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It opened on Broadway 10
years ago and now Titanic is on its way to Australia. AussieTheatre.com's Troy Dodds
previews the anticipated tuner...
 When word first started to make its way around theatre circles that Titanic
was to be produced in Australia, my mind drifted back to Willoughby Musical
Society’s production of the musical a couple of years ago. It’s not a fair
comparison, of course, but fear did indeed make its way into my head.
I’m the first to admit I didn’t like the Willoughby production and to be honest
I think it was because Titanic is meant to be such a grand experience, and low
budgets and smaller stages simply can’t provide for that. The upcoming major Sydney
production has all the ingredients to be a success.
The production has had to deal with plenty of criticism on various levels over the last
few months – from the decision to cast a primarily young group of actors through to
doubts over the set and even a rumour that the show was to be a ‘concert
version’.
Producer and Director John Diedrich was quick to deny the concert version rumours and is
confident the sets will be astonishing. With Dale Ferguson’s name behind it, one is
inclined to agree.
And as for the cast, I’m excited about the prospect of seeing some of our young
talent on stage together. Whether or not they handle the expectations of an audience that
has paid $100 a ticket will be determined in a few months, I am sure.
Titanic first premiered on Broadway a decade ago and while it won five Tony Awards, it
never really took off. It played for two years, but was in so many ways swept away by the
success of the film that opened in the same year. Both projects were actually tipped to
fail, but the movie obviously exceeded all expectations.
Maury Yeston’s musical was left to think about what could have been, but it’s
always maintained some form of hope and it will be interesting to see how an Australian
audience takes to it.
 I listened to an interview with John Diedrich on ABC Radio recently
and he made a superb point about the ‘era’ of the Titanic film and
musical. The film will always have that 1997 feel about it, but the musical can always
evolve, as has been proven by the widely talked about ‘Three Days’ number, which
may or may not end up in the finished product.
Diedrich will without doubt give the musical new life and the energetic young cast –
who entered rehearsals this week – will surely display that energy on stage.
I’ve spoken with a few cast members this past week who’ve all mentioned the same
word: Enormous. While the timeframes may be short, this is by no means a ‘slap it on
quickly’ production and from what I have been told the set, the design and the
staging will be nothing short of brilliant.
Titanic finds itself in a very different boat to Priscilla (in fact,
Priscilla finds itself in a bus, but I digress). They are completely different shows
and while Priscilla has huge appeal to the musical theatre crowd, the gay
audience and the party people, Titanic is a family musical and will particularly
appeal to the baby boomers among us.
The short season in Sydney means ticket sales aren’t going to be an indication of the
show’s success – it will close in December no matter what. The artistic result
and the reviews will most probably tell the story.
There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to Titanic and I think we have
to hold our judgement until the show opens, because even though the story and the cast
recording is well known, this is a very different type of musical than what Sydney has
been used to in recent years. No jukebox here – just a classic book musical.
I will say though that I have been impressed by the very professional marketing campaign,
advertising and structure of the show ‘behind the scenes’. If that can be
carried on stage, Diedrich has nothing to worry about.
Bring it on. |
