1 month ago
Ah, different Broadway philharmonic that positions Tina Turner arsenic a lethal iceberg, a starring man who quotes 20 twelvemonth aged YouTube memes and a time-traveling Céline Dion whose surreal type of a humanities calamity is truthful overmuch amended than nan existent thing. Dime a dozen, right?
Wrong. Titaníque, nan outrageously campy philharmonic that puts Dion connected nan Titanic and successful nan depository that holds its artifacts, isn’t precisely unprecedented successful its blend of movie-loving homage and knowing parody (I’m reasoning of that shouldn’t-be-forgotten ’90s Off Broadway cult favourite take-off connected Valley of nan Dolls, and conscionable astir thing from nan late, awesome Everett Quinton), but Titaníque is specified a gloriously entertaining concoction that it feels successful a people by itself. First class, steerage, immoderate it wants.
The brainchild of Constantine Rousouli – who plays his unsocial type of Leo’s king of nan world Jack Dawson – and co-writers Tye Blue (who directs) and Marla Mindelle (reprising her award-winning gem of a capacity arsenic a surreally wise and wacky Céline Dion), Titaníque is, connected its basal level, a parody of James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster Titanic, nan benignant of mock-the-thing-you-love take-off whose ancestry dates backmost astatine slightest to nan aged Carol Burnett show.
But Rousouli, Mandelle and Blue cognize their scope has to transcend that 1 movie (and that 1 taxable song) nary matter really wildly celebrated it remains. Titaníque, pinch generations of cheery joke successful its wake, uses nan bubbly adventures of Jack and Rose to encompass a seemingly infinite cache of taste references. Remember that early viral news-blooper video successful which a newswoman describes a upland climber arsenic cheery earlier correcting herself (“I mean, he’s blind”)? It’s successful Titaníque. Matthew Morrison taking complete for Jonathan Groff successful Broadway’s Just In Time? That’s present too, successful an insanely clever spot that builds to an insidery joke astir Lea Michele’s literacy that had nan Broadway assemblage howling.
(Indeed, Titaníque besides owes a chapeau extremity to that long-running Off Broadway hit Forbidden Broadway – you mightiness arsenic good extremity counting nan Broadway references aft jokes astir Chicago, Beauty and nan Beast and Patti LuPone’s Equity status.)
Having arrived astatine nan St. James Theatre, wherever it opens coming conscionable 2 days awkward of nan 114th day of nan existent point and pursuing a astir decade-long way that includes stagings successful Los Angeles, Off Broadway, London, Paris, Chicago and others, Titaníque, pinch sizeable improvised contented that allows for those up-to-the-moment Matthew Morrison jokes, plays by its ain kooky rules. The premise: Céline Dion, who of people sang Titanic‘s taxable “My Heart Will Go On,” is really a subsister of nan shipwreck (along pinch Peabo Bryson, Victor Garber, and an unsinkable Molly Brown who seems to beryllium afloat alert of Kathy Bates’ ouvré).
Employing a agelong database of Dion’s deed songs – some originals and screen tunes, nan second to activity successful “All By Myself,” “Who Let The Dogs Out” and a Tina Turner bit, aliases is it a Tina! The Musical bit, pinch “River Deep, Mountain High” – Titaníque hits each of nan movie’s precocious points (the king of nan world scene, nan backseat romp, nan Heart of nan Ocean bluish gem present presented arsenic a purse-size shot and concatenation necklace) while stuffing nan communicative afloat of anachronisms, fact-and-fiction blurs and taste winks that watercourse by truthful quickly you’ve hardly had clip to registry 1 earlier nan adjacent 1 lands.
And onshore they do, aliases astatine slightest an improbably precocious percentage. The formed – successful summation to Mindelle and Rousouli, there’s Melissa Barrera arsenic Rose, John Riddle arsenic Cal, Franki Grande arsenic an out-and-proud Fire Island-bound Victor Garber, Debora Cox arsenic Molly Brown, Layton Williams arsenic a randy Seaman and Tina Turner-esque Iceberg and scene-stealer Jim Parsons arsenic Rose’s uber-nasty mom Ruth – rides these chaotic seas without truthful overmuch arsenic an errant gasp for breath.
Parsons, successful particular, is simply a invited summation to nan ensemble (many of nan formed members are reprising roles they created aliases performed successful erstwhile productions). By now nan former Big Bang Theory prima (and yes, location is astatine slightest 1 crowd-pleasing reference to nan sitcom) is beautiful firmly entrenched connected Broadway, but his recent, critically lauded appearances (Our Town, Mother Play, The Boys successful nan Band) person been connected nan melodramatic side. Titaníque lets his soul comedian soar, successful resistance yet, and pinch garish make-up conscionable this broadside of Baby Jane Hudson and a rima arsenic foul arsenic immoderate David Mamet character. (Alejo Vietti’s costumes, from Jack’s hand-me-down Newsies look to Victor Garber’s dime shop sailor get-up, are punchlines successful themselves.)
The ample formed has nary anemic links – Rousouli has honed nan clueless, gleeful Jack-as-“aging twink” to a radiance that bluish gem mightiness envy, correct up to and including his shivery resentment astatine Rose not making room connected that floating hunk of wood – but Mindelle is nan existent cardinal to keeping this full shebang afloat. Too mean and we’d ne'er spell on pinch nan joke, fixed Dion’s caller struggles, and excessively bully and we’d ne'er laughter astatine them. Mindelle, pinch her sweet, ever-so-slightly garbled French Canadian accent and Dion-speak (“love” is “lurve”) has america connected her broadside from entranceway to big, splashy finale connected a group that, she jokes, looks for illustration thing from The Voice.
Campier than nan campy Cats: The Jellicle Ball but nary little generous successful its clasp of queer heritage’s seismic effect connected American culture, Titaníque connected Broadway is bigger than a specified hoot. It’s a riotous, high-cresting ceremony conscionable erstwhile we request it most.
Title: Titaníque
Venue: Broadway’s St. James Theatre
Director: Tye Blue
Book: Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli
Music: The hits of Céline Dion
Cast: Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli, Jim Parsons, Melissa Barrera, Deborah Cox, Frankie Grande, John Riddle, Layton Williams
Running time: 1 hr 40 min (no intermission)
