Spoiler alert: no, hang on. If you need to be pre-warned what happens at the end of the Titanic story, you've either been hiding under a very large rock or encased in an iceberg for the last century. We've all seen the film, watched the documentaries, read the books about the tragic story of the world's 'biggest moveable object' of its time; we all know how it ends.

The challenge for any show like Titanic: The Musical is to make it worth sitting through. No, this is not an adaptation of James Cameron's 1997 film – there are no Jacks, no Roses and no (really) soppy love stories. In fact, the Broadway premiere of this musical (written by Maury Yeston and Peter Stone, and here directed by Thom Southerland) pre-dates the release of Cameron's film by six months and has gone on to be almost equally lauded over the years, bagging five prestigious Tony Awards and successful traversing the globe in a way that its namesake never managed to.

We begin by meeting the various characters boarding the ship (based on real-life characters) as well as those already there: alongside the various steerage passengers (including 'The Three Kates' and one of their paramours, complete with dodgy Irish accent), the staff members and engine-room stokers, a second-class couple who are eloping to New York and another with upwardly-mobile aspirations. Then there's Captain EJ Smith as well as the boorish owner J. Bruce Ismay and designer Thomas Andrews, and the first-class passengers including Macy's owner Isidor Strauss and his wife Ida, and American millionaire JJ Astor. Much of the first act is taken up by setting the scene with each of these groups, various set-pieces and songs painting pictures of their individual backgrounds - although few of them really strike an emotional chord and at times, the show subsequently feels slow to engage. The set and lighting, too, are largely static apart from a moveable staircase.

In-between, we're given an indication of the workings of the ship as Ismay constantly presses Captain Smith to go faster so that they will reach New York in record time; actor Simon Green excels in the villainous role, while Italian actor Greg Castiglioni is equally impressive (both his Northern Irish accent, his singing voice and his acting) as the put-upon Andrews.

The second act takes a turn for the more solemn as the aftermath of the iceberg strike unfolds. It's here that the emotional impact of the show takes hold, as we see couples torn apart and the reality of over two-thirds of the souls on board being lost to the icy depths of the Atlantic. Again, Castiglioni shines here as he mournfully belts out 'Mr. Andrews' Vision' and clings desperately to the rising bow before it plummets into the water.

All in all, Titanic: The Musical may not be the show-stopping extravaganza that you might be expecting; there is little, if anything in common with the film (which we were aware of, but which several puzzled people could be overheard grumbling about during the interval) and certainly no dramatic effects; this is Titanic's story told in a infinitely lower key. If you're interested in the stories rather than the big set-pieces, however, this is a solid night out.

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Titanic: The Musical runs at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre until Saturday, May 19th.