Titanique (Broadway)

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A group of visitors arrive at the Titanic Museum and are welcomed by a guide who explains each item that they come across from the sunken ship. Their tour is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a hooded figure who, upon removing her hood of trash bags, is revealed to be none other than Céline Dion (Dee Roscioli). Everybody is quick to recognize the My Heart Will Go On singer but nobody is ready for her claims that she was actually onboard the Titanic in 1776 when it sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. Her recollection, belted out through her string of Billboard Hits, introduces us to the love story of Jack Dawson (Michael Williams) and Rose Dewitt Bukater (Tess Marshall), whose mother Ruth (Sara Gallo) is hell bent on marrying her off to wealthy first class passenger Cal (Terrence Williams Jr.). As drama unfolds, an Iceberg (Marcus Antonio) hops onboard to test the unsinkable ship.

I always saw Titanique every time I drafted my annual Broadway lineup but always skipped it because it seemed like a silly parody to me, which it actually turned out to be and yet, somehow, it works. This is probably the closest we will ever get to a Céline Dion jukebox musical. The style of humor is slapstick and involves a lot of physical comedy which almost always segues to the next available Céline Dion song. How this musical parody never fails to elicit laughter from its audience is anybody’s guess. Maybe it’s the combo of unapologetically crass one-liners, irreverent presentation, and the occasional political commentary. Nostalgia?

Most Céline Dion impersonators rely on an established array of nuances to make their performance credible. A lot of them zero in on her distinct elocution as well as her signature body language that is exaggerated onstage for comedic purposes. Roscioli offers that and more by showcasing her pipes. While the singing style is obviously tweaked to sound more Céline, the caliber of her voice is kept optimal to suit the stage. In the end, you get to listen to performances that are meant to lampoon yet honor the Canadian diva at the same time. A caricature and homage in one.

Despite the storyline focusing on Céline Dion’s character, Titanique will never be as successful without its ensemble cast. Williams and Marshall provide the romance angle, albeit with a comic twist, and also get to sing some solos and duets from Dion’s catalogue. Lisa Howard as Molly Brown gets her own All By Myself solo which brings the house down with her powerful vocals. Gallo is not given any solos but steals every scene she is in through her acerbic lines and deadpan delivery. It is also funny seeing some of the cast members occasionally breaking out of character and just laughing at their own banters.

The stage is small and somehow looks more apt for a high school production, but the cast and crew maximize the utility of every spot. The humongous Heart of the Ocean diamond prop serves as a disco ball of sorts prior to the opening number. With dance hits being played as people are ushered in, you get the feeling as though you were in someone else’s prom. Perhaps the production design could get an upgrade but Titanique is really the type of show that relies more on the rapport of its actors and the absurdity of its premise to succeed. As long as those actors can make you laugh, then what the stage lacks can easily be forgiven.

With tickets that you can purchase for $50 or less on various online platforms, veering a bit away from Broadway to Daryl Roth theater to see Titanique is worth the trouble. Just enter the theater with enjoyment as your only expectation and you should be just fine. If you were already old enough to be nostalgic of the late 1990’s when Titanic came out, then the nostalgia will be an added bonus. If you are a Céline Dion fan, then you will definitely appreciate the setlist waiting for you.