Titanic - Maury Yeston

I am trying to remember when I first discovered the music and writing of Maury Yeston. I believe it was a work that he wrote named Goya...a life in song. I have a recording of it on cassette that is stuck in the upper right hand corner of a standard LP casing. It is an odd way to present a cassette but it allows for a full LP style pull-out lyric sheet along with representations of Goya's art. It is presented as an introductory selection of songs from a forthcoming musical. Singing Goya is Placido Domingo, but it also includes Dionne Warwick, Gloria Estefan, Richie Havens, and one of my favorite Japanese singers Seiko Matsuda. I have not listened to it in a long time but I recall really loving the sound of the music, and melodies. You will find a couple recordings of the song "Till I Loved You" - specifically Streisand. If you look online, you may find the Goya recording available to stream. It is a most interesting collection of songs. 

Needless to say, I became a fan of Yeston's writings and his music. I had the incredible joy of discovering his show Nine while I was in college studying theatre, and I saw the Tommy Tune directed "Grand Hotel" when it was in town on tour. That was an incredible production that really needs to be revived. I had the joy of performing in a production of his version of Phantom. I also love his "December Songs." Also during my childhood, I was taken by the story of the Titanic. I recall reading the book "Raise the Titanic" by Clive Cussler. So clearly when I heard that there was a musical on Broadway named Titanic, I was looking forward to hearing more. Then during week leading up to the Tony Awards in 1997, Rosie O'Donnell had a number of shows on her daytime show. One of them was Titanic, where I was introduced to the amazing voice and look of Brian D'Arcy James singing The Proposal/The Night Was Alive. Absolutely gorgeous and I fell in love with the show and the music. Sadly I never saw it on Broadway, nor do I recall if it went on tour. However there was a local production that was really well done. 

So, even though the show won 5 Tony Awards, there is no available film of the original production. However, it was recently produced in England, and that production was filmed. WOW - what a great production. It is much smaller and intimate than the original production, which also makes it more emotional. The direction is tight, the choreo is fantastic, and the production is focused on the story of the people instead of a big production. If you get a chance to watch this, please take it. I think you will find it gorgeous.