Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...'Titanic the Musical' has a lot of music and relatively little book. Erica Stephan's lively Irish dreamer Kate is perhaps the most developed character, albeit also something of a trope in a show full of them, but Stone's main intention was to commemorate the whole community, if that's the word, and come up with enough dignity to avoid any sense of maudlin exploitation."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...Directed and choreographed for the Marriott by Connor Gallagher, the highly romanticized take on the maritime tragedy is good, but not great. In 1997, Maury Yeston (music and lyrics) and Peter Stone (book) received Tonys for their work. The score, however, is serviceable but not memorable. The characters lean more toward caricatures. And to be clear: Jack and Rose are not part of this story."
Daily Herald
- Highly Recommended
"...Writer Peter Stone (who's also credited with the story) incorporates several romances into the story, but his interest clearly extends beyond love. "Titanic" also examines ego and ambition (which prompted powerful men to make catastrophic decisions) and class (which prevented steerage passengers from accessing necessities, including lifeboats)."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...This production, directed and choreographed by Conner Gallagher on the in-the-round stage at Marriott Lincolnshire is a triumph in bringing story to stage. Not just for Gallagher, but for the ensemble that brings all of the characters to life. Remember, these are for the most part real people. Historical figures that have been represented in books and of course in the film. While we do not hear the line " I am king of the world" ) we do have the railing and in fact, the stage at Marriott has been rebuilt to appear to be the upper deck of a ship circa 1912. Collette Pollard has truly created a masterpiece. The play has been done on a proscenium stage, but never had the impact that this production has."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Some musicals are pure escape stories; some shed light on the life of a famous or popular individual or musical group; a great many shows these days are simply jukebox musicals, helping us to relive the sounds of a era. And then there are musical dramas, like LES MISERABLES, that are so beautiful and breathtaking that they stimulate an emotional experience that both breaks our heart and stirs our soul. TITANIC, THE MUSICAL is such a show, especially in Marriott's unbelievably moving, majestic and yet intensely intimate production. It draws the audience onto "The Largest Moving Object" and takes the passengers, crew and theatergoers on a memorable journey during which "The Night Was Alive.""
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...As a lifelong aficionado of the ill-fated ocean liner RMS Titanic, I've always gravitated toward any experience that would leave me feeling immersed in that famous moment of an era that nobody any of us knows anymore is alive to remember. I've watched every grainy, dated video interview with actual survivors of the shipwreck I can find on YouTube. I've even listened to audio rips of ancient vinyl interviews with others who were there and who lived. One of the several times I saw James Cameron's Hollywood opus during its initial 1997 theatrical run was seated on the flooded floor of an overbooked movie house during a torrential rainstorm; it was like virtual reality, but way soggier!"
Chicago Theater and Arts
- Highly Recommended
"...But what makes audiences really care about what happens to the show?s characters in Act II is how these actors bring their Titanic personalities and desires to life in Act I.
Directed and choreographed by Broadway and off Broadway director Connor Gallagher who is making his Marriott Theatre debut and with musical direction by Ryan T. Nelson, the joys and then, the terrible despair of the people you?ve met become almost unbearable."
PicksInSix
- Highly Recommended
"...Individual stories that illuminate the class distinctions on the Titanic are 1st Class passengers Ida (Heidi Kettenring) and Isidor Straus (Mark David Kaplan), Madeline (Victoria Okafor) and John Jacob Astor (Joel Gelman); 2nd Class passengers Kate Murphey (Laura Guley), Kate Mullins (Victoria Okafor), and Kate McGowan (Erica Stephan) whose relationship with Jim Farrell (Garrett Lutz) is a tender storyline richly told. Lillian Castello's delightful Alice Beane, who aspires to be included among the 1st Class passengers, is matched in earnest by her husband, Edgar played by James Earl Jones II. Darian Goulding is terrific in the role of Frederick Barrett."
Chicago Culture Authority
- Highly Recommended
"...In Titanic The Musical, a production perfect for Marriott's in-the-round theater, director and choreographer Connor Gallagher somehow makes 21 actors look like a cast of hundreds while creating so many beautifully bustling stage pictures that you begin to take them for granted."
Splash Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...Director Gallagher is correct, Marriott Lincolnshire's Titanic cast is stellar. David Girolmo portrays Captain E.J. Smith, who valiantly went down with his ship. Girolmo has the commanding presence and gravitas of a veteran sea captain. Adam Pelty is J. Bruce Ismay, a British businessman, chairman of the White Star Line, and a Titanic survivor. Christopher Kale Jones stars as Thomas Andrews, the shipbuilder. Lillian Castillo plays Alice Beane, based on Ethel Beane a second class American passenger and narrator."
Allie and the After Party
- Recommended
"...Taking a more serious tone for a musical, Titanic The Musical writes storylines for real passengers aboard the ship and we see what perhaps their days on the Titanic would have looked like aboard the five days they sailed. It spans the different hopes and dreams of the passengers, touching on their personal lives, and how the tragedy impacted everyone aboard the ship in different ways."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Making a spectacular Marriott debut, director and choreographer Conor Gallagher describes "Titanic" as a "formative show" for him. Gallagher never lets us forget that the strongest element is its haunting music, under the music direction of Ryan T. Nelson with conductor/keyboardist Brad Haak. From the stirring opening chorus to the various solo and duet pieces that characterize the dreams and hopes of the passengers of all classes, we feel intimately involved with each of them thanks to a sterling cast. The captain and those who have so much riding on this maiden voyage are no less a part of the journey."
