Turning a story – whether a novel, a film, or a historical event – into a musical is an opportunity to retell it with a fresh spin. With a creative angle, it can bring new life to even the best known tales that are told to death. Without this approach, it becomes nothing more than going through the motions. It can come across as cold or lifeless or dull.

Sadly this is the case for Titanic: The Musical, bringing little originality to the stage. It tells the story of the Titanic’s passengers, from the idyllic start of the maiden voyage to its inevitable sinking after colliding with an iceberg. There is no single main character, as the narrative constantly shifts between the numerous groups of passengers, and the way they react to the fateful historical incident.

In terms of singing and acting, the cast were good. Nothing stood out as exceptional, but they all carried their parts well and were strong as an ensemble. Personally I think the songs and libretto made it difficult for the cast to shine, and was definitely the big issue in the production. Over twenty years have passed since it was first performed, and a lot of better musicals have been written since.

Thom Southerland’s intriguing and inventive direction cannot overcome the bloated and bland material he is working with. There are no notable characters, there are no memorable songs, and exciting elements of the set are rarely able to be used because of the lacking action in the piece. There is a reliance on excessive exposition which becomes swiftly tiresome, and were there fewer characters it might have been possible to care about them. Instead we are treated to a smorgasbord of underdeveloped people who we are supposed to care for because we are told to.

While the set has the polish of a high-budget production, it fails to capture the sheer scale and grandeur of the eponymous ship. This is understandably challenging on stage, but when the same section of stage is used to convey several different areas of the ship, it is hard to suspend disbelief, no matter how hard the text tries to remind you of the ship’s size at every possible moment.

I would argue that revivals are not something to be avoided, but there are shows that need to be revived and shows that should be left alone. As we seem to be flooded with revivals and jukebox musicals, perhaps it would be an idea to allow new material to flourish. Otherwise we will be stuck watching the same shows year in, year out, and theatre in this country will struggle to develop.   ★★☆☆☆    Jeremy Ulster    4^th June 2018