BWW Reviews: Griffin Theatre's TITANIC

When I hear "chamber musical" I immediately think of a cast of six or less and a pit orchestra of four. Roughly the amount of people that would fit in an average size lifeboat, I suppose.

There is nothing "small" about Griffin Theatre Company's chamber musical version of the Tony Award-winning musical "Titanc," though. The set might be minimalistic, but everything else about this is epic and grand. If the production were a ship, I would say she is very much sea-worth and you should rush to book your trip.

Running through Dec. 7 at Theater Wit (1229 W. Belmont), the show is the newly reimagined version by "Titanic" original Broadway cast member Don Stephenson that "shrinks" the cast down from 45 to 20 (still, a fairly large cast for a Chicago non-Equity theater). A Broadway revival was planned for the 2014-2015 season, but has been postponed to the 2015-2016 season due to a lack of available Broadway theaters. And that meant this new version was available for license by non-Equity companies. Chicago, it would seem, is yet again getting a pre-Broadway view of a work.

The show is indeed about the fateful maiden voyage of the Titanic, an "unsinkable" passenger liner that struck an iceberg and sank during its maiden voyage in 1912. One of the most famous and tragic shipwrecks in history, I've always marveled over the fact that the show (book by Peter Stone and music/lyrics by Maury Yeston) manages to be both inspiring and hopefully despite the somber source material.

At its core, the show is about hope. The hope of those in third class that they find a better life in America, the hope of the second class that the find a place where class does not matter (be it to hobnob with the elite or marry above one's class) and the hope of the ruling class to achieve greatness be it in industry or invention. It is the latter -with its aspirations to push beyond limits to achieve greatness -that is often humanity's downfall due to the hubris by which we attempt to achieve those goals.

In Titanic's case, it was the desire to set a record for transcontinental travel between England and America.

The reason why the revised show works is that the material is freed from the normal trappings that doom it: the grandness of the ship itself and the epic nature of the tragedy. Those elements are still hinted at, of course. It is the skeleton by which an intimate story of several people is told.

In the original Broadway production, the intimate moments were lost in the operatic scope of the initial production's design. Yes, the stage tilted on its axis (and it was a spectacular feet of staging), but it overshadowed the human aspect of the piece.

In director Scott Weinstein's new production of the show (music direction by Elizabeth Doran), you may not have a wall of steel "10 stories high," but you do have a wall of sound. The 20-member ensemble produces some of the finest singing you are likely to hear this season. That alone is enough to book a passage on this "Titanic."

Weinstein, however, has paid close attention to the smaller moments that make the tragedy intimately more relatable. Of the many note-worthy moments:

Courtney Jones performance of Kate McGowan, with fiery determination, spunk and a set of pipes, Jones' character appears capable of dealing with whatever curve ball life throws at her. Her vocals along with the entire ensemble's on "Lady's Maid" so perfectly encapsulates the hopes and dreams of many immigrants who leave home for the slimmest chance of a better life. It is stirring and beautiful choral work.

Justin Adair (coal stoker Fred Barrett) and Royen Kent (telegraph operator Harold Bride) shine equally bright as Barrett pines for his love back home ("The Proposal") and Bride relishes his connection to humanity through the telegraph ("The Night Was Alive").

Neala Barron and John Keating mine some fine comedic moments as second class passenger Alice Beane who schemes to sneak into the first class and uptight, first class steward Henry Etches who acts as her foil.

Eric Lindahl also shines as Titanic's chief designer Thomas Andrews in the song "Mr. Andrew's Vision" in which his character realizes (alas, too late) where he went wrong. You sense that Andrews understands fully well the gravitas of his mistake.

Also worth mentioning is Emily Grayson's chameleon-like ability to quickly transform herself with the tiniest prop or wardrobe addition into nearly the entire roster of women in first class. Later, her duet of "Still" (as Ida Strauss opposite Sean Thomas as Macy's founder Isador Strauss) perfectly encapsulates the life-long love a couple feels for each other.

These are merely the sum of the show's parts. There is great ensemble work all around. Peter Stone's revised book still backs an emotional punch and Yeston's music and lyrics (one of the best Broadway scores of the last 20 years) have never sounded so lush or full than they do here. Fans of musical theater won't want to miss the boat on this glorious production while it is docked in Chicago.

Griffin Theatre Company's prodcution of "Titanic" plays Thursdays-Sundays through Dec. 7 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont. Tickets, $39. (773) 975-8150 or www.theaterwit.org.

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