"Titanic: The Musical" is based on a book written by Peter Stone. It opened on Broadway in April 1997. The music and lyrics were written by Maury Yeston, and the production won five Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score in 1997. This run of the play is in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking.

"I have seen the movie [Titanic] and learned a lot about it in history classes, and I am interested in seeing how it will relate to those," Southeast Missouri State University sophomore Kelci Bozada said. "I am also looking forward to seeing how they turn it into not just a play but a musical too."

The musical gives an insight into the lives of each class that was on board the ship, such as why they were on the ship that night and what dreams they had before the ship struck the iceberg and the more than 1,500 people died. The musical shows the differences between the aspirations of passengers who were in first class cabins and those who were in second and third class cabins.

All of the characters in the play are based on actual passengers who were aboard the Titanic, although some of the actual names and conditions were changed for theatrical purposes. The show includes an all original musical score with songs like "How Did They Build Titanic?" and "The Staircase."

"I want to know how they will make a shipwreck into an iceberg on a stage," Southeast freshman Ben Lechnir said. "It sounds difficult to do, but I can't wait to see it.".

The musical will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus by Boebe Productions.

The tickets for the one night only performance are $45 for orchestra, lower balcony, box and pit seats and $39 for seats in the mezzanine or upper balcony. Southeast students can purchase their tickets for half price.

Tickets can be purchased at the River Campus box office or online at rivercampusevents.com, and doors open at 7 p.m.