“Titanique” co-presented by Porchlight Music Theatre and Broadway In Chicago/Photo: Broadway In Chicago
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Have you ever watched James Cameron’s “Titanic” and thought, “Wow, this would be really great played as camp?” If you have, we must have the same brain. If you haven’t, I strongly advise you to reconsider because, let’s be honest, it was begging for campification. Luckily, the minds behind “Titanique”—Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousoul and Tye Blue—were ready and armed with every inside joke you could imagine.
At the helm of this jukebox musical is none other than Céline Dion herself. Packed to the gills with Dion’s hit songs, the show recounts Dion’s harrowing time aboard the Titanic. Yes, that would make her over a hundred years old. Don’t think about it too hard. Our diva divine in Porchlight Music Theatre and Broadway In Chicago’s collaborative production is a remarkable Clare Kennedy McLaughlin. Her riffs in the show are so fire you’d think they could melt the iceberg. You’ll be dazzled by a litany of Dion’s hit songs like “I’m Alive,” “Because You Loved Me,” “You And I” and, of course, “My Heart Will Go On.”
While McLaughlin is the queen of this production, no one steals the show quite like Rob Lindley as Rose’s mother Ruth. Lindley’s delightfully brash character gives a whole new meaning to “Mommie Dearest,” never failing to get an uproarious response from the audience. On the other end of the chaotic energy perspective, Adam Fane and Maya Rowe as Jack and Rose respectively, remind us how over-the-top Leo and Kate’s antics were in Cameron’s film.
“Titanique” co-presented by Porchlight Music Theatre and Broadway In Chicago/Photo: Broadway In Chicago
Even the most finely attuned pop-culture acumen is bound to miss some of the one-liners in this show. From fantastic “RuPaul’s Drag Race” references to quoting the handbook of every malicious mommy movie and dozens upon dozens of Easter eggs from “Titanic” itself, the whole show is a mile-a-minute gag. To be honest, sprinting at one-hundred mph for the full run of the show makes it a bit dizzying by the end. The show would’ve benefited from being allowed a proper two-hour runtime with a short intermission, or being made slightly shorter by eliminating random insertions like the two-second intermission featuring “Who Let the Dogs Out.” That would’ve allowed the cast more time to breathe and the audience more time to take in everything happening on stage.
That said, “Titanique” is magnifique. Missed jokes aside, you’ll laugh harder than you have in ages. You’ll marvel at the Tina Turner vocals of the Iceberg (at this performance, Eric Lewis), considering Abby C. Smith a ringer stand-in for Kathy Bates circa 1997 as Molly Brown, or just lose yourself in the ever-changing cascades of Greg Hofmann’s lighting design. If, by curtain call, you aren’t at least marginally delighted by this rollicking musical comedy, feel free to sashay away.
“Titanique” is showing through July 13 at Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 East Chestnut. Showtimes: Tuesday-Thursday, 7pm (Wednesday matinees at 1pm on April 16, April 23 and May 14); Friday-Saturday, 7:30pm (Saturday matinees at 2pm); Sundays, 1pm (6:30pm on April 13, May 4 and May 11). Tickets are $45-$100, available at porchlightmusictheatre.org.
