By Coral Gables Gazette staff

This week, the University of Miami’s Jerry Herman Ring Theatre becomes a vessel of ambition, artistry, and reflection with Titanic: The Musical. The production opens Friday, November 14 at 8 p.m., with additional performances Saturday, November 15 at 2 and 8 p.m. and November 19 and 20 at 8 p.m.

Epic in scope and intimate in detail, the show captures the hopes and hardships of those aboard the “Ship of Dreams.” With music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Peter Stone, the original Broadway production won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book.

A voyage of human stories

From the boiler-room crew to first-class passengers traveling in finery, Titanic spans the full range of humanity. The musical moves beyond disaster to reveal the collision of aspiration and fragility—immigrants clutching their savings, the wealthy displaying privilege, and officers navigating both duty and fate.

The Ring Theatre’s intimate setting heightens that emotion. Every note of Yeston’s score and every gesture in the ensemble resonates with immediacy, inviting audiences to experience not only the grandeur of the ship but the humanity within it.

A conservatory on the rise

The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, home to one of the nation’s most competitive musical-theatre conservatories, is in the midst of a renaissance. With only 35 slots available each year, the University’s BFA program has become a magnet for talent. Alumni have appeared on Broadway, in regional theatres across the country, and on major cruise-line stages.

Recent graduate Uma Paranjpe starred in the Broadway production of Life of Pi, and last season’s stage manager at GableStage was also a UM alum. The program now benefits from a new facility that includes a 60-seat black-box theatre, a movement studio, and modern rehearsal and lounge spaces—part of a campus-wide investment in the performing arts.

At last spring’s New York Showcase, produced by professor and artistic director Michael Bush, UM students dazzled agents and casting directors. Many left with professional representation, affirming the department’s growing national profile.

Ring firmly on the cultural map

The Ring Theatre draws audiences from across the region, proving that top-tier musical theatre can flourish in the City Beautiful. With student performers tackling one of Broadway’s most challenging scores, Titanic becomes both a test of craft and a celebration of community ambition.

The story of the “unsinkable ship” is, in this setting, also a story of persistence and artistic faith—qualities that continue to define Coral Gables’s creative pulse.

Plan your visit

• Dates & Times:
  • Friday, Nov. 14 – 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, Nov. 15 – 2 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 19 – 8 p.m.
  • Thursday, Nov. 20 – 8 p.m.
• Venue: Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, University of Miami, 1312 Miller Dr., Coral Gables 33146
• Tickets: Purchase via the University of Miami Theatre Arts website.

Arrive early to enjoy the lobby exhibit and settle in for a production that promises both grandeur and heart.