THE HANGOVER REPORT – TITANIQUE sets sail on a larger ship, polished and more hilariously camp than ever

The company of “Titanique” at the Daryl Roth Theatre (photo by David Kraus).

I recently had the opportunity to revisit Titanique, which has transferred from Asylum NYC (essentially the basement of a Gristedes in Chelsea) to the larger, much fancier digs of the Daryl Roth Theatre just off of Union Square. For those of you unfamiliar with the Off-Broadway hit, Titanique is in essence a musical parody – which uses the Celine Dion songbook to help tell the story – of James Cameron’s Oscar-winning 1997 film Titanic about the fateful, tragic transatlantic voyage of the legendary titular ocean liner.

In short, the move hasn’t dimmed the musical’s inspired hilarity; Titanique remains a blast of pure joy. As written by Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli, and Tye Blue, the quick, witty contemporary references (which are refreshed weekly, keeping the show fresh and relevant) relentlessly keep coming. And despite having fond memories of the scrappy show in the basement of a Gristedes, I have to admit that its fancier new home has benefitted production, doing away with Asylum NYC’s awful sight lines and upgrading the physical production (the action now takes place on a multi-tiered Anything Goes-inspired set). More importantly, the move has allowed the show’s over-the-top camp – once so aggressively wrought in a smaller space – to breathe and more effectively sing. Mr. Blue’s staging has also attained a newfound polish, while remaining thoroughly tongue-in-cheek over the course of the show’s 100 intermission-less minutes.

Although I miss the show’s complete set of original players, Titanique has proven that the show itself is the star (Frankie Grande and John Riddle, both so vividly funny at Asylum NYC, have since departed the show). And even though understudies were tapped to play two central roles at the performance I attended (Brad Greer was on as Jack, and Kristina Walz was on for Rose), not once did I feel like I was not in good hands. As Celine herself, Ms. Mindelle continues to be the show’s indelible mascot, singing up a storm and supplying the musical’s goofy, fun-loving heart.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

TITANIQUE
Off-Broadway, Musical
Daryl Roth Theatre
1 hour, 40 minutes (without an intermission)
Open run

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

Leave a Reply