Titanic - Ensemble Version
Maury Yeston
The Last Lifeboat
by Luke Yankee
Highlights
90 mins 1900-1910 Reduced Casting (Doubling Possible) Expandable Casting Flexible Cast Size Room for Extras Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes
Synopsis
J. Bruce Ismay went to the best schools, married the right society girl (even though he was in love with someone else) and vowed to his staunch, unfeeling father on his deathbed that he would take over the family shipping business at the White Star Line and build the biggest, most opulent ship the world had ever seen: the RMS Titanic.
What an accomplishment!
We all know the story of how the ship sank…or do we?
Ismay saved as many people as he could on that fateful night, and finally, with no women and children in sight, stepped into the last lifeboat, only to be branded a coward and a traitor forever.
This is his story.
The world needed a scapegoat for the sinking of the Titanic, and Ismay became the perfect target.
He had a powerful enemy in the United States — newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.
Hearst condemned Ismay nationwide before the rescue ship Carpathia even landed in New York.
Hearst’s cause was aided by William Alden Smith, a ruthless senator with presidential aspirations, who led the investigation into this high-profile disaster.
The Last Lifeboat is the story of the Titanic that has never been told.
This epic tale explores not only the tragedy itself, but the sensationalized trials and aftermath of the night that changed the world forever.
Press Reviews
"Gripping for the entire journey, it evokes the period with an often visceral effect."
— Orange County Register
Characters
| Character |
|---|
| J. BRUCE ISMAY An earnest Englishman of the Edwardian era who feels deeply but has difficulty expressing his emotions. Ages from 6 to 74. |
| THOMAS ISMAY Bruce’s staunch Victorian father. Owner of the White Star Line. |
| MARGARET ISMAY Bruce’s mother, Thomas’s wife. |
| FLORENCE ISMAY, NÉE SCHIEFFELIN Bruce’s wife. American, attractive, younger than Bruce. Stronger than she realizes. Ages from 18 to 63. |
| EVELYN ISMAY Bruce and Florence’s daughter. Spoiled. 15. |
| GEORGE ISMAY Bruce and Florence’s son. A “mama’s boy.” 10. |
| RICHARD FRY Ismay’s valet. Attentive and patient. |
| VIVIAN HILLARD, NÉE PETTIFORD Daughter of a riveter for the White Star Line. Beautiful and smart. |
| HAROLD SANDERSON Employee at the White Star Line’s Liverpool office. Young, ambitious. |
| PHILLIP FRANKLIN Chief of the White Star Line’s New York office. |
| DAVID BUTLER Apprentice at the White Star Line’s New York office. Young and naïve. |
| CHAIRMAN Bruce’s supervisor at the New York office of the White Star Line. Gruff and blustering. |
| THOMAS ANDREWS Principal architect of the Titanic. A dour Irishman. |
| JOHN PIERPONT MORGAN Business tycoon and principal investor in the Titanic. Shrewd and mainly interested in money. |
| CAPTAIN EDWARD JOHN SMITH Captain of the Titanic. An older, pleasant-looking man with a white beard. |
| WILLIAM MURDOCH First officer of the Titanic. A no-nonsense Scotsman. |
| CHARLES LIGHTOLLER Second officer of the Titanic. Young and intense. |
| STEWARD A first-class steward on the Titanic. |
| JOHN JACOB ASTOR One of the richest men in the world. An older gentleman, the essence of unflappable grace. |
| MRS. MADELINE ASTOR John Jacob Astor’s wife. Young and very pregnant. |
| MRS. EMILY RYERSON Wealthy, middle-aged American busybody. |
| ITALIAN WIFE Steerage passenger on the Titanic. |
| MOTHER Second-class passenger on the Titanic. Angela’s mother. |
| ANGELA A young second-class passenger of the Titanic. |
| OLD WOMAN A passenger on the Titanic. |
+ 27 more characters
Publication
The Last Lifeboat is a play written by Luke Yankee and published by Dramatists Play Service .
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