Back in 1997, as a lad of 11, Connor Gallagher headed to Broadway with his mom to take in his first musical – Titanic: The Musical.
“We had second row seats during previews. It was formative for me – the moving story, the spectacle, the emotional music. They don’t write shows like this anymore, and it showed me the magic of theater,” Gallagher said.
In fact, the experience inspired Gallagher to pursue a career in theater. And now, he’s directing Titanic here in Chicago. The Tony-winning musical is playing at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Previews start April 9, opening night is set for April 16 and the run is scheduled through June 1.
“The chance to bring it to life is a thrilling, daunting and ultimately energizing task,” Gallagher said. “Add to that the legendary actors of Chicago and one of the most haunting scores ever written, and I couldn’t be happier to be collaborating on this production.”
Being 100% Irish in lineage and with roots in Brooklyn and Long Island, Gallagher said Titanic and its story resonate with him now in ways it didn’t as a kid.
Of course, the Titanic’s ill-fated journey and sinking 113 years ago has resonated and fascinated over time in popular culture, particularly with the blockbuster movie that came out in December, 1997. In fact, Titanique, a musical comedy parody of that movie is currently playing at the Broadway Playhouse in Water Tower Place through July 13.
That’s not to mention an exhibition about the Titanic the Museum of Science and Industry had in 2000. Or the touring exhibit that was up last year at Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie. Or the book by Irish author Gareth Russell, “The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era.”
In case you’ve forgotten, for those of Irish lineage, the ship and its fate hits close to home, too.
The HMS Titanic was built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast. A museum about the White Star Line cruise ship opened there in 2012. The Titanic officially left from Southampton in England and made a stop in Ireland in Cobh (then Queenstown) before attempting to head to New York. There’s a museum in Cobh, too.
The Titanic Experience Cobh website noted that 113 third-class, 7 second-class and only the first-class passenger boarded there.
“The total number of passengers and crew on board the Titanic was 2,228. 1,523 passengers and crew were lost when the ship sank on April 15, 1912. Only 705 passengers and crew were saved. Tragically, more than 400 available lifeboat spaces were left empty. Only 44 of the 123 people who boarded in Queenstown survived,” the site notes.
Gallagher said that before he directs any play, part of his work is researching details like the above.
Another thing he learned was that while most of the Irish traveled in third-class, the White Star Line treated its customers with respect and was working to build a reputation as a safe, affordable way for those of lesser means to make it to the United States.
“Of course, there were class distinctions, but tragedy turned out to be the great equalizers,” Gallagher said. “There’s an emotional resonance to mine in the story of the Titanic. The details remain shocking and upsetting. We like to think there’s a blanket of safety, but there’s the power of nature and sometimes such forces are beyond human control.”
There’s also hubris and humans all too frequently having blind faith in the latest technology, which are also lessons from the Titanic tragedy.
As such, Gallagher said he’s looking forward to the challenge of presenting such a grand, operatic musical – in the round, no less, with no one central character and with a cast of 23 performing multiple roles.
“This will be a wildly theatrical, magical experience you can only get live, that only works lives,” Gallagher said.
