracy of this immortalised band - playing to their death.
I wrote the following on my Facebook page immediately after the first viewing:
We saw "Titanic - the musical" and have waited since 1997 to see a production in Melbourne. It is so good we are going again. Already booked our tickets. The staging is so simple and effective with the small orchestra placed in the centre of the raked stage . The raked stage is haunting as we know how it all ends. The way they use the chairs is like how they used them so creatively in "The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol" by Theatre de Complicite. Terrific singing, acting and staging. A highlight for the 2016 theatre season.
Our second viewing: "Titanic - The Musical" , Stage Art, Chapel Off Chapel, Saturday July 23rd 2016 we had exactly the same seats. Overall watching the musical again gave an opportunity to savour the good aspects of this production. The particularly clever aspect was watching the use of the chairs in every scene that made more sense. I think some reviewers need to see a show a second time in order to understand the depth of thought that went into the use of these chairs.
Sadly during the long opening a man in F Row on the aisle kept playing with his mobile phone. It was so distracting from my peripheral vision I jumped out of my seat at the end of the opening and signalled to him to turn it off. The audience members gasped that I did this but I am sure were appreciative that he would no longer be flashing his large screen.
Another sad moment was the falling down the stairs of Casey Withoos who played Alice Beane opposite Harley Morrison as Edgar Beane. They had just completed an emotionally charged scene with sincerity and poignancy. Her fall down the stage right stairs added to the drama. The stage manager called "Stop" and they checked on Casey Withoos to see that she was all right physically and emotionally to continue. Casey Withoos was embarrassed and curtsied acknowledgement and thanks to the thunderous round of applause. This fall shows the potential danger that performers are subject to at every performance and the potential distractions of mobile phones flashing in the audience. I do hope that Casey Withoos is physically and emotionally okay as she gave a terrific performance on both viewings.
Lady Caroline was played Greta Sherriff with less posturing physically and more naturally a First Class passenger travelling in Second Class. Charles Clarke was played by Mathew Hyde with at least three different accents at this viewing.
The final scene with Isidor and Ida Straus was played more tenderly and affectionately by and Barry Mitchell and Amanda Stevenson. This time they had more connection to their 40 year relationship and I had tears rolling down my eyes at their honest love and concern for each other. Their final interaction with the stoic Etches was played reliably and consistently by the Christopher Southall. This young man is a force to be reckoned with and I look forward to seeing more of his artistry.
The loading of passengers onto the life boats was equally moving as the first viewing, but I winced to try to work out what was different this time. I thought there was one man short on the life boat and I think J. Bruce Ismay played by
Jon Sebastian missed this life boat as I recall thinking "Where is Ismay?" My partner had the same thought when we debriefed after the show.
The couple's farewell with the baby was very moving. This was played as well on both occasions by Alex Thompson and
Rosabelle Elliott. I remember the cries and despair of the cast - especially the wails of
Molly Fisher as Kate Murphy and the desperation of Alice Beane played by
Casey Withoos. Very moving.
On this second viewing I grew to like the various locations of the radio room as when the ship was listing, the sideways perspective added to the visual tension of the Titanic sinking.
Paul Batey played the Captain E.J. Smith with more authority on this viewing. The ill fitting uniform for the Captain took away from his authority. Though
Paul Batey is not physically accurate to the more rotund actual person he sang with great aplomb.
Overall I thought the second viewing provided an opportunity to see how robust the staging stood. I do not think that
James Cutler the director wasted a moment of directional opportunities given the designs.
The first viewing received a 9/10 while the second viewing received an 8.5/10 due to few inconsistent performances.
Note to
Stage Art producers: Please honour the discounted offer to
"The Colour Purple' for all performances as the card had no restrictions on dates. Next time please make sure you put restrictions on any advanced booking offers handed out by the ushers.
