Titanic The Musical

ON APRIL 15TH 114 YEARS AGO. THE TITANIC SANK AFTER HITTING AN ICEBERG IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN, 1500 PEOPLE DIED AND MORE THAN 700 SURVIVED. THE STORY OF THE TITANIC HAS BEEN TOLD MULTIPLE WAYS FROM BOOKS TO TV PROGRAMS TO AN ACADEMY AWARD WINNING MOVIE HAS WGCU ARTS REPORTER TOM HALL REPORTS TITANIC. THE MUSICAL IS NOW COMING TO A STAGE NEAR YOU IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. >> IN HIS EMMY AWARD WINNING MUSICAL MORE YES THAN FOCUSES ON THE REAL-LIFE PASSENGERS OF THE ILL-FATED LUXURY LINER WHOSE DREAMS OF A NEW LIFE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE WEREN'T SCUTTLED BY AN ICEBERG. UGH. BUT BY THE BLIND AMBITION OF THE MEN WHO BUILT AND PILOTED THE TITANIC ON ITS MAIDEN VOYAGE, THE STORY BEGINS WITH THE MUSICAL'S 12 MINUTE OPENING NUMBER. YES, THE NEWS IS IT INTRODUCED THE ENTIRE CAST OF CHARACTERS, OFFICERS AND CREW FIRST AND SECOND CLASS PASSENGERS AND THOSE WHO OCCUPY THE LOWER BERTHS OF THE 10 STOREY OCEAN LIFE. AND CODY JONES USES THE NUMBER TO ASSURE HIS CAST. THE 55 ACTORS DOWN THE THEATER CENTER AISLE AND ONTO THE TITANIC OPENED DEC, DRAGGING THE AUDIENCE'S HEART AND SOUL RIGHT ALONG WITH THEM. IT'S A REMARKABLE FEAT. THE AUDIENCE KNOWS, OF COURSE, THE PASSENGERS FATE. MORE THAN 1500 MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN DIED IN THOSE ICY NORTH ATLANTIC WATERS. YET THE AUDIENCE IMMEDIATELY INVEST IN THE PASSENGER'S HOPES FOR THE FUTURE. MANY YEARNING FOR JUST A SLIVER OF THE AMERICAN DREAM. JONES AND HIS FORMIDABLE CAST AND CREW ARE AIDED IN THIS ENDEAVOR BY YES, TONS, MAGNIFICENCE CORA AND TO HEARING 55 VOICES BELT, THAT MUNIS AND SUCH PEARL ANTHEMS, AS I MUST GET ON THAT SHIP. GODSPEED, TITANIC AND LADIES MADE IS AS UPLIFTING AS IT IS. BITTERSWEET WE ALSO HEIGHTENED THE SENSE OF DREAD AND FOREBODING DELIVERED BY ACT. ONE SONGS LIKE NO MOON AND AUTUMN. 2 STORIES IN PARTICULAR TARGET THE AUDIENCE'S HEART STRESS. IT'S THE FIRST REVOLVES AROUND STOKER FRANKFURT, BARRETT PLAYED BY JOHNNY SURROUNDING SCHOOL. >> HIS >> CHARACTER HAS FLED THE COMA LINES ONLY TO END UP IN THE BOILER ROOMS, SHOVELING COAL, 7 DECKS BELOW TITANIC. YEAH. RUSSELL WATSON AND SUSAN DO HAND PLAYER ROAD FIRST CLASS PASSENGERS IS A DOOR AND I TO STRAUSS, HALF OWNERS OF MACY'S DEPARTMENT STORE. IT IS THE ONLY FIRST CLASS FEMALE PASSENGER WHO PERISHED THAT FRIGID APRIL NIGHT, 114 YEARS AGO. SHE ELECTED TO STAY WITH HER HUSBAND. SUPER FINAL GLASS OF CRISTAL CHAMPAGNE AND GO DOWN WITH THE SHIP AND THEY'RE TOUCHING DUET IS A DOOR AND I JUST SING OF THEIR ENDURING LOVE, SHARED HISTORY AND RESOLVE TO HOLD EACH OTHER JUST FOR A WHILE AND DIE WITH A SMILE. NOW THAT THEIR TIME ON EARTH, THIS THROUGH. SURAT SAW ONE WATSON AND OWENS DUET ARE UNQUALIFIED. SHOWSTOPPERS, BUT THE SOARING ENSEMBLE NUMBERS TELL THE TALE OF TITANIC A WAY NOT SEEN IN THE MOVIE OR THE INDIVIDUAL PASS. TEACHERS OF THE SHIP'S MYRIAD PASSENGERS. WE DRIVE HOME THE TRAGEDY OF THAT NIGHT IN A WAY THAT CAN ONLY HAPPEN IN THE SHARED EXPERIENCE OF LIVE THEATER. THEY ALSO LEAVE THE AUDIENCE TO PONDER WHAT OTHER TECHNOLOGICAL MARVELS HAVE EMBEDDED WITHIN THEIR STRUCTURE. THE PREDICATE FOR OUR AND DOING IF NOTWITHSTANDING REPEATED ADMONITIONS AND WARNINGS. WE CHOOSE TO PROCEED FULL SPEED AHEAD. >> TOM, YOU LOOK EXTREMELY COLD OR ARE YOU DOING OKAY? YOU KNOW, RIGHT? >> NO, I'M NOT. ALL RIGHT. >> THE WATER IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC IS 28 DEGREES. >> IF IT WASN'T FOR THE SALT CONTENT, IT WOULD FREEZE OVER THE. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK AUDIENCES ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT ON THE WAY HOME FROM SEEING THIS? >> WAS A FEW THINGS. FIRST AND FOREMOST. UNTIL THE MOMENT OF IMPACT EVERYONE ON TITANIC IS HAVING A REALLY, REALLY GOOD TIME. AND THAT JUST MAKES THE FEAR IN THAT HER THAT THEY THAT THEY EXPERIENCE AFTER STRIKING ICEBERG ALL THE MORE PALPABLE, THE THIS PLAY IS ALSO IMMERSIVE. THE ACTORS COME OFF THE STAGE AND PERFORM SONGS AND DIALOGUE IN THE CENTER AISLE. SO THE AUDIENCE CAN'T HELP TO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE ALSO PASSENGERS ON THE SHIP. BUT AUDIENCES ARE REALLY GOING TO FALL IN LOVE WITH RUSSELL WATSON AND SEASONED OWEN. THEY PLAY IS A DOOR AND IDA STRAUS NOW AS THE SEGMENT JUST SHOWED, I DECIDED THAT LIFE WITHOUT HER HUSBAND WASN'T WORTH LIVING, EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS FABULOUSLY WEALTHY AS HALF OWNER OF MACY'S DEPARTMENT STORE. THEIR SONG IN THE MUSICAL IS STILL, BUT I COULDN'T HELP FEELING ABOUT THE BRUNO MARS AND LADY GAGA. I WE'RE SEEING THEIR GRAMMY-WINNING SONG DIE WITH A SMILE WHILE THEY WERE PERFORMING THAT NUMBER. >> HAS ANYONE ELSE DONE THIS LOCALLY? THE TITANIC MUSICAL. >> TITANIC DID COME TO NAPLES IN 2000 SHORTLY AFTER THE SHOW FINISHED ITS RUN ON BROADWAY. BUT IN THE INTERVENING 26 YEARS, NO ONE FROM MARK OF SARASOTA HAS THE HAS PERFORMED THIS MUSICAL. SO IF YOU THINK YOU MIGHT WANT TO SAY IT, THIS IS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE QUALITY OF ANYTHING THAT CODY JONES AND JOSEPH BROWER PRODUCE. AND I THINK YOU SHOULD BE IN THE PLAY AS A SIDE GIG OR >> AFTER FILLING IN OR SOMETHING LIKE WE DID HERE TODAY. >> WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE MUCH. THANK YOU, TOM. IF I MIGHT, HE'S BEEN CHAIRING A LITTLE BIT. IT'S ONLY BECAUSE IT STILL CALLED. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS PERSPECTIVE WITH US TODAY. TOM, THANKS. YOU'RE WELCOME.