Musical version of 'Titanic' drops anchor
Tony Awards winning musical “Titanic” sails into Shanghai to stage seven performances at SAIC Shanghai Culture Square from November 27.
Based on a book by Peter Stone, and with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, the musical premiered on Broadway in 1997, sweeping the Tony Awards that year, winning all five it was nominated for, including best musical and best score. The version to be staged in Shanghai is an international touring production.
“The musical was actually produced even earlier than the very popular ‘Titanic’ movie,” said Danielle Tarento, producer of the musical. “The two works of movie and musical never really had any competition, since they attracted a different audience.”
Both James Cameron’s movie and the musical story are set on the ocean liner RMS Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage on April 15, 1912. While the movie focuses more on a love story, the 2.5-hour musical showcases history and human spirit.
While the movie focuses more on a love story, the musical showcases history and human spirit.
“The movie is more of a ‘made-up’ love story, while in the musical, we describe the whole crew on the ship,” said Thom Southerland, director of the musical. “To pay tribute to this piece of history, we did a lot of research, but we also had to keep it in mind that this was not a history lesson, but a grand musical product.”
Southerland revealed that 126 characters will be performed by the 25-member cast, while the impressive stage effects will take the audience to the bottom of the ocean.
Performance info
Date: November 27-29, 7:30pm; November 30, 2pm, 7:30pm; December 1, 2pm, 7:30pm
Tickets: 80-1080 yuan
Venue: SAIC Shanghai Culture Square
Address: 597 Fuxing Rd M.
Musical singers perform on a ship sailing along the Huangpu River during a promotional activity for "Titanic."
