Hindsight sometimes isn't a wonderful thing...

When I told friends and family that I was seeing Titanic the Musical, they were baffled.

'Really? Titanic? The musical? How on earth will that work?!' was just one of the awkward comments I received.

It doesn't exactly scream 'uplifting night out' when you are fully aware that you're going to see a live presentation of 1,517 people plunge to their death, based on a tragic true event.

And I'm ashamed to say that I was one of the many thousands who have become desensitised to the narrative in recent years due to the Oscar winning movie starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio - until last night...

Produced by Danielle Tarento, Steven M. Levy and Vaughan Williams for Capital Musicals, Titanic The Musical explores the hopes and aspirations of her passengers from all walks of life as they set sail for 'a new world', a feeling all who watch will empathise with.

I was quite relieved to discover this version of events featured no emotive Celine Dion numbers...

The original Broadway production won five Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book by Peter Stone.

The story begins as crew and cabin guests begin to board to ship around a quarter of a mile in length for its maiden voyage on April 10 1912.

Having never been to the Churchill Theatre in Bromley before, I was impressed by its dimensions which accommodate the touring set well.

Ship rigging, steel panels and metal barriers dominate the stage. The cast also venture into the audience on several occasions, making the space feel bigger as if you are onboard with them. It was breaking the fourth wall as I have never seen it done before, and I loved it.

There is also a gripping scene in Act 2 where the set begins to move as part of a nightmare sequence that felt akin to the finale of the 1997 film.

A lot is still left to the imagination with the set. It works well in many respects and allows the audience's focus to be on the actors, but I feel it could have been enhanced by more opulent décor in the first class deck scenes which we have come to understand from the history books.

It must be said, the costume design for this show by David Woodhead flawlessly illustrates the class divide. It was executed well as cast members took on different costumes in multiple roles.

But what this show - directed by Thom Southerland - is brilliant at doing is stripping this story right back to its bare bones.

So often I have seen productions that leave at least one plot line underdeveloped or make it unclear what the purpose of a handful of characters is, which leaves audiences feeling like they've missed a vital song lyric two and a half hours later.

I found it to be a relatively slow start in Act 1, but crucial in establishing the roles of the elite and preferential treatment on the different classes on board, something I didn't really appreciate properly until I left the theatre.

Fans of Les Misérables will thoroughly relate to the music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, which is accompanied by crisp vocals and powerful harmonies by the cast. It's not the most catchy thing I've ever seen, but I wouldn't have expected there to be a 42nd Street-style dance given the subject matter and time period.

Musical highlights were the certainly finger-pointing number 'The Blame' in Act 2, by the big-wigs trio J. Bruce Ismay the owner understudied by Alexander Evans, ship designer Thomas Andrews played by Greg Castiglioni and Captain Smith played by Philip Rham, and Dressed in Your Pyjamas in the Grand Salon which sees a chilling power outage as the water begins to seep into the vessel after it hits the iceberg.

Niall Sheehy as miner Frederick Barrett, Oliver Marshall as wireless telegraph operator Harold Bride and Matthew McKenna as Henry Etches the first class steward were thoroughly enjoyable to watch.

The stand out performance of the evening though came from Victoria Serra as Irish girl Kate McGowan, particularly in the number Lady's Maid. She shone above the rest of the cast with her characterisation.

The show as a whole is a strong production for a slightly more classical audience. It was moving and powerful, and I left the theatre feeling somewhat more knowledgeable about the devastating demise of the RMS Titanic.

Details

The show is on at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley until Saturday, July 21.

For tickets to the show call 020 3285 6000 or visit churchilltheatre.co.uk