Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle and Constantine Rousouli’s hit show has a new cast. With Olivier Awards on board and booking until January, any scepticism about a show that sends up Celine Dion and the movie Titanic should be swiftly sunk. And, anyway, if you scoff at silliness, this one isn’t really for you – Titanique is one of the most absurd things you can see, and very funny indeed.
Presenting two stories of what happened on board the doomed ocean liner, including reenacting the romance between Jack and Rose from the film, all with songs by Dion is, frankly, a lot. There’s so much scope for jokes that it all feels, er, a little choppy. Blue’s direction enhances the energy and more gags are added that are sometimes tasteless and often rude, encompassing news events, pop culture and, for this UK version of the Broadway show, quite a lot of EastEnders. While some jokes are so old they hum, the sense of surprise is great, with moments where you check yourself at how mad it all is.
This much foolishness is actually hard work. The musical adaptation of Dion’s hits, by Nicholas James Connell, is smart. And the strong cast makes light work of a demanding routine. While Luke Bayer and Hiba Elchikhe, as Jack and Rose, feature heavily, all get plenty of moments to (over)act including Tosh Wanogho-Maud as a seaman (yes) and Tina Turner-as-an-iceberg (there’s hyphenation I never thought I’d need). Surely, it’s hard to sound this good with your tongue so firmly in your cheek? Let alone all the eyerolls and Ellenore Scott’s choreography.
The show is buoyed by the performance of Astrid Harris as Dion herself. An exaggeration as much as an impression, she gets laughs at every moment. And the show is neatly coy about Dion’s appeal – she’s made fun of, sometimes a little cruelly. But the acerbic propels the show. And such humour is leaned into by Carl Mullaney, who plays Rose’s mother with a fantastic rant and highly effective slips into a British accent. A lot of Titanique is reminiscent of a (very good) drag act – there are enough references to RuPaul, after all – giving it a neat niche that should keep it afloat for a long time.
Until January 2026
www.london.titaniquemusical.com
Photo by Mark Senior