North Shore Music Theater, Beverly, MA. **** out of 5. Esteem for Peter Stone and Maury Yeston’s impressionistic treatment of the legendary 1912 disaster has only grown since its two years on Broadway (1997-1999) and five Tony Awards including Best Musical, Book, and Score. The lavish and thoughtful mounting at North Shore explains why. Over the years the “ship of dreams,” so described in the complex opening number, has served as a symbol for everything from old-style romance and 20th century hubris to the follies of Western capitalism. Stone’s script bridges the gap between metaphor and literalism by selecting a few representative characters from each class, in order to dramatize what the maiden voyage means to them. For those in steerage, it’s a passage to freedom from Old World poverty to New World possibility. The First Class toffs see it as a floating version of the luxury they’ve come to expect, while those in second class get just enough glimpse of the gentry to aspire to something great. All three will find their assumptions dashed once that iceberg penetrates the hull. Yeston’s score is operatic in scope and thrilling in execution under Milton Granger’s direction, sung with perfect diction by a cast of 29. Staging in-the-round proves surprisingly appropriate to convey a sense of immersion, and director-choreographer Kevin P. Hill moves his characters deftly up and down the aisles. Some of the musical’s thunder was stolen when James Cameron’s epic film opened eight months later, but now our memories of its spectacle help to fill in the gaps when only one or two passengers are on stage: We sense the chaos around them, in our minds. If you are at all interested in bravura musical theater, this is one you must not miss. You may never get the chance to see it live on this scale again. (At North Shore Music Theatre through Nov. 10. https://www.nsmt.org. Company photo by David Costa Photography.)