OVERALL PRODUCTION

This is a challenging piece of theatre and is more of an Opera than a straightforward Musical. Apart from the large chorus required and high standard of singing and musical input both from the Orchestra, Leads, and the Chorus, the Set itself makes great demands on design for the various scenes and the acting area. My first impression on entering the auditorium was that of great delight because there on the wide acting area was an excellently conceived composite Set using various levels and designated areas, and also screen for projections. The permanent Captain's Bridge, the Radio Room, a Crow's Nest, and an area for other intimate scenes, and that wonderful wide expanse with the flexible railings and stagings for all on-board scenes, worked excellently - and even using the Orchestra Pit for the Life Boat was super. The piece was securely directed with strong characterisation of both song and dialogue, and the groupings were effective and again well characterised making strong visual statements. The Orchestra was well conducted and modulated and again I was impressed that the singers were not individually miced and projected with a fine consistency and strength with the sympathetic musical backing. Some of the Lead singers were a little weak with musicality but all vocalised with fine articulation and characterisation. The Chorus had a vast input with the constantly changing roles and the harmonies and part singing, and all performed to a high standard. The costuming was modest in style particularly for the wealthy and could have made a stronger statement but was overall effective in showing the class structures - Officers very good. There is not much choreography and I was not convinced with the `Charleston' effect dance which was not reflective of `the latest Rag' of 1912. The Lighting was simple and effective and a good use made of the Cyc.

This was a very fine production with secure production management and design co¬ordination - and what an achievement for the Society to construct both Set and most Costumes - and a great achievement for the Director with his wide input including acting a key role.

SINGING

The first number by Andrews was well pitched with good resonance and fine vocal modulation, and with good articulation and fine phrasing. `How Did They Build Titanic' from Barrett was unfortunately not strongly projected and Orchestra dominated at times but the following `There She is' was delivered with fine harmony and pitch with good articulation and the excellent characterisation of the number projected a well animated delight and admiration. 'Loading Inventory' was clearly delivered with good harmony of voices, and `The Largest Moving Object' was given a well pitched and good vocal projection by Ismay but could not hear the Captains speech clearly - but all gave fine characterisation to the number. Pitman and the 2"d and 3Td Class Passengers gave good harmony and Pitman with dignity and fine quality singing vocality, and fine excitement given by Mrs. Beane, and leading into 'Godspeed Titanic' with strong choral work. 'Barrett's Song' was a little insecure with pitch. And `What a Remarkable Age This is' with Etches, Staff and I' Class Passengers was delivered with good individual characterisation and with well phrased and pitched input by Etches. `Cap Lights' was well pitched and strongly projected by Captain, Murdoch and Lightoller, and Murdoch gave `To Be A Captain' a fine modulation and with good vocal range and pitch. `Lady's Maid' was lovely with a fine input by the 1' Kate and well supported by 2nd and 3' Kate and creating a good musical harmony and part singing, and with excellent characterisation of the song. `The Proposal' with Barrett and Bride was a little insecure with pitch at times, and Bride gave a fine characterisation to `The Night Was Alive'. `Hymn: God Lift Me Up' was projected with a fine strength by the l' Class Passengers. `Doing The Latest Rag' was a little weak with vocal projection and I felt the whole number was not good in style. `I have Danced' with Alice and Edgar Beane was projected with a good musicality and well characterised by both. `No Moon' was given a fine input by Fleet, and with a nice piece by Farrell and Kate and the Straus couple - good input of the Officers. Hartley with a fine melodic vocal quality gave `Autumn' a lovely character, and the final number of the first Act `No Moon' was given a strong and dramatic build up to the hitting of the Iceberg.

Act 2 and `Wake Up, Wake Up' was given a strong vocal input by Etches and well supported by the Staff, and there was fine characterisation from all the passengers with a good final note from the 2hd Class. Again in `Dressed in Your Pyjamas in The Grand Salon' fine diction and holding of notes with Etches again giving a strong input. "Staircase' and the Three Kates and Farrell given lovely input and with strong Irish characterisation, and the following `The Blame' was given fine resonance and pitch from Ismay, melodic from Andrews, and fine singing input from the Captain, and with fine diction and mounting tension in the song - it was very good! "Getting in The Lifeboat' and `We'll Meet Tomorrow' was effectively delivered and `To Be A Captain' from Etches was well pitched and sensitively characterised. Isador and Ida Straus with `Still' was a well characterised duet although a little pitch insecurity from Ida. "Mr. Andrews' Vision' was a well controlled piece with strong characterisation and well held notes with a finely modulated build up and then pulled back. The Finale was very powerful with a good choral input of fine diction and pitch.
The singing input was commendable not only with overall quality, but with the strong characterisation given to the numbers.

ACTING

It is difficult to give a detailed comment on each character so I am going through the Piece in ordered sequence and commenting on the acting input as I go through the Musical.

A well projected characterisation of an aspiring social climber and gossip was immediately established by 2' Class Passenger ALICE BEANE with well characterised comment on the l' Class passengers on board, and a well established `solidity' of EDGAR BEANE and both with good accents. All the OFFICERS on the Bridge were with good upright stance and looked at ease with their roles. A wonderful `grandeur' and superiority of MR. ISMAY with fine vocality and a 'rolled r' which added a snob appeal, and with CAPTAIN in good body stance and body language and there was fine cueing and pacing with ANDREWS and CAPTAIN. I appreciated the local accents of the BOILER ROOM CREW but felt the shovelling of coal very poor and without energy. ALICE BEANE with her piece gave a fine transition from song to dialogue and a fine energy and vitality projected with the good American accent, and EDGAR BEANE with well cued input and good accent. Good establishing characters from CAROLINE AND CHARLES with good presence and vocal projection from CAROLINE and a lovely laid¬back and agreeable nature established by CHARLES - both relating well together. The BELLBOY was very good and his input well timed and with good vocal projection. I appreciated the rambling MAJOR and his `drunken' vocality and body language, and I felt this dining scene worked well with the well played disagreeable ISMAY and one end and the CAPTAIN at the other and the fine activity of the STAFF. During this scene BRIDE made a good entrance and was obviously not an experienced Sailor with his body language and anxious movement. The Irish accents of the KATES and FARRELL were excellent and there was a fine energy to KATE 1, well projected ambition of KATE 2 and a fine sense of comedy with KATE 3, and a determined strength and humour emanating from FARRELL - all well played with fine instant establishment of character. The scene with ISMAY and ANDREWS was well played with the pompous and demanding ISMAY nagging for more speed and a dignified ANDREWS standing up to the tyrant and the more pragmatic reaction of the CAPTAIN. I felt the piece with BARRETT and BRIDE was not well motivated and the dialogue came over as `learnt' - you must believe and motivate with strong feeling what you are saying. Again another fine scene with ALICE and EDGAR with this time EDGAR losing his patience with his social climbing wife. I have to admit I do have problems with the characterisation of the CAPTAIN - on the Bridge I did not feel he gave his orders with enough strength and authority - but I do realise he is a man at the end of his career and very tired (I felt the same lack of commanding strength with another production I saw where the Captain again came over as detached and somewhat lethargic) and I wonder if I am wrong in wanting an energy and strength of command from the Captain in view of the historical knowledge - so I leave this open for discussion! Lovely old couple - the STRAUS's but the accent was not convincing, and a fine piece with KATE and FARRELL with well motivated sentiment, but all three couple on deck were slow with cues in this piece. The first Smoke Room scene was well played as a haven for the Men with MAJOR and ASTOR relating well, and the scene on the Bridge with the OFFICERS again convincingly played with good input by the CAPTAIN in informal discussion about the weather. CHARLOTTE CARDOZA projected with a fine accent and good flamboyant presence and delivered her dialogue with good timing and pace. Nice piece with KATE and FARRELL with the strong KATE asking him to marry her. The OFFICERS seeing the Iceberg was well projected and gave a fine build up to the end of Act 1. Act 2 and a wonderful unconcern and complacence projected by GUGENHEIM and ASTOR, but I felt the cueing on the Bridge was slow at this point. Good 'wake-up' calls by ETCHES who throughout displayed a fine energy and focused motivation for his role as first-class Steward, and during these hectic scenes there were some super vignettes - a a lovely and sensitive THAYER family, MURDOCH frightened, ALICE with face¬cream, ISMAY with a concern, and ANDREWS with a detached calmness to fathom out the problems - a lovely piece with his notebooks and "How long have we got?" The CABIN MAIDS giving an unfussed but focused input into the fastening of lifejackets was well played, the MAJOR of course drunk in traditional `British' fashion. There was a well paced piece with ANDREWS and CAPTAIN about the lifeboats and fine urgent entrance of OFFICERS. Radio room scene with BRIDE, CAPTAIN, and ANDREWS with panic from ISMAY was well paced and projected with calm input by the CAPTAIN. A lovely scene with ANDREWS helplessly looking down at the panic of passengers getting into the lifeboat. The cueing was very slow with all on deck, but the GAMBLER gave a well cued scene with humour which was welcome amongst all the slow pieces of dialogue with same pitch, pace and tone. The BELLBOY gave fine clear and natural input into the scene. CAPTAIN again caught the slow pace of dialogue and Hl'CHES excellent with the Champagne and stalwartly professional to the end. ANDREWS piece was excellent as mentioned under `Singing' and fine exit from the Bridge. I do wish that WOMEN collectively would not get on the slow, high pitch whinge, when there is a crisis - we all react individually with differently motivated vocality and all emotions differ - pain, horror, acceptance, fear, prayer, hope, even an exhilaration at expectation of crisis - this final scene could have been stronger and with more drama/pathos if played with more researched characterisation of each member of the Company. Overall the acting input was of a very high standard and above all, was played with sincerity and focus, and with excellent clarity of diction.

CHORUS WORK

The input of the Chorus was highly commendable with the singing of a good quality and with fine clarity of diction - and without mic-ing. I was impressed with the discipline of the groupings and the wide range of characterisations that the chorus undertook, and most of this has already been mentioned under `Singing' and Acting'. I liked the way the 3' class passengers had to carry their own poor luggage. A fine harmony of voices for the passengers and at the beginning a lovely entry of passengers going on board with their well defined social status. 'Godspeed Titanic' had a rousing vocality and a super visual picture at the end. The line of Staff each with a fine individuality when being checked by Etches and again well characterised singing work. `What a Remarkable Age This Is' again fine grouping and fine Soprano input and with Ladies coming forward. There was an excellent relating within the three passenger classes and throughout their distinctions were well portrayed - I appreciated this very much. The grouping and vocality for `No Moon' was well focused and projected by the chorus.

Throughout the discipline of grouping was excellent - it was unfortunate there was a lot of slow cueing and a slow passivity with the final on deck scene - it could have been so much more dramatic. Overall very fine, disciplined, and well focused work

CHOREOGRAPHY & MOVEMENT

I have commented on the excellent groupings and visual pictures made by the chorus throughout the production, and the input with `Lady's Maid' was lovely with the 3' class passengers getting up and coming forward. There were fine pieces of movement with the lurching of the ship. I felt the Charleston was ill conceived and not well performed - a more stately Rag would have been in period and more suited to the chorus. Excellent stance of Officers and the wearing of costumes with period style by the V class passengers.

ORCHESTRA

An excellent combination of instruments to give an impressive sound to the Orchestra. A very dramatic opening with fine Strings and Brass input and with strong percussion. Overall the Orchestra was excellently sympathetic to the Singer and only rarely did they drown the vocality. A super crescendo accompanying the fine grouping and final notes of 'Godspeed Titanic'. Fine modulation with the `Lady's Maid' and with number I felt that all elements of the production came together with excellent harmony and projection. Effective Double Bass and Violin input with `The Night Was Alive' and a super beat of the Orchestra with the Bandmaster input in `Doing The Latest Rag'. Lovely underscoring for song/dialogue of Mrs. Beane in `I Have Danced' and again with input and violins for Charles and Caroline in their `No Moon' input. Fine Brass for `No Wind' piece, and a super build up for the end of Act 1 with Drum roll and then the sound effect of the Crash - very atmospheric.

Act 2 opened with a well modulated input and again I appreciated the fine underscoring for pieces of `Wake Up! Wake Up!' and again the sensitive input with `The Blame'. Effective Reprise of 'Godspeed Titanic'. It is always difficult when noting all elements of a Musical Production because eyes and ears have to be everywhere and often the Orchestra becomes just background - but in this case I was fully aware and appreciative of the orchestral input which was so integral to the production. A fine input

WARDROBE & MAKE-UP

First of all I commend the Company making a lot of the costumes. I appreciated the 3' Class Passenger costumes and also the immaculate Officers, and Captain with fine set of whiskers. I felt there was not a cohesion and overall sense of period style and extravagance with the women V Class Passenger costumes - some were stylish and some rather ordinary and not making a strong statement. I think the older women were fine in black but I would have liked some more colourful outfits for the younger. The outfits for Caroline and Edgar, Charles and Caroline were good and looked very stylish and with nice changes of outfits. Alice Beane did not wear her hat well for `I Have Danced' - that style of hat worn on front of head at that era and not the back The Red Boas used in the `Rag' scene were not appropriate and looked very `20's. Good red outfit for Charlotte Cardoza. Good costumes for the Dining and Cabin Staff. The Male Passengers all looked in excellent style. Lovely make-up for the drunken Major. Andrews and Ismay looked excellent. Congratulations on an overall success with costuming this challenging production.

LIGHTING

The lighting design and execution was very good and added atmosphere and worked well with enhancing the excellent Set. Use of the large Cyc was very effective - good blue cyc for opening and good bright lighting to enhance the jolly and festive mood. The lighting of the specific areas was excellent - The Bridge, Radio Room, Smoke Room, and the Deck and Cabin area. Effective red light at end of 'Godspeed Titanic' and again after the good fade on Murdoch `To Be A Captain' before going into Red for transition to 3' Class. Lovely moonlight effect for `No Moon' and pale green spot for the Kate/Farrell piece, and the specific areas for the couples on deck. Excellent cold blue light for all grouping on deck after the Iceberg hit and good use of spot on Barrett, and again fine spot on Andrews with his notes and lovely fade to silhouette. There was a sensitive warm lighting effect for the survivors in `The Foundering'. I appreciated the lighting input into this production and it added a further dimension to both Set and Atmosphere.

SET(S)

Under `Overall Production' I have praised the excellent composite Set, and going through my notes again I realise how well it worked for every scene and how well the lighting design and operation worked in harmony with the well defined locations and areas of the Set. I appreciated the setting for Harland and Wolf scene and then the entrance of the passengers up the ramp to board Titanic - all with leather suitcases or bundles. The use of the simple rails to set locations on Deck, the long table at the back of the Set for the Dining Room, the simple partitions for the cabins below deck. The Smoke Room was effective with the red plush chairs and its setting SR below the Bridge. I did so appreciate the Bridge being visible at all times and noted that often during scenes on deck or below, that an Officer was still at the wheel - lovely touch. The projections were excellent especially for the `countdown' to disaster and helped the audience to relate to the time sequencing of the tragedy. The use of the Orchestra Pit as a Lifeboat and to see the passengers climbing down and crowding in, and the farewell from the Deck, added a further piquancy to that scene. This was a first class input and underpinned the success of the production.

STAGE MANAGEMENT

Excellent swift scene changes and spot on cueing for light and sound effects marked this production. The stage management assured there was a fast pace of action and an upholding of the drama. I was impressed with the disciplined and swift entry and exit of all performers - there must have been strong management backstage. Congratulations for the excellent performance offstage as well as onstage.

I thoroughly enjoyed this production of `Titanic' and congratulate the Company in accepting this challenging piece of work with such energy and dedicated input, and in presenting a production in which all the elements worked together to achieve an all round high standard of presentation.