Titanic follows the final days of those who boarded the ill-fated ocean liner, weaving together the stories of the passengers, crew, and captain. The show opens on the Titanic’s primary architect examining the ship’s blueprints in wonder, singing,“ In every age mankind attempts\ To fabricate great works\ At once magnificent\ And …show more content…
Interestingly, the setting of the Titanic acts as a microcosm that magnifies the tensions between members of society. The differences between the lowest class and the first class passengers are emphasized on the boat, where all activities are confined to social class. The ambitions of the middle class are reflected in Alice Beane’s character as she struggles to reconcile the limits of her income and her longing for luxury. In one scene, Alice breathlessly tells her husband Edgar of the riches members of the elite class enjoy, singing, “There are hotels on islands, Edgar!\ Great resorts on a sandy beach.” Edgar responds only with a simple, “That's a world that's beyond our income\ And our reach.” Ironically, the emphasis placed on social divisions diminishes perceptibly as conditions aboard the Titanic worsen. In the end, all passengers of the Titanic, regardless of social standing, fight desperately to flee the boat as self preservation supersedes all pretense of decorum and social convention. Andrews laments the tragedy, singing, “First class, and third, and second\ Will mean nothing!\ And sheer humanity alone will prevail\ One single class\ Brute, harsh and crass\ That's what will come of the world that set …show more content…
The arrogance of man’s confidence in his inventions acts as an underlying theme throughout the performance, and the tragic nature of the ship’s sinking is reiterated when Andrews weeps over his blueprints, realizing the simplicity of this mistake that eventually results in complete devastation. The credence of modern innovation is damaged by the sinking of the Titanic; it forces the audience to realize the imperfections of the mere men who build the objects of legend like the