For nearly eight decades, the University of Miami’s Jerry Herman Theater has been offering performances to the community. Recently, the historic drama group showed the Tony Award-winning musical, “Titanic,” which features characters based on real people.
“I was on the season selection committee last year, and when “Titanic” was brought to us,” said production stage manager Jordan Jones, “it was an easy decision that was the right show for us to be doing right now for this group of students. It is technically challenging. They were ready for this beast of a score.”
Although the British ocean liner Titanic is well-known for sinking after striking an iceberg, it was a technical marvel that was the first of its kind. Perspective audience members may wonder how such a feat can be adequately shown on stage, but Jones says it will be done with grace.
All cast members except for one child actor are UM students who are pursuing a BFA in musical theater. To audition, students submitted a video where they sang a song and performed a monologue. Those selected spent rehearsal time doing things such as working through the score and receiving instruction from professional choreographer Kyle Pleasant.
One of the participants is Diego Rodriguez, who plays the role of lovestruck crew member Barrett.
‘I’ve actually heard that some people didn’t even know it was real, which still boggles my mind to this day,” said Rodriguez. “So, I hope that people see that it wasn’t just some sort of fable that has faded into history. It was a real tragedy with real consequences, and the story can still be told with relevance today [because of the] class differences and shattered hopes and dreams of immigrants and other people….”
Songs such as “I Must Get on That Ship,” and “Lady’s Maid,” have performers singing about the hope and dreams of certain characters. They capture the emotional depth of the story surrounding the RMS Titanic.
“I think the scope of the journey of the Titanic is something that anybody can attach to,” said Pleasant, who, during rehearsals, guided the cast with staging and combining the music they had learned with all the movement in the show. “And what has made it sort of lasting in the lexicon of social commentary and of interest is it’s quite the human experience from beginning to end.”
Tickets are $15 for students, $27 for alumni, and $30 for the public. If you missed “Titanic,” you are still in luck. Spring season shows include “Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night”, “New Box New Musicals”, and “Young Frankenstein”.
