Live and in person at the CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge St. Toronto, Ont. Presented by Mirvish Productions. Playing until January 19, 2025
Book by Marla Mindelle Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue
Directed by Tye Blue
Set designer, Gabriel Hainer Evansohn and Grace Laubacher for Iron Bloom
Costume designer, Alejo Vietti
Sound designer, Lawrence Schober
Lighting designer, Paige Seber
Orchestrations and arrangement by Nicholas James Connell
Music director, Nick Burgess
Choreographer, Ellenore Scott
Cast: Andre Anthony
Tess Benger
Constant Bernard
Mariah Campos
Veronique Claveau
Dave Comeau
Kaylee Harwood
Mike Melino
Rose Messenger
Christopher Ning
Erica Peck
Queenie
Michael Torontow
Seth Zosky
Irreverent, bend-over hilarious, beautifully performed. It’s perfect for the holidays and after.
The Story. Creators Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue (who also directs this) say that Titanique is a “love-letter to Céline Dion.” And it’s a kiss-on-the-cheek to musical theatre. It is also an uproarious send-up of the film Titanic directed by James (“The King of the World”) Cameron.
We start off at the “Titanic Museum.” A tour guide gleefully notes various artifacts that were found after that horrible disaster of the sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic. He is interrupted by the one and only Céline Dion. He is puzzled because all she contributed was the theme song “My Heart Will Go On” of the film. She informs him that she was there!!!
This leads us into the story which is explained really well in case someone was on a deserted island and didn’t see the film or know what it was about. Rose, her cloying mother Ruth and Rose’s fiancée, the very rich, tuxedo-wearing Cal, are travelling to New York. Cal is hoping to sleep with the chaste Rose before they arrive. He gives her a huge blue heart-shaped jeweled pendant to sweeten the deal. But Rose sees and falls in love with the poor, humble, and simply dressed Jack who is going to New York for a better future. They spend a lot of time below decks getting to know each other through singing and clutching. Cal finds out. It gets messy. Cal orders the captain, Victor Garber—that in itself is an inside joke of the show—to go as fast as they can to get to New York because he has an important appointment he must not miss. The captain cranks up the speed. The seaman (lot of jokes about that) is fearful because there are all those icebergs out there. The ship is unsinkable says the captain. They plough on. And hit an iceberg. And Céline Dion keeps narrating, commenting and singing.
The Performance. Writers Marla Mindelle Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue have written a show that is funny, witty and irreverent towards the film, and so loving to Céline Dion that it is eye-popping. It is also a love-letter to musical theatre with references that are both familiar and obscure. There are jokes in the writing, sight gags in the direction and ad libs in performances that are so funny you cover your eyes and shake your head in disbelief. And joy.
Much is made of the Seaman as a play on words with the character and uh, well, uh another meaning. Lots of inuendo. The song list includes many of Céline standards. For the musical theatre aficionados there are snippets of music that one would recognize from Gypsy, Beauty and the Beast, a wonderful obscure one from Chicago, and even a snippet of the disingenuous song “For Good” from the dishonest and exhausting show “Wicked.” (please keep the invective; it’s just not that important over which to lose it.)
Tye Blue’s direction is meticulous. Every gesture is thought out. Every reaction and over-reaction are deliberate. The cast plays everything broadly and it works a treat for a show that is a send-up of everything one holds dear: Céline, the movie Titanic, musical theatre and the devotion of the gay audience of which much is made. Those not of that sexual orientation will be embraced as well for being ready for a laugh and a good time.
The performances are wonderful in their own way. Veronique Claveau is divine as Céline Dion. She is dressed in Céline’s iconic shimmering, formfitting silver gown and knows how to sashay around the stage with confidence. Her reaction when the audience applauds her arrival and the cheers in recognition is a mix of surprise, humility, humbleness and an “oh you are too kind and I love you all” reaction. And there are the expressions of love and devotion for the audience, followed by the tapping of her heart, the subtle flipping of her hair, the gentle brushing away of ‘non-existent’ tears she is so moved, the smiles, the laughs and all the other calculated gestures that render this a wonderful performance of Céline. And Ms Claveau has a strong, clear voice that is less an impersonation of Céline Dion’s voice and more a dandy performance of her various iconic songs.
Mariah Campos as Rose and Seth Zosky as Jack are wonderfully passionate and determined as the two lovers. Michael Torontow as Cal brings a lovely arrogance to the role but never manages to ‘get’ the girl. As Ruth, Constant Bernard is a pearl-clutching, fretting creation. But it’s in the moments of free-wheeling adlibs/improving that he shines. The jokes are topical, (so topical that one left the opening night audience stunned at the quickness—and no I won’t repeat it because it’s so brilliant, and besides, it might be gone in place of others over time.
Even the presentation of the title of the show is clever. The letters are formed in such a way that the “look” of the word “Titanique” resembles the ship. Brilliant.
Comment. Titanique is laugh-out-loud funny. A sweet, irreverent gift of a show for the holidays, and every day after.
Mirvish Productions presents:
Playing until January 19, 2025.
Running time: 2 hours approx.. (No intermission)