Friday, May 26th 2006

TAOS rises to the challenge

Titanic – The Musical
Civic Hall, Trowbridge

I HAD seen the film with sound track, special effects and super imposed love story, all of which had help propel Titanic to blockbuster status.

Just how would members of Trowbridge Amateur Operatic Society manage to transfer these events to the stage?
Titanic – The Musical gave the events as they happened, stark and unglorified.

The songs were unknown but performed with a spirit mirroring that of the crew in the early days of the voyage. Although, possibly due to acoustics, the chorus songs came across as stronger than the solos.

I was interested, indeed eager to know how the ‘sinking’ would be dealt with. The fact that this musical had borrowed the soap opera cliffhanger ending meant that the moment of impact, which was denoted with lighting effects, dramatic music and the company being choreographically jolted, coincided with the interval.

After the interval the set had been shrouded in white. A feeling of confusion and despair had descended amongst the passengers; this was cleverly portrayed by the state of dress coupled with a wandering, shuffling gait.

Right up until the inevitable the crew remained stoic but the despair and disbelief was real and tangible.

There were notable performances, particularly from Mr Ismay who was the unwitting author of the Titanic’s downfall.

There was a clever crossover of old and new with the use of Powerpoint to denote the scenes, which in turn allowed the audience to mentally navigate their way around the ship.

This musical and its execution was a challenge. One that was both wholeheartedly embraced by the cast and enthusiastically received by the audience.

Neill Cadmore