[NEohioPAL] REVIEW: TITANIC The Musical at Players Guild Theatr

[Tom Wachunas]

  Treading Water, Valiantly 

By Tom Wachunas 

 

“…And the night wasalive/ With a thousand voices /Fighting to be heard /And each and every one ofthem /Connected to me...” 

- lyrics by Maury Yeston from “The Night Was Alive” for Titanic – The Musical

   A confession: At this writing, I am overcomewith mixed feelings in a sea of sad ironies. Not the least of those is thatopening night of the Players Guild production of Titanic – The Musical came so soon (May 17) after the suddenpassing on May 9 of 55 year-old Scott Sutton. 

   Through decades,his work as lighting designer and sound engineer brought  magical dimensionality to hundreds of PlayersGuild productions, including the spectacular artistry of his final project inApril, Jesus Christ Superstar. It’snot unreasonable to think that processing the loss of such a vital and belovedmember of the Guild family might profoundly affect how the cast members -directed by Jonathan Tisevich – would rise to the challenge of insightfullyfocusing their hearts and minds on navigating the Titanic narrative (story and book by Peter Stone, music and lyricsby Maury Yeston). And that’s another irony. For here is a story - an operaticvoyage, really – about unexpected tragedy, the promise and fragility of humandreams, and mortality itself. 

   So in one sense, perhaps the emotive core ofthis show is to be found in the genuinely valiant efforts of the performers tosomehow bind the weighty pall of their personal bereavement to the hopes,aspirations, and worldviews of the people they’re portraying. Still, the energypouring from the stage is a wandering one, feeling oddly sporadic and numbingat times. It’s as if all these characters can do is to dutifully tread the coldwater of circumstance.  

   To be fair, the underminingflaws in this production are, for the most part, not the fault of the clearlygifted cast (though there are some distinctly off-pitch singing passages), butrather in the decidedly flaccid songwriting. While the live orchestra conductedby Steve Parsons plays superbly enough (as it always does), the music as awhole is not particularly remarkable.  Themelodies themselves are largely impotent, doing little to evoke palpableurgency or suspense, despite some impassioned delivery from accomplished singers.Though too few and far between, the moments when the music is at its mostpowerful are those featuring choral singing from the full company, magnificentin its sheer aural opulence of thunderous, soaring harmonies.

    There are some compelling dramatic scenes herethat keep this “ship of dreams” afloat long enough for us to savor intervals ofauthentic anger, pathos, tenderness, and exhilaration. Daryl Robinson is aquietly riveting  picture of broodingobsession as he plays Andrews, the designer of the Titanic who never stopslooking at his blueprints. As Captain Smith, Jim Graysmith is a cold figure,stern and aloof in the night atop his bridge, seemingly uncaring about thesafety of his passengers. Similarly uncaring, Todd Cooper is sinister hubrisand unbridled pride personified in his role of Ismay, Titanic’s owner,insisting that his property set a new trans-Atlantic speed record. In astartling song titled The Blame, thethree of them engage in a chaotic flurry of insults and vicious finger-pointingas the ill-fated vessel begins to sink.

   On a gentler note, HeidiSwinford is all impish charm in her role of Alice Beane, a second-classpassenger humorously swooning over and idolizing the wealthy first-classcelebrities on board, all bedecked in flamboyant period costumes designed byStephen Ostertag (oh! those ridiculous ladies’ hats!). Kaelin Curran, AlexisWilson, and Morgan Brown are deliciously animated as a giddy trio of young,third-class Irish women, each named Kate, each dreaming of the good life inAmerica. Meanwhile, Sarah Marie Young as Caroline, along with Andrew Bolden asCharles, are thoroughly captivating as they look forward to married life. Theirduet, I Give You My Hand, isespecially commanding.  Another most tender and endearing duet, The Proposal / The Night Was Alive,features Sean Fleming playing a stoker named Barrett, and Michael Jeffrey Lucasas Bride, who works in the ship’s teletype room. As Bride taps out Barrett’sdictated marriage proposal to his distant girlfriend, the two men are joined ina mesmerizing moment of contrapuntal harmony.    

   Theset designed by Joshua Erichsen is a transfixing apparition of steel ramps,scaffolds, railings, and columns superimposed with projected mechanicaldrawings. It effectively captures the metaphorical spirit and epic scale of thehistoric vessel, described in the song InEvery Age as, “…a  humanmetropolis... A complete civilization! Sleek! And fast! At once a poem and theperfection of physical engineering...” 

   A completecivilization indeed. Sleek, fast, destined for disaster. Perfection? To apoint, yes, as in…perfectly ironic.

Titanic: The Musical/  ThroughJune 2, 2019, on the Players Guild Mainstage, Cultural Center for the Arts,1001 Market Ave. N, Canton, Ohio  / showsat 8 p.m. on May 24, 25, 30, 31 and June 1 / shows at 2 p.m. on May  26 and June 2  / TICKETS: $32 adult, $29 seniors 65 andolder, $25 for 17 and younger / at www.PlayersGuildTheatre.com   and 330-453-7617.

For other reviews and commentaries by Tom Wachunas on theperforming and visual arts in the greater Canton area, please visit his blog,ARTWACH, at www.artwach.blogspot.com

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