TOM TITUS -- Theater Review

Several years before James Cameron proclaimed himself “king of the

world,” playwright Peter Stone (“1776”) came up with the idea of making a

musical about the world’s most infamous ocean voyage.

But by the time he brought it to the stage, it was known as “that

other Titanic.”’

Still, the Tony Award-winning stage version currently at the Orange

County Performing Arts Center is a seaworthy event, even if it doesn’t

contain any songs you’ll likely be humming on the way home or riveting

individual performances like those of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet,

or even Billy Zane. The unsinkable Molly Brown -- deemed important enough

for her own musical by “Music Man” creator Meredith Willson -- didn’t

even book passage on this voyage.

“Titanic” the musical is a series of vignettes, offering views of the

1912 tragedy from contrasting vantage points and social classes. If

indeed there is a central figure, it is William Parry’s stern,

conscientious captain, coaxed away from retirement for the maiden voyage

at the helm of the world’s largest and finest passenger ship.

The villain, of course, is the iceberg, but an equally chilly

performance is delivered by William Youmans as J. Bruce Ismay, the

self-absorbed White Star Lines executive who goads the captain into

increasing the vessel’s speed, possibly to the point where it could not

avoid the collision.

The third member of the topside triumvirate, ship’s architect Thomas

Andrews, elicits the most empathy in an agonized performance by Thom

Sesma.

The young lovers in steerage, their romance inspired by her pregnancy,

are well played by Tom Gamblin and Stacie Morgain Lewis, and the show

might have benefited by greater emphasis on their situation.

Also quite watchable are the second-class couple -- the hardware store

owner played by David Beditz and his social-climbing wife, Christa

Justis, who fights to be in the same lifeboat with Mrs. Astor.

Matthew Stocke renders one of the ringing individual moments as

Frederick Barrett, delivering an “Old Man River”-type solo on his lot in

life as a stoker and joining telegrapher Dale Sandish on intertwining

hymns to the richer life they’ll never enjoy.

Joe Farrell exhibits understated strength as the ship’s first officer

with the credentials, but not the intestinal fortitude, to command a ship

of his own.

The elderly Macy’s owner and his wife, Isador and Ida Strauss, who

elect to meet their fate together, are charmingly enacted by S. Marc

Jordan and Kay Walbye. And Scott Burkell lends a touching light moment as

a tardy passenger who, quite fortunately, literally misses the boat.

The sinking itself may not possess the stark, terrifying drama of the

movie version (how could it short of adding real water?), but it is

projected effectively by the tilting of the stage, sending actors sliding

downward, presumably to their doom. And suggestion is all that really is

required, since the story is well known to everyone above grade-school

age.

Musically, apart from Stocke’s show stopper, the evening belongs to

the ensemble with rousing choral renditions of “Godspeed Titanic” and “In

Every Age,” a reprise of an opening solo by Sesma that becomes its

penultimate melody.

The formula Stone utilized, most successfully with “1776” --

recapturing a historical milestone with a series of personalized

incidents -- is repeated in “Titanic,” substituting tragedy for triumph.

It’s a fitting companion piece to its cinema cousin.

*

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Thursdays and Saturdays.

FYI

* WHAT: “Titanic”

* WHERE: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa

* WHEN: Today at 2 and 8 p.m. Last performances Sunday at 2 and 7:30

p.m.

* HOW MUCH: $28.50 to $62.50

* TICKETS: (714) 740-7878