Unlike James Cameron’s blockbusting 1997 movie, Titanic, which focuses on one fictional person’s experience aboard the doomed passenger liner, Titanic The Musical features the stories of numerous real-life passengers on the ship. 

Hard-hitting and powerful, the show further benefits from tremendous performances by the entire 25-strong ensemble, whose renditions of the songs, complete with the most amazing harmonies, are simply stunning.

The original Broadway production won five Tony awards, including best musical, score and book. This current version is touring in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the critically acclaimed London premiere.

The first act deals with the lives of the passengers before the Titanic hits trouble, depicting the hopes, aspirations and ambitions of those aboard the ship on that ill-fated maiden voyage to America in 1912. While their stories are uplifting, there’s no getting away from the knowledge of what’s going to unfold in the second half of the show: Many will not survive to fulfill their dreams and desires.

That second half is of course dominated by the Titanic’s collision with an iceberg and the aftermath of the accident. The loss of life was horrifying - more than 1,500 men, women and children died. Most of them were second and third-class passengers, the limited number of lifeboats having been taken predominantly by those in first-class. Even more shocking was the revelation, according to many historical sources, that 450 seats on the lifeboats were unused... 

The final moments of the unsinkable ship sinking, as presented in the show, are truly haunting, as the names of all those who drowned are displayed on a large plaque on the stage.

The production’s set design is simple yet effective. The lower stage is the bottom deck, the higher level the top, connected using a set of moving stairs. Lavish interiors need to be imagined. Clever use of props by cast members means there are no tricky scene changes to distract from the drama as it unfolds on stage. 

Disaster musicals are hardly all the rage. Titanic is both an exception and exceptional. Given the grim subject matter of the show, leaving the theatre afterwards humming its tunes would probably feel like a step in a wrong direction, but there’s every chance you will head for home feeling profoundly touched by the production.

5 stars

Reviewed by Sue hull, Tuesday 18 April at Birmingham Hippodrome where it drops anchor until Saturday 22 April. It then docks at Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Monday 24 - Saturday 29 April.