Review: Titanic The Musical at The Regent Theatre*

[Ad-gifted] What a night – last night we were invited to enjoy the Gala event and opening night of Titanic the Musical at The Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent.

This opening night felt extra special due to the connection Stoke has with the Titanic. In case you weren’t aware, the Captain Edward Smith of the Titanic was born and bred in Hanley (home of The Regent Theatre), where a plaque is placed on his childhood home. He is so revered in this town that a brewery – Titanic Brewery was named in his honour and provided some of the drinks for the evening. This was a beautiful performance and told the story through the voices of some of the real-life passengers aboard the ship on that fateful crossing.

This gigantic ship is one of legend that will never be forgotten but looking back it is even more sad to hear about the great loss of life that occurred on the sad day of the 15 of April 1912. The ship was never going to be able to save all its passengers due to having so few lifeboats and the speed at which it was going meant it was unable to change course to avoid the ever-approaching icebergs – filled with a wide range of people from third class passengers (who bought their crossing for £700 – £7 at the time) very few of whom survived, to second class passengers of which the majority of the men in this class did not make it and then finally the first class passengers of which mainly the women and children survived. Find out how this re-telling in the form of a musical played out in our latest Yeah Lifestyle theatre visit…

What I thought of Titanic The Musical 

When coming to see this show I had not heard about its notoriety and mass of awards and yet this is the musical I saw by Maury Yeston who wrote this back in the mid-1990s. Unlike what I was expecting this a classically performed musical, by that I mean that it isn’t light-hearted and not your typical show tune territory. On the night, what stood out for me is that this had the feeling that you get much from a Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical from the 1940s (The King and I, Carousel and Oklahoma). The story of crossing borders for a belief in a better life in America is told through the lives of four couples and a handful of single passengers aboard the maiden and final voyage on the Titanic.

Each of the characters were dotted about the classes of the ship, Mr & Mrs Staus (founders of Macy’s department store, New York – played by Valda Avikis and David Delve) who showed the first class outlook, Mr & Mrs Beane (played by James Darch & Bree Smith) in the second class deck, Kate & Harold (played by Lucie-Mae Sumner & Alastair Hill) in the third class list and Fred Barret (played by Adam Filipe) along with several other characters playing members of the crew. Its a sad tale as you watch knowing their lives are about to be altered forever.

The musical numbers each created showed the variety of fun that must have initially taken place prior to the iceberg hitting. And when the iceberg hit leading us into Act 2 the musical took another turn with atmospheric music created by the key characters and the company signing in harmony filling the theatre with sounds of worry and sadness.

I brought along my 13-year-old daughter, who thoroughly enjoyed the night and thought the show was fantastic. This is a show I would say for teens due to the nature of the disasters that unfold. You might not be crying in the same way you did if you watched the James Cameron Titanic on the big screen, however, this has a much more delicate and poignant feel to it and really has you thinking about the turmoil and unknowing of each of the passengers portrayed in this musical that is not to be missed.

How much do the tickets cost?

Tickets are priced from £13 to £49.50. The show is suitable for children aged 8+. Pls check for concession rates for students/U26s, seniors and group bookings.

How do I book tickets to watch Titanic The Musical?

Tickets are now on sale and available from the Box Office, by calling 0844 871 7615 or by visiting ATG’s website here.

How long is the show for and what are the timings?

The show will run until Saturday, 29 April 2023 and has a running time of 2 hours and 10 minutes (including interval time).  The shows will be performed at 7.30pm daily with matinee shows at 2.30pm on Wednesday and Saturday.

Where is The Regent Theatre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent?

Piccadilly
Stoke-on-Trent
ST1 1AP
Tel: 08448717649

About Regent Theatre

The Regent Theatre is a theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Constructed in 1929 as a cinema, it is one of several theatres in the city centre and one of two owned by the Ambassador Theatre Group. The building was converted for full-time use as a theatre in 1999, and since then has hosted a number of shows and musicals. The theatre is also the northern base for the Glyndebourne Touring Opera.

Tips / Information

You may also want to read this:

Review: Heathers The Musical at The Regent Theatre

Review: Blood Brothers at The Regent Theatre

Review: Chicago at The Regent Theatre

Review: Bat Out of Hell – The Musical at The Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent

Photo Credit: Regent Theatre/Pamela Raith Photography

* We were provided with press tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions are our own.