It was hard not to think of the current ongoing real life drama as The Titanic Musical sailed into Edinburgh to mark its 10th anniversary tour.
This hauntingly beautiful musical delves into the tragic events which led to thousands losing their life at sea in 1912.
Unlike today, there was no Hi Tech rescue mission in The Atlantic and the theatre piece concentrates on how the tragedy unfolded and the humans onboard reacted.
With a fantastic boat set and old-fashioned costumes, the production is fast moving and begins with an insight into how the first, second and third class passengers embraced the journey as they made their way to a new life in America.
A beautiful duet between miner Frederick Barrett (Adam Filipe) and junior wireless officer Harold Bride (Alastair Hill) reveals the emotions on board, with Bride kindly sending a love message back to Barrett’s sweetheart in England, with a promise of marriage upon his return.
Bride is the man who in the second half, desperately calls for help as the ship sinks, with an SOS to the nearest boat, the SS Californian going unnoticed.
The opulence of The Titanic with champagne flowing and rich food being served up encouraged the passengers to be relaxed and they were very much unaware of the dangers in front of them.
Captain Edward Smith (Graham Bickley) on his farewell voyage has his eye off the ball too and the intoxicating atmosphere of fun, sees him bat off telegram warnings of icebergs ahead.
He is too pressured by passenger J Bruce Ismay (Martin Allanson) to increase the speed of the ship to make faster passage to New York, despite warnings from the ship’s architect Thomas Andrews (Ian McLarnon) who realises too late that the amount of lifeboats provided is smaller than the number of passengers onboard and all to make more room for the first class passengers.
The first act finishes with a bang and the stage in darkness as the ship hits the iceberg and the second act takes up the anxieties and panic as the passengers and crew realise they could die.
One of the most moving moments was when elderly passenger Ida Straus (Valda Aviks) refuses to leave the ship without her husband Isidor (David Delve) and the two drink champagne as they await their sad fate.
Director Thom Southerland rounds off the musical with a very moving tribute to the 1,503 passengers who perished. The survivors, who were picked up by a passing boat are wrapped in blankets and face a memorial with the names of those who died.
A thoughtful and moving musical which runs at The Capital Theatre until Saturday. Please visit: www.capitaltheatres.com for ticket availability to Titanic The Musical.
Author Bio:
Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.
Photographs by Pamela Raith Photography
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