Titanique, on Broadway

[d.anders]

The show is being hailed as "the gayest show on Broadway." How is this a gay board, and there isn't a solid thread on Titanique?

I was taken recently, not knowing anything about it. I never heard of it. I was surprised to learn about its history. It debuted in Los Angeles in December 2017, and it seems to have been touring ever since. It's already been a hit Off Broadway.

Three friends are the creators. Tye Blue directs, Marla Mindelle plays Celine Dion, and Constantine Rousouli plays Jack. All three are listed as producers.

The show is extremely campy, with a very fun concept. Celine Dion shows up at the Titanic museum, and shares her side of the story (as if she was there), using her song catalogue to re-live James Cameron's famous movie. It is really something to behold.

On Broadway, Frankie Grande (Ariana's gay brother) is playing Victor Garber, and the performance is delicious, especially if you enjoy a cute, petite, skinny twink. Jim Parsons (in quasi drag) is playing Ruth DeWitt Bukater, Rose's mother. And the fabulous Deborah Cox is playing Molly Brown. The incredible Layton Williams, who won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in the West End production, plays Tina Turner and the Iceberg. So funny.

The audience are members of a cult. I haven't experienced energy like this since the early days of Rent. Multiple standing ovations.

The Broadway run is a limited engagement, ending in July.

Personally, I fell in love with Constantine Rousouli. So talented, and very sexy.

 

[d.anders]

I didn't realize that Bowen Yang is a producer on this show.

Here is what happened at the show on the day the Tony nominations were announced.

 

[samhexum]

If I had ever had even the slightest interest in the movie maybe I might have the slightest interest in this play, but I didn't and I don't.

[d.anders]

5 hours ago, samhexum said:

If I had ever had even the slightest interest in the movie

If you didn't see the movie, the jokes might go over your head. It also helps if you are a Celine Dion fan. Not only am I a longtime Celine fan, I loved the movie. I think James Cameron is a genius.

[samhexum]

19 minutes ago, d.anders said:

It also helps if you are a Celine Dion fan. 

I only liked Dion when she sang with the Belmonts.

23 minutes ago, d.anders said:

I think James Cameron is a genius.

I like his fourth wife.

[pleasureseeker]

I cannot believe this thing not only moved to Broadway but got nominated?!? It's a fun, harmless, cabaret kind of show, the kind I expect to see in Provincetown or Key West. But it does not belong on Broadway. Watch, it'll probably win a few Tonys. Insane.

[d.anders]

20 hours ago, pleasureseeker said:

I cannot believe this thing not only moved to Broadway but got nominated?!?

It was nothing like what I expected. Considering it began in a basement of a Gristedes, imagine watching it with the smell of raw meat in the air. Their calling it a jukebox musical, and those do have a history of being nominated. I think Jersey Boys won a Tony.

There were only 6 new musicals this past season. I think the lowest in a very long time. Not many producers around willing to take the risk these days. As far as I'm concerned, all the award shows are corrupt. Nothing more than a fancy marketing scheme. But I'm a cynical old gay man.

[ShortCutie7]

I saw this off-broadway when it transferred to a theatre near Union Square. I loved it! It was VERY enjoyable and hilarious, though the humor was actually a bit too crude/raunchy for a general audience.  Perhaps I unknowingly saw it on an “adult night” (yes, that was a thing during the original production of Spelling Bee), but I would imagine the tourist/family audience who go in expecting a cute parody musical starring Sheldon Cooper with Celine Dion songs would NOT be happy.

[MaybeMaybeNot]

On 5/7/2026 at 9:40 AM, pleasureseeker said:

I cannot believe this thing not only moved to Broadway but got nominated?!? It's a fun, harmless, cabaret kind of show, the kind I expect to see in Provincetown or Key West. But it does not belong on Broadway. Watch, it'll probably win a few Tonys. Insane.

After seeing The Notebook on tour, I am beginning to realize the absolute dreck passing for musicals these days.  Although I am sure this is a funny show,  it also seems a far cry from what I hope a Broadway show to be. We also can no longer rely on revivals of solid classics, since those now need to be rewriiten by hacks to shoehorn modern ideals into shows. It's not enough to have a glorious score, rich character development, and a strong/clever story that has survived 70+ years, but the show must be instructive, every woman must be empowered, and audiences must leave the theater humming social consciousness.

[jeezifonly]

Awards will likely be in other shows' hands, but I can't fault ticket buyers for wanting to be with other people in a space filled with purposeful silliness. If that sells at Broadway prices, people must really want it. Once they want to not come, the show goes the way of the ship. 

On tour

https://thetitanicexhibition.com/charlotte/

[d.anders]

They just posted Layton Williams doing River Deep Mountain High. I think he's nominated for a Tony, and he won the Olivier in London. He's a fantastic performer, and consistently brings the house down.

 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 5/7/2026 at 12:40 PM, pleasureseeker said:

I cannot believe this thing not only moved to Broadway but got nominated?!? It's a fun, harmless, cabaret kind of show, the kind I expect to see in Provincetown or Key West. But it does not belong on Broadway. Watch, it'll probably win a few Tonys. Insane.

I watched Titanique this week on Broadway, and these are my sentiments exactly.  But, I feel the same about Oh, Mary!  Titanique was more entertaining for me than Oh, Mary!

[+ ApexNomad]

I saw Titanique because two people whose opinions I respect assured me it was hilarious.

Those people are no longer welcome in my home.

There are bad musicals.

There are terrible musicals.

And then there is Titanique. A production so spectacularly awful that, at one point, I stopped trying to follow what was happening and instead began studying the exit signs.

For the uninitiated, Titanique is a musical parody of Titanic featuring the songs of Celine Dion and a plot that appears to have been assembled by locking several theater majors in a room with a suitcase of cocaine and a vague understanding of maritime history.

Would I recommend Titanique?

Only if you’ve exhausted all other forms of self-punishment.

[mike carey]

@ApexNomad, could you be a little more specific about what you thought of it, please?

[d.anders]

@ApexNomad, I enjoyed your scathing review, and I can't say you're completely off base. However, I had fun the night I went. It reminded me of shows I saw in the 80's at Theater of the Absurd. I don't think it's meant to be taken too seriously, and that certainly was reflected at the Tony's. At least tickets aren't $600.

[+ RyanDean]

6 hours ago, ApexNomad said:

a plot that appears to have been assembled by locking several theater majors in a room with a suitcase of cocaine and a vague understanding of maritime history.

I don't know that all three were theatre majors. (Perhaps?). Or that cocaine was the primary intoxicant involved. (Perhaps one among several?) But this assessment does seem to align with how the creators themselves have described the process they used to "assemble" the show...

I enjoyed it far more than you, mostly because it's just so unapologetically bonkers and so gleefully stupid. But I can see how it's not to everyone's taste.

[MaybeMaybeNot]

8 hours ago, ApexNomad said:

I saw Titanique because two people whose opinions I respect assured me it was hilarious.

Those people are no longer welcome in my home.

There are bad musicals.

There are terrible musicals.

And then there is Titanique. A production so spectacularly awful that, at one point, I stopped trying to follow what was happening and instead began studying the exit signs.

For the uninitiated, Titanique is a musical parody of Titanic featuring the songs of Celine Dion and a plot that appears to have been assembled by locking several theater majors in a room with a suitcase of cocaine and a vague understanding of maritime history.

Would I recommend Titanique?

Only if you’ve exhausted all other forms of self-punishment.

The Tonys performance was incomprehensible. Usually that happens (fairly frequently) because the producers don't seem to understand that most of the viewers don't know the show.  Perhaps here,  it was representative of the whole show?

[d.anders]

2 hours ago, MaybeMaybeNot said:

The Tonys performance was incomprehensible.

The show is a parody and a farce. When the curtain goes up, it sort of explains itself. If you miss the explanation, all will be lost. There was almost no explanation at the Tony's.

Something has happened to Marla Mindelle's singing voice. It has changed since I saw her. Perhaps, the 8 shows a week, attempting to imitate Celine Dion, is wearing her vocal cords down. She's more sharp and flat than ever. It's not easy on the ears. The actress who had the part in London seemed to be very good. Marla is one of the creators, and I'm sure she's enjoying the weekly paycheck, but maybe she needs to take vacation.