Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...The trick with “Titanic,” which never has sounded better to my ear, nor moved me more, is to make all these character sketches seem fulsome and vivid, and to tap into the deeper themes of the piece, beyond the usual voyeurism that every such disaster evokes. It is no mean feat to find 20 non-Equity singers and actors of this caliber in Chicago, especially when many other musicals are up and running. This one, though, is very special."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Yeston’s lush melodies and character-defining lyrics are paired with an eloquent book by Peter Stone that does far more than just connect the show’s nearly three dozen songs. And this “revised” version of the show by original Broadway cast member Don Stephenson, with supremely beautiful new orchestrations by Ian Weinberger (winningly played by Doran, Ethan Deppe, Merrick Jones, Scott Dickinson, Elena Spiegel and Lerryn Schaefer), retain every inch of the necessary grandeur."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Still, Stone is correct in another sense; the Broadway production's jaw-dropping four-story set stole the show (it even managed to tilt precariously post-iceberg). In Griffin Theatre's scaled-down "chamber version" of the show, created in 2012 by original Broadway cast member Don Stephenson, such a feat is impossible. Joe Schermoly's set consists of spindly white scaffolding, two rolling stair units, and a back wall of stylized, uneven portholes (you'd be forgiven for thinking you've wandered into a college production of Anything Goes). With no technical marvels to distract you, you're stuck having to listen to the score—nearly all of the show is sung—and waiting in vain for something to actually happen."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...This pared-down 2012 revision, seen here in a very fine Griffin Theatre production, suggests a lesson the Titanic's creators could have used: Sometimes less bombast is more satisfying. Which isn't to say it isn't rousing. Though some of the original's vast cast of characters have been eliminated, director Scott Weinstein still packs 20 stirring voices and a six-piece band into a 99-seat theater, making Yeston's nearly nonstop score sound gloriously lush (and refreshingly natural, with sound designer Christopher Kriz eschewing body mics in favor of floor and ceiling models)."
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...In the end it is the sum of all parts that makes this show special. You cannot go through this journey on the doomed Titanic and not come out having experienced a highly emotional and rewarding experience in the theatre. Kudos to Griffin for giving us a jewel of a production! It is a trip worth taking."
Theatre By Numbers - Recommended
"...Instead of a cast of thousands (or 45), the chamber version features 20 talented actors in multiple roles. The set is bi-level, with an upper deck and two wheeled staircases that end up in so many different configurations that it’s hard to believe there are no major set changes. A cunningly painted drop represents the interior and exterior of the ship at various times, including portals that light up. The arrangement of simple wooden chairs can indicate a ship, a deck, and a lifeboat. Simple coats and hats in addition to skilled acting makes you believe that there must be more actors in the cast than are there."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Griffin Theatre Company’s total triumph is a strange success. It’s odd that a more intimate version of a musical called Titanic can so succeed. The cast is reduced from 45 to 20, and Jonathan Tunick’s original orchestrations, updated by Ian Weinberger, are closer to the actual ship’s itinerant band."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...This musical is a powerful, well sung and brilliantly staged production that proves that Chicago’s rich talent pool of non-Equity performers can mount a fabulous musical through sheer dedication to craft. If you have never seen Titanic, the musical, get to Theater Wit to take the voyage with the terrific artists at Griffin Theatre as they plunge into delivering a most powerful ode to the tragedy of the Titanic. You’ll be impressed with their stage craft and the rousing score. “Godspeed, Titanic” will run through your mind long after witnessing this fine production. It is family-friendly."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...The cast is uniformly wonderful as they sing, dance and act their way through multiple characters and multiple costume changes (which was pure theatre magic since there are no dressers listed in the program). Although an ensemble piece, there were a few stand outs amongst the cast; John Keating playing Pitman and Henry Etches brings complete commitment to both his roles; Courtney Jones as Kate McGowan is feisty fun; Emily Grayson as Ida Strauss does a “hat trick” that is truly remarkable and the previously mentioned Justin Adair (Barret) lights up the stage."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...With music and lyrics by Maury Yeston (who brought us the “other” version of “The Phantom of the Opera”) and a book by Peter Stone, this unique piece take sus through the trip from boarding to sinking in a bit more than two hours and twenty minutes with a solid cast of players. In what seems like a cast of hundreds of actors, twenty very talented performers take on many roles to make us feel as if we are indeed boarding a boat that is filled with crew and passengers."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This is a polished, worthy, well-sung and acted production of a seldom produced musical that shouldn’t be missed. Bringing this Chamber version of Yeston and Stone’s creation to life isn’t an easy task because it’s not a concert version of the show. It’s a full production filled with exciting performances and gorgeous music. If anything, this version of the show demands even more from Director Mr. Weinstein and his superb cast, most of whom are challenged to portray a variety of roles. Elizabeth Doran does double duty as both Musical Vocal Director and Conductor/keyboardist for her fine, six-piece pit orchestra, that sounds appropriately like a shipboard band. Every detail about this production is masterful and honest. This “Titanic” is a voyage well worth making, “smooth and polished as glass.”"
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...TITANIC is a must-see! Griffin Theatre knows how to memorably and passionately sink a ship. Brilliantly epic!"
Splash Magazine - Recommended
"...This vastly reduced chamber version of Titanic is a remarkable achievement. The musical itself is still textually flawed. However the minimalist way it's told here brings out some great moments of emotional potency within the story which was concealed in this show's previous excessively large-scale form. This production should serve as a clear example to any theatergoer, director, or producer of how powerful and compelling even a faulty show can be just by doing less."
