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Tackling Titanic: The Musical, a production that includes 45 characters, 20 actors and an eight-piece live chamber ensemble, may seem like a risky choice for Milwaukee Rep in a year as wobbly as this. But Mark Clements, the company’s artistic director, believes that this type of big, splashy – and emotional – show is just what audiences are hungry for.
“There’s something about seeing live theater right now – people are in tears,” says Clements, who seems unfazed by the prospect of navigating a complicated set design and countless costume changes.
Going big with a musical this season isn’t too surprising, considering that Clements was the first one to bring the genre to the Rep’s stage with a production of Cabaret in 2010.
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“When I first came here, a lot of people told me we couldn’t do musicals, and that kind of ignited me,” Clements says.
Today, they are a huge part of the Rep’s lineup. Clements estimates thousands of people have become season ticket holders and regular theatergoers because of musicals he’s helped put on stage. The numbers behind his 2019 production of West Side Story are proof. Nearly 35,000 people saw the show during its six-week run, bringing in over $1.2 million in revenue.
With Piano Men, Murder on the Orient Express and six other shows on the Rep’s calendar this season, the work doesn’t stop with the last curtain call of Titanic. But if it all gets to be a bit overwhelming, there’s a Cabaret poster hanging in Clements’ office to remind him to challenge the status quo.
Titanic: The Musical runs April 5-May 15.
