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Chicago Tribune
28-03-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
From the Farm: Fascination of Titanic tragedy a survivor stage play and recipe recollection
When the Titanic set sail in 1912, the 'onboard storage pantry' had 40,000 eggs. Today, in 2025, we've had much murmuring about the price of eggs being as costly as $8 a dozen or more because of the avian bird flu. Of course, a dozen eggs in 1912 cost around 37 cents. Other amazing food supply figures for the Titanic to feed the 2,240 passengers, which includes about 900 crew members, were 36,000 apples in the galley as well as 1,000 bananas (very exotic for the time), 34,000 oranges, strawberries, and 'hot house-grown grapes.' To wash much of this down, the cargo inventory included 15,000 bottles of ale and 63 cases of fine champagne. Much of the 'behind the scenes' insight we know about the Titanic comes from the ship's manifest paperwork and inventory logs, and the information provided by the few crew members who survived, including first-class cabin maid Violet Jessop. Violet was a career woman rarity at the turn of the century, working as a female cabin maid crew member of luxury steamship ocean liners for the White Star Line for passage to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Before her death at age 83 in 1971, she found later life fame and was best known as having survived both the sinking of the HMHS Britannic and her sister ship the RMS Titanic. As a first-class maid, one just 23 years old, she was one of the few female staff members to secure a lifeboat seat. She wrote about her experience in great detail in a memoir, which was later published around the time of her death. I've spent much of my week with actress and historian Leslie Goddard, who has returned to the Theatre at the Center stage in Munster to share this true account of the twin nautical disasters Violet survived in vivid and fascinating detail with audiences in her one-woman play 'Violet Jessop: Titanic Survivor,' which concludes with weekend performance at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Road in Munster. Drawing from her theatrical background and experience as a researcher and historian, Goddard previously presented her one-woman performances at Theatre at the Center as Julia Child in September 2023 and Amelia Earhart last summer in July 2024, having earned standing ovations. Audiences of all ages have spent the past week learning the incredible accounts of Violet portrayed by Leslie as she tells the unforgettable stories of these terrifying disasters and gives a fascinating glimpse at life behind the scenes on the most glamorous luxury liners of their day. Tickets are $40 and available at the box office by calling 219-836-3255 or visit For an additional $30, guests can add a pre-show Titanic-themed meal inspired by the final dinner served on that fateful night, as presented by 10Forty Banquets and Catering Inc. before the 3 p.m. performance on Sunday and hosted under the chandeliers of the elegant ballroom at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts. Call for reservation and meal payment at 219-836-1930. For the 3 p.m. Sunday show, doors for dining open at 12:30 p.m., with lunch served at 1 p.m. This historic and delicious multi-course themed dinner includes Beef Barley Soup, Roast Chicken Breast Lyonnaise, Château Potatoes, Creamed Carrots, and an elegant dessert of French Custard Éclair with Berries. 'Of the 2,200 people on the Titanic, only 705 people survived the tragedy as the Carpathia arrived several hours later after responding to one of the last distress signals,' Leslie reminds. Also aboard the ship were 12 dogs, only three of which survived since they were small lapdogs of first-class passengers who brought their prized canines with them into the lifeboats. Millionaire John Jacob Astor, age 47, whose family built the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and whose worth at the time was more than $2.2 billion in today's dollars, was aboard the ship. He opted not to board a lifeboat, staying behind on the ship with his purebred Airedale terrier 'Kitty.' But he assured that his pregnant second wife and new bride, Madeleine, just 18 years old, did find her way to a lifeboat, along with her private nurse and personal maid. Leslie said it is known that just before the Titanic sank, someone went below deck to open all the dog kennel cages to free the animals to make their way to the upper deck. She said it is widely believed that it was John Jacob Astor who freed the dogs. Passenger Ella Holmes White of New York brought four roosters paired with hens, likely housed in or near the first-class galley, with the fowl imported from France, to improve her poultry farm in the States. Elizabeth Ramel Nye brought her yellow canary, which required a 25-cent ticket for passage. Believed not to be aboard the Titanic? The ship's mascot and expert rat exterminator, Jenny, a tabby cat that lived in a basket near the stove area of the galley. Before the final fateful voyage of the Titanic, Jenny had a litter of kittens. In her published book, Violet says that before the ship left the dock in Southampton, England, crew members witnessed Jenny removing the kittens, one by one, from the ship and to the safety of the docks and 'dry land.' This was thought to be a foreboding omen, which caused some fears among the crew. It's not believed Jenny was on the ship the night it descended below the surface. Leslie's one-woman play at Theatre at the Center includes a stage recreation of the first-class deck and dining areas of the ship, as well as the crew areas and third-class steerage. Among the unique props showcased in this production are fresh orchids, white roses and fragrance 'bon voyage' floral sprays, and complete replica sets of the Titanic's elegant china and tea service sets. Among the decadent desserts served to first-class passengers on the Titanic was a baked Waldorf Pudding, not to be confused with Waldorf Salad, the latter recipe that later became popular in the 1920s. shares a tribute recipe for baked Waldorf Pudding that would be similar to what was likely served on the Titanic and as reimagined by John Weatherly, the executive pastry chef at Cullen's restaurant in Houston and as originally published in Hearst Publications' Houston Chronicle newspaper. Titanic Tribute Baked Waldorf Pudding Makes 8 servings 2 large apples, diced into 1/4-inch cubes (use a good-flavored baking apple, such as Granny Smith, MacIntosh or Braeburn) 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 1 cup granulated sugar, divided use 4 large croissants, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1-quart heavy cream 8 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup golden raisins Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees and while the oven is heating, sauté the diced apples with the butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Place apples in the refrigerator to chill. Cut croissants into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat cream slowly to a boil and mix eggs, remaining cup of sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Add hot cream slowly, while continuing to stir; set custard to the side. Spray 8 individual 8-ounce ramekins with cooking spray and fill ramekins half full with cut croissants, add apples and raisins. Cover with more croissants but do not pack bread tightly in ramekins or it will make the pudding too heavy and dense. Pour custard over croissants and let set for 10 minutes to let bread absorb custard. Finish filling remaining ramekins with croissants and custard. Place ramekins in a deep pan with 1/4-inch of hot water. Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes and stick a knife in custard to check doneness.
Chicago Tribune
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Of Notoriety: ‘Titanic Survivor' play in Munster and ‘Anastasia' rules the stage at VU
Violet Jessop was a career woman rarity at the turn of the century, working as a female cabin maid crew member of luxury steamship liners crossing the Atlantic Ocean. At her death of age 83 in 1971, she also found later life fame and is best known as having survived both the sinking of the HMHS Britannic and her sister ship the RMS Titanic. As a first-class maid, just 20, she was one of the few female staff members to secure a lifeboat seat. Actor and historian Leslie Goddard has returned to the Theatre at the Center stage in Munster to share this true account of the twin nautical disasters Jessop survived in vivid and fascinating detail and facts with audiences in her one-woman play 'Violet Jessop: Titanic Survivor,' playing now through Sunday. Audiences learn the incredible accounts of Jessop as she tells her unforgettable stories of these terrifying disasters and gives a fascinating glimpse at life behind the scenes on the most glamorous luxury liners of their day. Tickets are $40 and available at the box office by calling 219-836-3255 or visiting For an additional $30, guests can add a pre-show Titanic-themed meal inspired by the final dinner served on that fateful night, as presented by 10Forty Banquets and Catering Inc. on Sunday before the matinee performance. This historic multi-course themed dinner includes Beef Barley Soup, Roast Chicken Breast, Lyonnaise Château Potatoes, Creamed Carrots and a dessert of French Custard Éclair with Berries. 'Killing Monsters' Chicago Street Theatre will take audiences on a quest to the farthest realms of the imagination April 4 through 19 in its production of Qui Nguyen's 'She Kills Monsters.' A stage face-to-face encounter with courageous heroes, dark villains, swords and dragons, it is inspired by the game series 'Dungeons and Dragons.' The story of 'She Kills Monsters' revolves around sisters Tilly and Agnes Evans who were never really close when Tilly was alive but after she died in a car crash, Agnes discovers her notebook and her love for D&D. Immersing herself in fantasy gaming, she finds a way to escape her real-life struggles of fitting in at school and bullying over her sexuality. Debuting off-Broadway in late 2011 and later winning the American Alliance for Theatre and Education's Distinguished Play award in 2013, 'She Kills Monsters' has grown enormously popular with teenagers and young adults and has been a favorite performed at many high schools and colleges in a version known as the 'Young Adventures Edition.' It runs for nine performances; Thursday, April 17, will be a costume night for audience members to wear their favorite Dungeons and Dragons attire. Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors 62 and older and students under 21, as well as military members with ID, and $17 each for groups of 10 or more people. Chicago Street Theatre is located at 154 W. Chicago St. in Valparaiso. Call 219-464-1636 or visit A royal performance Valparaiso University's Department of Theatre has 'Anastasia' for the spring 2025 musical April 3 to April 5 at the Center for the Arts on campus. The historical nod and tale of adventure, identity and perseverance is directed by Keri Burman Castro with musical direction by Daniel Evan Castro. Based on the animated 1997 film by Tony Award winners Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty, and Lynn Ahrens, and adapted for the stage, 'Anastasia' follows a young woman searching for her past, set against the backdrop of post-revolutionary Russia and 1920s Paris. Along the way, she finds herself pursued by a Soviet officer while forming unexpected alliances with a dashing con man and an ex-aristocrat. Featuring a sweeping musical score and visually stunning design, the production captures the magic and emotion of Anya's journey. Tickets for the two-hour and one 15-minute musical are $15 for adults and $10 for senior citizens and $10 for non-VU students and are available online at or by calling 219-464-6950. Something funny George Wallace, J. Anthony Brown, Ted Carpenter, and Michael Colyar bring their trademark humor and timeless wit to the stage for one night only 7 p.m. March 29. It's an unforgettable night of laughter as four of the most iconic comedians in the industry come together for their 'Legends of Comedy' show playing center stage at Hard Rock Northern Indiana Casino at 5400 W. 29th Ave. on the Hard Rock Live main stage. Led by Colyar, the veteran comedian, actor, and motivational speaker, he boasts a career spanning more than three decades. Known for his unique blend of comedy, storytelling, and heartfelt messages, Colyar spans stand-up comedy, television and film. Tickets start at $55 by calling 219-228-2383;
