The Water Is Dotted With Icebergs

Good fortune is seldom associated with the Titanic, but the timing of “Titanic,” the stage musical, was remarkably lucky. The competition was so lackluster in Broadway’s Class of 1997 that this big white elephant won the Tony Award for best musical. And that triumph apparently carried the show until the following winter, when millions of people suddenly became interested in all things Titanic, thanks to the Hollywood movie.

Now, however, the flat musical field of 1997 is no longer a factor, and just about everyone has seen the “Titanic” movie and moved on. So what might merit spending as much as $75 in order to sit through another rendering of the same catastrophe?

The authenticity of the musical’s characters, claim the show’s creators, who embellished genuine historical figures instead of making up their own. Maury Yeston’s score is another potential attraction.

But neither of these arguments holds much water, judging from the production that opened Sunday at the Ahmanson Theatre.

The dozens of characters in Peter Stone’s book for the musical have authentic names, but names alone can’t bring these people back to life. None develops beyond the superficial dimensions of the cross-section of humanity found in most Hollywood disaster movies. Because of the enormous cast and the slimness of each role, the producers can’t--or won’t--hire big-name stars (Kevin Gray of “Miss Saigon” fame is the biggest), so even fans of disaster movies may be disappointed. Overheard from a playgoer on the way out: “They needed a role for Shelley Winters.”

A few decades ago, Winters might have played the show’s liveliest part, a social-climbing second-class passenger (Liz McConahay) who wants more out of her life than her nice husband (David Beditz) can afford. But this is just a supporting role. The bigwigs who were responsible for the disaster remain stiff. The lesser crew members are only slightly more human. The action too often stops at an unlikely time and place, just so everyone can hear an urgent message or a hackneyed sentiment.

The worst characterizations in the show are those of the third-class passengers. The most prominent of three Irish lasses, all named Kate, falls for a fellow steerage passenger and almost immediately convinces him to marry her, even though she admits she’s pregnant by a married man back home. When not engaged in dubious soap operas, the immigrants sing glowing cliches about the wonders that await them in America. The script momentarily strands them below the decks, as the waters rise, but then this obstacle mysteriously disappears, and the favored Kate is in line for the lifeboat, with no explanation of how she got there.

Perhaps the ship itself was supposed to be the star, back in 1997. Now, in the wake of the $200-million movie’s illusions, that notion is quaint. Stewart Laing’s sets, which usually display only a tiny sliver of the ship, are simple, clean and crisp almost to the point of sterility. True, the deck precariously tilts in the final scene, as the waters rise, but it looks like an amusement park ride compared to the same scene in the movie. The most arresting effect occurs in a scene in which we look up at the third-class passengers, but it’s a little unclear where our vantage point is.

Yeston’s score tends toward the pompous and plodding, far below the level of his own best work. The one moment that brings home the unease that begins to afflict the passengers, soon after the crash, isn’t musical at all. It’s silent, as a solitary cart begins to roll in the direction of the deep.

Although Yeston’s lyrics never surprise, they’re well sung, especially by Dale Sandish’s sweet-voiced radio operator. Broadway director Richard Jones is still on the job, according to the program, and the company’s performances, however slight, are at least shipshape.

* “Titanic,” Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2 p.m.; also Feb. 18, 25, 2 p.m. No evening shows Feb. 21, 28. $30-$75. (213) 628-2772. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.

William Parry: Capt. E.J. Smith

Adam Heller: J. Bruce Ismay

Kevin Gray: Thomas Andrews

Brian d’Arcy James: Frederick Barrett, stoker

Dale Sandish: Harold Bride, radioman

Edward Conery: Henry Etches, first-class steward

Timothy J. Alex: Frederick Fleet, lookout

David Pittu: 1st Officer William Murdoch

Raymond Sage: 3rd Officer Herbert J. Pitman/the major

Bruce Thompson: Chief Engineer/Wallace Hartley

S. Marc Jordan: Isidor Straus

Taina Elg: Ida Straus

Rob Donohoe: J.J. Astor

Joann Merhaut: Madeleine Astor

Ken Krugman: Benjamin Guggenheim

Carol Denise: Mme. Aubert

Margo Skinner: Charlotte Cardoza

Philip Lehl: Charles Clarke

Christianne Tisdale: Caroline Neville

David Beditz: Edgar Beane

Liz McConahay: Alice Beane

Melissa Bell: Kate McGowen

Jodi Jinks: Kate Mullins

Kate Suber: Kate Murphey

Richard Roland: Jim Farrell

Produced by Dodger Endemol Theatricals, Richard S. Pechter, Kennedy Center. Story and book by Peter Stone. Music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. Directed by Richard Jones. Sets and costumes by Stewart Laing. Lighting by Paul Gallo. Sound by Steve Canyon Kennedy. Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. Musical supervisor Kevin Stites. Musical director Mark McLaren. Production Stage manager Leigh Catlett.