Here's something you might be interested in.
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
Musicalization of one of the biggest disasters of all time
Titanic at Moonlight Stage
Good voices and great choral work, but many lyrics were unintelligible.
Moonlight Amphitheatre’s latest effort, Titanic, the Musical, boasts a book by Peter Stone, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The script attempts to move expertly between three classes of passengers, officers, and serving staff, but also contains some deadly boring sections.
Titanic the Musical
- Moonlight Amphitheatre in Brengle Terrace Park, 1200 Vale Terrace, Vista
- $10 - $55
When one attempts to dramatize and musicalize one of the biggest disasters of all time, the story often slides into the realm of documentary, as we see here.
The production, directed by Larry Raben, pays homage to the dead. In the program Raben states that he has enhanced the storytelling without overshadowing it. Yet a third of Act One drags with a plodding intensity. Fortunately, the emotional arc and the unfolding of individual stories of the immigrants and the uber wealthy of the day become involving as the play goes on.
The overall production ranks as highly impressive and takes advantage of the many technical innovations of contemporary theater. Projections of actual photographs of the Titanic, used both as backdrops and enhancements of constructed drops and set pieces are superbly handled by Jonathan Infante. Robert J. Townsend, as Thomas Andrews, the man who built this massive ship, gives a superb portrayal of a guilt-ridden visionary whose vision has gone wrong. Steven Glaudini as J. Bruce Ismay, the promoter behind the maiden voyage, gave this selfish, arrogant man the master’s touch of a talented actor.
As Captain E. J. Smith, the man at the helm, Norman Large shows us a multi-layered character tortured by an immense responsibility.
Richard Bermudez, as Frederick Barrett the Stoker, etches a clear-cut being with an incredible singing voice.
Other actors of note: Ralph Johnson and Susan Stuber, as the wealthy Strauss couple; Christine Hewitt, as the bold passenger; Charlotte Cardoza, Greg Nicholas, and Bets Malone as the eager social climber, Alice Beane and her faithful husband Edgar.
As three hopeful Irish lasses, all with the first name of Kate, Shaina Knox, Sarah Errington, and Katie Sapper are naturally funny and entertaining, as is their pal, Jim Farrell, played by Scott Arnold.
This is not a musical redolent with hummable tunes. But some melodies do resonate. Among them: “There She Is” and “The First Class Roster.” “Lady’s Maid,” as performed by the three Kates, is a standout. As is “Still,” a gorgeous love song sung by Johnson and Stuber.
While there are good voices and great choral work in this production, many lyrics remain unintelligible. Yet, this mounting of Titanic is notable for the sheer immensity of the project and is a fitting tribute to all those souls onboard who never made it to America.
Playing through September 3
Here's something you might be interested in.
Musicalization of one of the biggest disasters of all time
Titanic at Moonlight Stage
Musicalization of one of the biggest disasters of all time
Titanic at Moonlight Stage
Good voices and great choral work, but many lyrics were unintelligible.
Moonlight Amphitheatre’s latest effort, Titanic, the Musical, boasts a book by Peter Stone, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The script attempts to move expertly between three classes of passengers, officers, and serving staff, but also contains some deadly boring sections.
Titanic the Musical
- Moonlight Amphitheatre in Brengle Terrace Park, 1200 Vale Terrace, Vista
- $10 - $55
When one attempts to dramatize and musicalize one of the biggest disasters of all time, the story often slides into the realm of documentary, as we see here.
The production, directed by Larry Raben, pays homage to the dead. In the program Raben states that he has enhanced the storytelling without overshadowing it. Yet a third of Act One drags with a plodding intensity. Fortunately, the emotional arc and the unfolding of individual stories of the immigrants and the uber wealthy of the day become involving as the play goes on.
The overall production ranks as highly impressive and takes advantage of the many technical innovations of contemporary theater. Projections of actual photographs of the Titanic, used both as backdrops and enhancements of constructed drops and set pieces are superbly handled by Jonathan Infante. Robert J. Townsend, as Thomas Andrews, the man who built this massive ship, gives a superb portrayal of a guilt-ridden visionary whose vision has gone wrong. Steven Glaudini as J. Bruce Ismay, the promoter behind the maiden voyage, gave this selfish, arrogant man the master’s touch of a talented actor.
As Captain E. J. Smith, the man at the helm, Norman Large shows us a multi-layered character tortured by an immense responsibility.
Richard Bermudez, as Frederick Barrett the Stoker, etches a clear-cut being with an incredible singing voice.
Other actors of note: Ralph Johnson and Susan Stuber, as the wealthy Strauss couple; Christine Hewitt, as the bold passenger; Charlotte Cardoza, Greg Nicholas, and Bets Malone as the eager social climber, Alice Beane and her faithful husband Edgar.
As three hopeful Irish lasses, all with the first name of Kate, Shaina Knox, Sarah Errington, and Katie Sapper are naturally funny and entertaining, as is their pal, Jim Farrell, played by Scott Arnold.
This is not a musical redolent with hummable tunes. But some melodies do resonate. Among them: “There She Is” and “The First Class Roster.” “Lady’s Maid,” as performed by the three Kates, is a standout. As is “Still,” a gorgeous love song sung by Johnson and Stuber.
While there are good voices and great choral work in this production, many lyrics remain unintelligible. Yet, this mounting of Titanic is notable for the sheer immensity of the project and is a fitting tribute to all those souls onboard who never made it to America.
Playing through September 3
Comments