The first national touring company of the Tony-winning Broadway musical Titanic will launch in Los Angeles in January 1999. The tour previews Jan. 5 and opens Jan. 10, 1999 at the Ahmanson Theatre in L.A., where it will run through Feb. 28, 1999.

The Titanic tour will then continue through the following announced cities:

March 3, 1999: Denver
March 24: Seattle
April 22: Chicago
June 9: Boston
July 7: Washington, DC
August 24: St. Louis
September 7, 1999: Detroit

Weeks ago, D-Tour press rep Joyce Friedman told Playbill On-Line sets and costumes for the tour will be designed by Broadway's Stewart Laing, but was uncertain whether all the effects used on Broadway would be recreated for the tour.

Titanic currently on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, looks at a host of passengers -- of various classes and ethnicities -- and their behavior on the fateful and tragic voyage of the (not so) good ship, The Titanic. Peter Stone (book) and Maury Yeston (score) penned the show.