Review of Griffin Theatre's Titanic

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called Titanic. The music and lyrics were by Maury Yeston and the book was by Peter Stone and the new orchestrations were by Ian Weinberger. It was directed by Scott Weinstein and the music director was Elizabeth Doran. It was about the ship Titanic and what happened on it. It was about the stories of historical people (sometimes blended together or given different names) who survived or died on the Titanic. I really really liked this show. I thought it was sad but also funny. I felt so many emotions throughout the show, but I had a lot of fun. This show has great acting, a great set, and cool music!

The set (by Joe Schermoly) was really cool. I liked how it looked like the outside of a ship but they could rearrange it to look like a ballroom, a dining room, the bridge of the ship, the coal room, or the deck. The same thing happened with the costumes (Rachel Sypniewski), like how at first Emily Grayson was a 19-year-old girl and then she changed to being the wife of the man who ran the Macy's who was 60 year old by just switching her hat. Then she did that a bunch more times but with other hats. I really liked how when the ship was sinking, the chairs slowly came up. That made me very captured by the story because I imagined the chairs were floating in the water. I really liked the portholes because sometimes it seemed like people were going to sleep or being awake because the lights (design by Brandon Wardell) were turned off or on.

I loved the Kates. I thought it was funny how every single one of them was named Kate. Kate Mullins (Christine Mayland Perkins), she wanted to sew forever in America because back in Ireland she could not get a job. Kate Murphey (Kelley Abell) wanted to be a governess; and I am thinking to her, "Good for you". Maybe you will find a handsome rich man you can marry because in novels that is what always happens. Kate McGowan (Courtney Jones) was in love with a man named Jim Farrell (Kevin Stangler). They were one of the cutest couples on the ship. They were both super poor and from Ireland. They represent the third class people who are in love. They don't have a good life, they aren't rich, but they still try to make the best of life.

So here is a little paragraph about class. I think that class is stupid, personally, because all people are supposed to be equal, no matter how much money they have. Mrs. Beane (Neala Barron) thinks that she should be able to go and talk to famous people in the ballroom even though she is second class not first. But Mr. Etches (John Keating), the first-class steward, wants to keep her out. But then she goes and starts dancing with them, but they are like "No you cannot be in here. I am so fancy. You are so un-nicely dressed. I am better than you. Honh honh honh." Her husband (Jake Mahler) thinks that is not a good idea, and of course he is right, because she gets into trouble. But I still think she has the right plan. There is another couple that loves each other so much that class doesn't matter to them: Charles Clarke (Matt Edmonds) and Caroline Neville (Laura McClain). He should be in second class, and she should be in first class because she is a lady, the Lady Caroline. But they are both in second class together because they want to be together and she doesn't have any money at the moment because they are running away together.

My favorite song was "The Proposal/The Night Was Alive," when the stoker Fred Barret (Justin Adair) was talking to the telegraph man named Harold Bride (Royen Kent). I thought it was very sweet. It was kind of funny because it seemed like Fred was proposing to Harold but he was actually writing a telegraph to his sweetheart proposing to her. It is also kind of sad; of course he doesn't know he's going to be dead in the next 24 hours. Harold is singing basically about how he loves his telegraph so much because it made him connect those people and he came to love those people as he talked to them. This was my favorite song because it was so touching and so funny at the same time because of the way the telegraph man sings the song. I really liked the ditdadadadit because it sounded funny, that noise is just very funny. The next time you see the telegraph man he is screaming that we need a rescue boat and that there were all these iceberg warnings. The sound of the telegraph machine isn't funny anymore then because he is sad about it now and scared.

I found the song very sad where the guy who ran Macy's, Isador Strauss (Sean Thomas), and his wife Ida (Grayson) were singing to each other about how much they loved each other even when they were about to die, but it also made me happy that they loved each other so much. I think it made it sadder because they weren't sad because they loved each other. It still makes me sad right now. I hope you'll feel the same emotions I do, but I hope you are not a crying mess like I am right now. After you see this show just remind yourself that this will never happen again because they have enough lifeboats for everyone to be on now.

People who would like this show are people who like excitement, cute Irish couples, and telegraph machines. I think people should definitely definitely go see this show. It will make you laugh, it will make you sing, it will make you sob, and it will make you want to see this show over and over and over again.

Photos: Michael Brosilow