A Soaring TITANIC At Encores! — Review

First thing: Titanic is not a great musical. The plotting is awkward, often repetitive; much of the dialogue is horribly stilted; and it is a cold work, sorely lacking an emotional center. 

Second thing: none of that matters much in assessing its gorgeously staged, stupendously sung Encores! revival, now running at New York City Center through June 23. 

The thrill of this staging lies in witnessing a 32-strong, Avengers: Endgame-level assemblage of musical theater’s finest and fittest take turns one-upping each other in feats of vocal excellence. 

Not to mention the immense pleasure of hearing a 30-piece orchestra, skillfully led by music director Rob Berman, bring Maury Yeston’s grand score to soaring and magnificent life. Truly, the Encores! Orchestra has never sounded better. 

The smartest touch of Anne Kauffman’s elegant staging is its suggestion, never heavy-handed, that this band is our Titanic for the night. It’s a nice idea – indeed, a huge orchestra is a wondrous construction in itself, a complex collection of machinery and bodies skillfully held together by the steady hand of its captain. 

Outside of this pleasing concept, Kauffman keeps the staging simple, returning to the music stands and score binders which were once characteristic of Encores! That simplicity keeps the focus on Yeston’s score over Peter Stone’s serviceable book, which mostly hits the audience over the head with incessant dramatic ironies. (It’s the Captain’s final voyage before retirement, you say? Well, blow me down!)  

In truth, the score is also a mixed bag — but even Yeston’s weaker numbers soar in the hands of this incredible company. Bonnie Milligan hits on a sad naïveté for Alice Beane’s solo, “I Have Danced,” and is pricelessly funny in the role. Adam Chandler-Berat finds a tragic hopelessness in Mr. Murdoch’s “To Be A Captain.” And Brandon Uranowitz plays effectively against type as the snooty, villainous Mr. Ismay. (No, don’t push the Captain to increase speed and ignore iceberg warnings Brandon, you’re so sexy!)

But the evening’s greatest pleasure is its soaring group numbers. When this ensemble sings as one, the result is miraculous. The opening and closing numbers are natural highlights, but even more stirring is “No Moon” into “Autumn,” two quietly foreboding reveries preceding the iceberg’s arrival. As the performer’s soft voices join together, doom bearing down upon them, an eerie and disquieting chill may fill your heart. 

The wealth of talent on display here is, at times, honestly overwhelming. Whether Ramin Karimloo and Alex Joseph Grayson’s sweetly tribute to driving passion, or Chip Zien and Judy Kuhn sharing their undying love, or Jose Llana delivering a scorching 11 o’clock number — the sheer skill and emotional force is just a pleasure to behold. I must confess to being brought to tears, at one point, simply by the sound of A.J. Shively’s heavenly voice. 

So no, Titanic is not a perfect show, nor does it demand a full revival. But in the hands of this tremendous company, and an orchestra at the top of its game, what a pleasure it is indeed — what a joy. 

‍Titanic is now in performance at New York City Center on West 55th Street in New York City.