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’Titanic’ sails for Ballinrobe

Tuesday, 02 October 2007

‘Titanic’ sails for Ballinrobe

Claire Egan

BALLINROBE Musical Society are preparing to take on their biggest challenge to date, with the staging of the Irish premiere of the epic musical ‘Titanic’ this February.
Speaking at last Friday night’s official launch party, Ballinrobe Musical Society PRO, Liz Kelleher, said that preparations were in full swing for the heart-stopping show.
“This is the first time that ‘Titanic – the musical’ will be produced in Ireland. Belfast produced the show a number of years ago and are planning to do it again in 2012. We are really looking forward to the challenge of taking such an epic and putting it on stage here in Ballinrobe. Auditions have already commenced and a cast should be finalised in the coming weeks,” said Liz.
Intensive preparations are not confined solely to the boards, as backstage work has already commenced on designing the extensive set and props needed for the musical. When the original show first opened at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre, New York, the set encompassed three levels in order to re-create the magnificent prowess of the fabled ocean liner. Furthermore, set designers also had trouble ‘sinking’ the ship!
Designers in Ballinrobe will have to build a set from scratch in order to fit the dimensions of the stage at Ballinrobe Community School – the gracious hosts in recent years for the society’s many award-winning productions.
Last Friday, Ballinrobe Musical Society Chairperson, Mr Pat McGovern, Musical Director, Mr Noel Kirrane and Producer Mr Peter Kennedy, outlined plans for the forthcoming event. Co-incidentally, Peter Kennedy celebrates a decade of shows with the Ballinrobe team this coming February.
“It will be a tremendous challenge to attempt to reproduce the magic of this show but in light of previous productions we feel we have the capabilities to do it. I have listened to the music on numerous occasions and each time it gets better and better. We have a number of big ideas for the stage and the coming months will be hectic,” said Peter.
‘Titanic– the musical’, based on the maiden voyage of the ocean liner RMS Titanic, which sank on April 15, 1912, opened on Broadway in 1997 to mixed reviews. However, despite early scepticism, the show captured the public’s imagination and swept up numerous musical accolades, including five prestigious Tony Awards.
“This is undoubtedly a true community event, with everyone becoming involved in some capacity or another. Ballinrobe is competing with towns and cities with a larger population base and yet still manages to put on splendid shows. We are looking forward to this year’s production immensely and we would encourage anyone interested to get involved over the coming months,” concluded Liz.