In his Academy Award-winning blockbuster film, James Cameron tells the story of a fictional romance between Jack and Rose — a poor artist and a wealthy upper-class passenger — against the backdrop of the sinking of the Titanic on the morning of April 15, 1912.
In his Emmy Award-winning musical, Maury Yeston focuses on the real-life passengers of the ill-fated luxury liner, whose dreams of a new life in the land of the free weren’t scuttled by an iceberg, but by the blind ambition of the men who built and piloted the Titanic on its maiden voyage.
This story begins with the musical’s 12-minute opening number.
Yeston uses it to introduce the entire cast of characters – officers and crew, first and second-class passengers, and the immigrants who occupied the lower berths of the 10-story ocean liner.
Director Kody Jones uses the number to usher his cast of 55 actors down the theater’s center aisle, suitcases in hand, and onto the Titanic’s open deck, dragging the audience’s heart and soul right along with them.
It’s a remarkable feat.
The audience knows, of course, the passengers’ fate. More than 1,500 men, women and children died in those icy North Atlantic waters. Yet, the audience immediately invests in the passengers’ hopes for the future, many yearning for just a sliver of the American dream.
Jones and his formidable cast and crew are aided in this endeavor by Yeston’s magnificent score.
Hearing 55 voices belt out in unison such chorale anthems as “I Must Get on That Ship,” “Godspeed Titanic” and “Lady’s Maid” is as uplifting as it is bittersweet. They also heighten the sense of dread and foreboding delivered by act one songs like “No Moon” and “Autumn.”
Two stories, in particular, tug at the audience’s heartstrings.
The first revolves around stoker Frederick Barrett, played by Johnny Serrat. It’s easy to see from his clear and spirited vocals in “Barrett’s Song” why he recently received an Outstanding Performer Award at the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta. His character has fled the coal mines only to end up in the boiler room shoveling coal seven decks below Titanic’s main deck. Yet, he dreams — not of a life at sea, but of his girl back home to whom he telegraphs a marriage proposal just hours before Titanic’s collision.
Russell Watson and Susan Dohan play heroic first-class passengers Isidore and Ida Straus, half owners of Macy’s Department Store. Ida is the only female first-class passenger who perished that frigid April night 114 years ago. She elected to stay with her husband, sip a final glass of Cristal champagne, and go down with the ship. In their touching duet, Isidore and Ida sing of their enduring love, shared history and resolve to hold each other just for a while and die with a smile now that their time on Earth is through.
Serrat’s solo and Watson and Dohan’s duet are unqualified showstoppers. But the soaring ensemble numbers tell the tale of Titanic in a way not seen in the movie or the individual pastiches of the ship’s myriad passengers. They drive home the tragedy of that night in a way that can only happen in the shared experience of live theater.
They also leave the audience to ponder what other technological marvels have embedded within their structure the predicate for our undoing if, notwithstanding repeated admonitions and warnings, we choose to proceed full speed ahead.
“Titanic the Musical” is performed in the Hinman Auditorium (10150 Bonita Beach Road) April 17-26. Tickets are available for purchase online or at the box office. For more information and ticket reservations, visit ArtsBonita.org or call (239) 495-8989.
MORE INFORMATION:
“Titanic the Musical” debuted on Broadway on April 23, 1997, the same year that the movie was released. While the two have no correlation with or connection to one another, the film overshadowed the Broadway production even though the latter won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and was nominated for Drama Desk and League Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards and a Grammy.
The musical ran on Broadway for 804 performances and has since enjoyed national tours and regional productions.
It traveled to Naples in 2000 and was recently produced at the University of Miami’s Jerry Herman Theater.
Composer/lyricist Maury Yeston (“Nine,” “Phantom,” “Death Takes a Holiday,” “The Royal Family”) got the idea to do the musical following the discovery of Titanic’s wreckage in 12,000 feet of water in 1985.
Musical explores disparities in the fate of the rich and the poor
Characters seen in the show are based on real passengers from the voyage, such as Captain Edward Smith, lead stoker Frederick Barrett, bandmaster Wallace Hartley and elderly couple Isidor and Ida Straus.
They occupied three classes.
The first-class passengers included some of the wealthiest people in the world – iron magnates, railroad magnates, shipbuilding magnates including John Jacob Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim. Their dream was that their influence and control would last forever.
Second-class passengers were members of the emerging middle class, made possible by the industrial revolution, which gave people for the first time in history enough income and leisure time to take a trip and rub elbows with the rich and famous.
The third class was comprised of the poorest passengers on Titanic, people who had scrimped and saved in order to migrate from Europe to America in pursuit of a better life for themselves and their children.
When the ship foundered, so did all those hopes and dreams.
“It was extraordinary to think that what you wore determined whether you would live or die,” observed Yeston in an interview years later.
Play dates and times
Play dates and times are:
- Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m.;
- Saturday, April 18 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.;
- Sunday, April 19 at 2 p.m.;
- Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m.;
- Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m.;
- Saturday, April 25 at 7 p.m.; and
- Sunday, April 26 at 2 p.m.
No relation to ‘Titanique’ musical comedy
Not only does “Titanic the Musical” bear no relationship to the film “Titanic,” it is in no way connected to “Titanique,” which opened on Broadway March 26, 2026 for a 16-week limited engagement. Written by Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle and Constantine Rousouli, “Titanique” reimagines the events of Titanic through the perspective of Celine Dion, weaving the pop star’s songs into a comedic retelling of the story of Jack and Rose. Musical numbers include “My Heart Will Go On,” “All By Myself,” and “To Love You More,” performed with a live band.
About Director Kody C. Jones and Arts Bonita
Kody C. Jones doesn’t shy away from challenging musicals. Since October 2024, he’s produced “Hadestown Teen Edition,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Hair” and Carrie” with casts of middle and high school students. With a cast of 55 actors, “Titanic” is his most ambitious undertaking to date.
Arts Bonita is a vibrant cultural hub dedicated to enriching the lives of Southwest Florida residents through the arts. Offering a wide range of performances, educational programs, and exhibitions, Arts Bonita supports the region's cultural vitality while fostering the growth and development of local talent. Through community outreach initiatives, the organization provides arts education to underserved populations and grants college scholarships to emerging artists. Arts Bonita’s mission is to make the arts accessible to all and to inspire creativity and connection within the community.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
