Titanic the Musical

Bath’s links with an ill-fated ocean liner get a further boost next month with a production of Titanic the Musical which – when staged on Broadway – won five Tony awards.

This is turning out to be a lesson in stage craft AND local history for the members of Zenith Youth Theatre Company  who open with the production of the 10th to the 13th of July. Not only did local crane maker Stothert and Pitt make lifting gear for the vessel but a Bath-born passenger was amongst survivors.

In the final hours of 14th April 1912 the RMS Titanic, on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, collided with an iceberg and ‘the unsinkable ship’ slowly sank. It was one of the most tragic disasters of the 20th Century. 1517 men, women and children lost their lives.

Based on real people aboard the most legendary ship in the world, Titanic The Musical is a stunning and stirring production focusing on the hopes, dreams and aspirations of her passengers who each boarded with stories and personal ambitions of their own.

All innocently unaware of the fate awaiting them, the Third Class immigrants dream of a better life in America, the Second Class imagine they too can join the lifestyles of the rich and famous, whilst the millionaire Barons of the First Class anticipate legacies lasting forever.

One of the second class survivors was a certain Miss Edwina “Winnie” Celia Troutt, 27, played by chorus member Jodie Jefferies. “Winnie” was born in Bath on 8 June 1884. She was the daughter of Edwin Charles Troutt (brewer and part-time cabinet maker) and Elizabeth Ellen Troutt (née Gay). The family lived at 40 Claverton Street and Winnie was sister to Edwin, Edgar, Elsie, Louisa L, Emmeline, Harry E. and Herbert W.

She died on 3 December 1984 in Redondo Beach, California at the age of 100, one of only five Titanic centenarians and the longest living survivor. A plaque to her honour is shortly to be officially unveiled in the Southgate Shopping Centre.

With music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Peter Stone (Woman of the Year and 1776), the pair have collectively won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, an Olivier Award and three Tony awards. The original Broadway production of Titanic The Musical won five Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book.
Zenith Youth Theatre present – Titanic – the musical
10- 13 July 2019
Kingswood Theatre, Lansdown, Bath BA1 5RG
Booking www.zenithytc.co.uk or call
Tickets: £15 Fri & Sat Eve / Wed & Thurs £13 (£10 Conc) Sat Mat all £10. Family Ticket £38 (excl. Fri & Sat)
Times: Wed – Fri 7:30pm Sat 2:30pm & 7:30pm