‘Titanic’ sails at Playhouse

Though it won’t mirror the well-known film, ‘Titanic: The Musical’ will please local theater fans.

By MILAN PAURICH

Vindicator Correspondent

“Are you ready to go back to Titanic?”

That’s the question everyone down at the Youngstown Playhouse is asking themselves these days as they prepare to open their last, and arguably most ambitious show of the 2007-08 season.

Although Maury Yeston and Peter Stone’s Tony-winning 1997 musical “Titanic” set sail on Broadway a full eight months before James Cameron’s same-named Oscar-winning movie, many folks still confuse the two.

Not that you can blame them. With the recent glut of musicals based on successful non-musical films (“Legally Blonde,” “The Wedding Singer,” “Young Frankenstein,” etc.), it’s only natural for infrequent theatergoers to imagine that “Titanic: The Musical” is somehow related to that Leonard DiCaprio-Kate Winslet all-time box-office champ.

In a recent interview, Playhouse Managing Director John Holt discussed the challenges of mounting a show with such a pronounced identity crisis.

Q. Are you worried that some people who aren’t familiar with the show might be expecting the star-crossed romance of Jack and Rose played out against a backdrop of Celine Dion songs?

A. (Laughs). It’s already happened! Several calls came in just before we started auditions asking about the roles of Jack and Rose. I suppose it’s only natural, though. The movie was such a huge hit, and it brought the whole Titanic story back into the spotlight again. To be honest, there are probably at least two or three shows each year where we simply cannot gauge audience reaction until they’ve opened. I really hope the finished product will stand on its own. The musical score by Maury Yeston is incredibly powerful.

Q. How historically accurate is it?

A. Practically every character is based on a real person. From Captain E.J. Smith and his bridge crew to White Star owner J. Bruce Ismay and ship designer Thomas Andrews. All of the first-class passengers were real people: Isidor and Ida Straus (they owned the department stores), John J. Astor, Benjamin Guggenheim and many others. Plus, the show’s second and third class passengers are all verifiable, too, if you look hard enough into the historical records.

The play opens with the ship being loaded with food and cargo, then each class of passengers making their way on board. The audience will get a look at life on the bridge, on the rail, in the dining salons, on the deck. Everything climaxes, of course, on that fateful night.

Q. Who’s in the show? And what was the audition/rehearsal process like?

A. Mike Moritz and I held auditions for three days, and 160 people showed up. We ended up with a cast of 65 despite the fact that the script calls for just 35-40 actors. So many talented people auditioned, and we really wanted to find a way to get everyone involved. In doing so, I was able to eliminate most of the “doubling” (i.e., where one actor plays multiple roles) we normally do in shows of this size. A few of our 65 includes Alan McCreary, David El’Hatton, Tim McGinley, Shawn Lockaton, Brandy Johanntges, Sis Soller, Denny Villa, Joe Scarvell, Cyndi Weichey, Tom O’Donnell, and many, many more.

We started music rehearsals in mid-March and began blocking the show in April. It’s been a definite challenge moving 65 actors around every night. I used to think that we had a large stage at the Playhouse. Not anymore (laughs). But the entire group seems to be having fun, and I’m having a blast.

Q. Did having such a large cast make your job easier or more difficult?

A. It’s been exceptionally rewarding. You’d swear that this group has known each other for years. We have cast members as young as six and as old as...well, let’s just say “retirement age.” They are all very accommodating, attentive and work really hard. And when everyone’s on stage singing, it’s simply perfect. The logistics of getting the actors from Point A to Point B is my problem, and I’m hoping the flow of the show will be seamless. We’ve had a few log-jam issues, but nothing unfixable.

Q. The original Broadway production was a $10-million production that used hydraulic pumps to create three stage levels, and tilted the floorboards to replicate a sinking ship. What kind of tricks are you using to simulate this most famous of all oceanic disasters? Any special sets/effects we should be looking for?

A. 10-million?! Wouldn’t that be nice? (laughs) Well, our budget is somewhat less than that, but we’re still pushing to give our audience the same end result. Jim Lybarger and John Pecano are designing and building our sets and yes, we will have a “ship,” two decks and it will list to port. Ellen Licitra has returned to design lights — she handled “Jekyll and Hyde” and “Sweeney Todd” and is as good as it gets — and I’m all about the lighting.

Q. Was it the award-winning score that most attracted you to this show?

A. Absolutely; it’s just about the best start-to-finish score I’ve ever heard. Everyone knows the story, so there aren’t any big “surprises” plot-wise. You really have to rely on the beauty of the score and the vocals to give the production a unique flavor. The show has its fair share of humor, but there are definitely some major “Kleenex moments” as well.

Q. Do you feel any special pressure or obligation to consistently “top” the previous year’s “BIG” season-closing musical? If so, how do you deal with those sort of inflated expectations?

A. I love this time of year. Both “Jekyll” and “Sweeney” provided me with some unique and special memories, as well as the satisfaction of seeing hardworking casts and crews take my vision and help realize it. I fully expect “Titanic” to do the same as well.