''Titanique'' (sometimes stylized as ''Titaníque'') is a

jukebox musical A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known, pre-existing popular music songs, rather than original music composed for the musical. Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while ...

featuring music of

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

, with a book by Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, and Constantine Rousouli. The musical is a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

of the 1997 film ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'', and the story is a retelling of the movie's events from Dion's perspective. The show premiered in Los Angeles in 2017. It premiered

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at The Asylum Theatre in June 2022, before later transferring to the

Daryl Roth Theatre The Daryl Roth Theatre is an off-Broadway performance space at 101 East 15th Street, at the northeast corner of the intersection with Union Square East, near Union Square in Manhattan, New York City. The theater, which opened in 1998, is house ...

. At the 2023

Lucille Lortel Awards The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...

, the off-Broadway production won three awards, including Outstanding Musical.

Premise

In the present-day,

hijacks a ''

'' museum tour, where she claims to have survived the ''Titanics sinking. Celine begins to narrate her version of what really happened to Jack and Rose, and the other characters from the movie on the night the ''Titanic'' sank. The musical is partially improvised, and uses several pop culture references, including references to ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...

'' and ''

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ''Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' is an American sitcom created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, starring Ellie Kemper in the title role. It premiered on March 6, 2015, on Netflix and ran for four seasons, ending on January 25, 2019. An interactiv ...

''.

Productions

Los Angeles (2017)

The show premiered at Los Angeles' Sorting Room Theater as a one-night-only experience titled ''Titanique: In Concert'' on 14 December 2017. Book writer Tye Blue directed with co-writers Marla Mindelle and Constantine Rousouli starring as Céline Dion and Jack, respectively, with music direction by co-creator Nicholas Connell who also arranged & orchestrated the music, joined by Alex Ellis, who starred as Rose. Other cast members included

Peter Porte Peter Porte (born March 31, 1984) is an American actor, known for his role as Ricky Williams on the soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', the films ''It's Not Porn...'' and ''Sutures'', and the sitcom '' Baby Daddy'' playing Brad Walker, ...

Tom Lenk Thomas Loren Lenk (born June 16, 1976) is an American film and television actor, best known for portraying the character of Andrew Wells in the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. Early life Lenk was born in Camarillo, California, th ...

Drew Droege Andrew Gerhardt Droege (pronounced ; born February 9, 1977) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and director best known for his online impressions of Chloë Sevigny. Early life and education Droege attended and graduated from Lincolnton Hig ...

, Sebastian La Cause, Katherine Tokarz, Tom Detrinis, and Adam Zelasko.

New York premiere (2018)

The show held a limited engagement at New York City's Green Room 42 inside the Yotel hotel on 25–27 August 2018 with Mindelle, Rousouli, Ellis, La Cause, and Zelasko returning. Joining the cast were

Stephen Guarino Stephen Guarino (born November 14, 1975) is an American actor and comedian, known as Sully Patterson on the Jim Carrey-produced Showtime series '' I'm Dying Up Here'' (2017–2018) and for his recurring role as Derrick in the ABC comedy series ...

, Kathy Deitch, Mikhail Thompson, and Mykal Kilgore. An encore six-concert run followed from 30 November to 3 December 2018.

Off-Broadway (2022–present)

A fully-staged

production began previews at The Asylum Theatre in New York City on 14 June 2022, with an official opening on 23 June 2022. It was once again directed by Blue, music directed by Connell, and choreographed by Ellenore Scott. It starred Mindelle as Dion, Rousouli as Jack, Ellis as Rose,

Frankie Grande Frank James Michael Grande Marchione (born January 24, 1983)Murphy, T. Michelle"10 Facts you won't learn about Frankie Grande on ''Big Brother 16''" Metro.us, September 22, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014 is an American actor, singer, dancer ...

Victor Garber Victor Garber, (born March 16, 1949) is a Canadian stage and film actor and singer. Known for his work on stage and screen, he has been nominated for three Gemini Awards, four Tony Awards, and six Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2022, he was made an ...

, Deitch as

Margaret "Molly" Brown Margaret Brown (née Tobin; July 18, 1867 – October 26, 1932), posthumously known as the "Unsinkable Molly Brown", was an American socialite and philanthropist. She was a survivor of the RMS ''Titanic'', which sank in 1912, and she unsuccess ...

, Ryan Duncan as Ruth, John Riddle as Cal, and Jaye Alexander as The Iceberg. The creative team was rounded out with scenic design by Gabriel Hainer Evansohn, costumes by Alejo Vietti, sound design by Lawrence Schober, lighting by Paige Seber, and hair/makeup/wigs by Tommy Kurzman. The production was seen by several people associated with the film, such as Garber, as well as Dion's manager and publicist. The production closed on 13 November 2022 and re-opened on 20 November 2022, at the

with the same creative team. Several members of the company remained, except for Ellis, Deitch, Duncan, and Alexander, who were replaced by Carrie St. Louis, Desireé Rodriguez, Russell Daniels, and Avionce Hoyles, respectively. Grande departed the show on 22 December 2022, and the role of Victor Garber was assumed by Wulf Clark, with Mark Evans taking over the role of Cal on 24 December 2022.

Rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...

assumed the role of Garber on 26 January 2023, followed by

Willam Belli Willam Belli (, born June 30, 1982), mononymously known as Willam, is an American drag queen, actor, singer-songwriter, reality television personality, author, and YouTuber. Willam came to prominence as a contestant on the RuPaul's Drag Race sea ...

who took over the role on 5 September 2023. The production won

for Outstanding Musical, lead performer in a musical (Mindelle) and costume design (Vietti). Also nominated were Scott for choreography and Riddle as featured performer.

Australia (2024)

An Australian production premiered at The Grand Electric in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. The musical began performances on 12 September 2024, and stars Marney McQueen as Dion.

Canada (2024-25)

A Canadian production of ''Titanique'' opened at the

Segal Centre for Performing Arts The Segal Centre for Performing Arts, formerly the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, is a theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 5170 Côte-Sainte-Catherine Road, chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, in the borough of Côte-des ...

, in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

on 27 October 2024 before closing on 24 November 2024. The production then transferred to the

CAA Theatre The CAA Theatre, formerly the Panasonic Theatre, is a theatre located at 651 Yonge Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Mirvish Productions. On December 1, 2017, Mirvish Productions announced a marketing partnership with CAA Sout ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, where began performances on 5 December 2024 and will run through 12 January 2025. Véronique Claveau stars as Dion. Due to popular demand, the Toronto engagement was extended for two weeks, through 19 January 2025. After this, the production played a return engagement at the Segal Centre between 2 to 16 February 2025.

West End (2024–26)

''Titanique'' opened in the West End at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began developmen ...

in previews on 9 December 2024, with an official opening on 9 January 2025. It is scheduled to play until January 2026.

Lauren Drew Lauren Drew (born 17 February 1993) is a Welsh actress and singer. Known for her work in musical theatre, she won a WhatsOnStage Award and received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination. Early life Drew was born in Port Talbot. She pursued a BTEC ...

stars as Céline Dion. It adopts British cultural references such as

Gemma Collins Gemma Clair Collins (born 31 January 1981) is an English media personality and businesswoman. She came to prominence for her appearances on the ITVBe reality series ''The Only Way Is Essex'' (2011–2019)''.'' Collins went on to appear on vario ...

, ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' and

Jonathan Bailey Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor known for his dramatic, comedic, and musical roles on List of Jonathan Bailey performances, stage and screen. List of awards and nominations received by Jonathan Bailey, His accola ...

's musical dance number "

Dancing Through Life Dancing Through Life may refer to: * Dancing Through Life (song), a song from the musical Wicked * Dancing Through Life (sculpture), a public art work by Schomer Lichtner {{dab ...

" in the film ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...

''. It was nominated for three

Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

, winning Best Entertainment or Comedy Play and

Best Actor in a Supporting Role Best Actor in a Supporting Role may refer to: * AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role * BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role * Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male * Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a ...

for

Layton Williams Layton Williams (born 13 September 1994) is an English actor. He won the 2025 Laurence Olivier for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance in ''Titanique''. Williams began his career as a child actor on the West End, starring as ...

Chicago (2025)

A licensed, non-replica production of ''Titanique,'' produced by Porchlight Music Theatre and directed by Tye Blue premiered at the Broadway Playhouse on March 25, 2025. Due to popular demand, the Chicago run, starring Clare Kennedy McLaughlin as Céline Dion, was extended two additional months to July 13, 2025.

Paris production

The musical opened in Paris, France on 24 April 2025 at the Théâtre du Lido on the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an Avenue (landscape), avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc ...

Musical numbers

* Overture – Company * " I'm Alive" – Celine Dion and Company * "

Taking Chances ''Taking Chances'' is the twenty-third studio album and tenth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Columbia Records on 7 November 2007. Dion returned to the music scene after almost five years of performing '' A New ...

" – Company * "Taking Chances (reprise)" – Rose * " Seduces Me" – Cal * "

If You Asked Me To "If You Asked Me To" is a song written by American songwriter Diane Warren and produced by Stewart Levine and Aaron Zigman. It was originally recorded by American singer Patti LaBelle for her ninth studio album, ''Be Yourself (Patti LaBelle albu ...

" – Rose, Celine, and Jack * "

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

" – Celine, Seaman, and Company * "I'm Alive (reprise)" – Molly Brown * " You and I" – Jack and Company * " Tell Him" – Molly Brown, Rose, and Celine * "

To Love You More "To Love You More" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion, written by David Foster and Edgar Bronfman Jr., writing under the pen-name Junior Miles. It was released as a single in Japan on 21 October 1995 and became a hit, reaching number one o ...

" – Jack, Rose, and Company * "

Who Let the Dogs Out "Who Let the Dogs Out" (originally titled "Doggie") is a song written by the Trinidadian musician Anslem Douglas and then recorded by the Bahamian Junkanoo band Baha Men. Originally released by Douglas as "Doggie" in 1998, it was covered by ...

" – Celine * "

I Drove All Night "I Drove All Night" is a song written and composed by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and originally intended for Roy Orbison. Orbison recorded the song in 1987, the year before his death, but his version was not released until ...

" – Victor Garber * "

Because You Loved Me "Because You Loved Me" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion on her fourth English-language studio album, '' Falling into You'' (1996). It was released on 19 February 1996 as the first single in North America, and as the second sin ...

" – Celine, Rose, and Jack * "

Where Does My Heart Beat Now "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" is a song performed by Canadian recording artist Celine Dion for her ninth studio album and debut English-language album, ''Unison'' (1990). It was released by Columbia Records as the third single from ''Unison'' i ...

" – Jack, Cal, Rose, and Company * "I Drove All Night (reprise)" – Victor Garber and Seaman * "

River Deep, Mountain High A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

" – Iceberg and Company * " I Surrender" / "Seduces Me (reprise)" – Rose and Cal * "I Surrender (reprise)" – Victor Garber, Celine, and Company * "

All By Myself "All by Myself" is a song by American singer-songwriter Eric Carmen, released by Arista Records in December 1975 as the first single from Carmen's self-titled debut album. The verse is based on the second movement (''Adagio sostenuto'') of Russ ...

" – Molly Brown * " The Prayer" – Rose and Company * "All by Myself (reprise)" – Molly Brown * "

My Heart Will Go On "My Heart Will Go On" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, used as the theme for the 1997 film '' Titanic''. It was composed by James Horner, with lyrics by Will Jennings, and produced by Horner, Walter Afanasieff and Simon F ...

" – Celine and Company * "

A New Day Has Come ''A New Day Has Come'' is the eighteenth studio album and seventh English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Sony Music on 25 March 2002. It was her first new studio album since her 1998 Christmas album '' These Are Spec ...

" – Company * "My Heart Will Go On (reprise)" – Company Notes

Cast and characters

Notable replacements

Off-Broadway

* Céline Dion:

Nicole Parker Nicole Parker is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her work on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox's sketch comedy show ''Mad TV'' (2003–2009, 2016), for which she was a regular cast member. In 2009, Parker played Elphaba in the ...

, Jackie Burns,

Dee Roscioli Danielle Marie Roscioli (born July 20, 1977) is an American singer and actress, who is known for her performances as Elphaba in the Broadway theatre, Broadway, Chicago, San Francisco, and national touring productions of the musical ''Wicked (mu ...

, Cayleigh Capaldi * Rose:

Lindsay Pearce Lindsay Heather Pearce (born April 30, 1991) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theatre. She made her Broadway debut as Elphaba in ''Wicked'' in February 2020 and later made her national tour debut as Janis Sa ...

, Cayleigh Capaldi,

Cassadee Pope Cassadee Blake Pope (born August 28, 1989) is an American pop and country singer. She was the lead vocalist and songwriter of the pop punk band Hey Monday, with whom she released one studio album and two EPs. Pope embarked on a solo career in ...

* Victor Garber:

Willam Willam Belli (, born June 30, 1982), mononymously known as Willam, is an American drag queen, actor, singer-songwriter, reality television personality, author, and YouTuber. Willam came to prominence as a contestant on the fourth season of ''Ru ...

, Tommy Bracco * Ruth:

Nathan Lee Graham Nathan Lee Graham (born September 9, 1968) is an American actor and singer. He is known for film roles such as ''Zoolander'' and ''Theater Camp'' and stage roles such as ''The Wild Party (LaChiusa musical), The Wild Party'' and ''Priscilla, Queen ...

Lea Delaria Lea DeLaria (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actress, and jazz singer. She portrayed List of Orange Is the New Black characters#Carrie "Big Boo" Black, Carrie "Big Boo" Black on the Netflix original series ''Orange Is the New Black'' ...

* Molly Brown: Anne Fraser Thomas, Lisa Howard * Cal: Mark Evans, Brandon Contreras Notes

West End

* Céline Dion: Cayleigh Capaldi - Temporary Standby * Rose: Cayleigh Capaldi - Temporary Standby -

Response

''Titanique'' quickly developed a devoted fanbase, primarily through word-of-mouth buzz. The original off-Broadway production's popularity led to the musical moving to the larger

, where it has continually been extended due to popular demand. According to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', the musical has cultivated a fan army of "TiStaniques", with some having seen the musical over a dozen times.

GLAAD GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since ...

has attributed the musical's popularity to its unapologetic celebration of queer culture, campy humor, and pop culture references that have struck a chord with theater fans and the LGBTQ community.

Critical response

''Titanique'' has received widespread critical acclaim. Elisabeth Vincentelli of ''

'' praised the show's absurdity and campy nature, mentioning that it fully embraces the over-the-top elements of both ''Titanic'' and Céline Dion. Johnny Oleksinski of the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' similarly praised the show's campy humor, describing the show as "outrageously funny", and praised Mindelle's performance as Dion. Likewise, Robert Hofler of ''The Wrap'' said the show was "really funny" and that it offers a refreshing take on familiar material.

Charles Isherwood Charles Splaine Isherwood Jr. (born October 1964) is an American theater critic. Career A graduate of Stanford University, Isherwood wrote for '' Backstage West'' in Los Angeles. In 1993, he joined the staff of '' Variety'', where he was promote ...

of ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' found the music to be "blandly adult contemporary", although he commented that the show was entertaining and praised the infectious joy of the cast. James Kleinmann of ''The Queer Review'' highlighted the show's appeal to queer audiences, praising its witty book and rich array of pop culture references. He noted that the production's campy and festive atmosphere sets the tone for a show that is "both beautifully crafted and joyfully irreverent".

Awards and nominations

2022 Off-Broadway production

Original West End Production

References

External links

Official website
{{OlivierAward Entertainment or Comedy 2017 musicals Celine Dion Jukebox musicals Musicals based on films Off-Broadway musicals Titanic (1997 film)