Titanique is camp, chaotic and a really fun night out, particularly if you’re a fan of Celine Dion. The show at London’s Criterion Theatre features ‘Celine’, retelling the story of the film Titanic, which, of course, features her mega-hit ‘My Heart Will Go On’.
Needless to say, Titanique the Musical also features that song as well as many more of Celine’s greatest hits. And Astrid Harris, who plays Celine, does a rollicking impersonation of her. Not just while singing but also in how she looks, her mannerisms and her way of communicating with the appreciative audience, “her best friends in the whole world”.
And the Titanique audience I was part of was lapping it up. In a time when the world is full of a different kind of chaos and good news is hard to find, a show that is funny, irreverent, and raucous hits the right note. The laughs come fast and frequently as Celine repeatedly inserts herself into the tragic tale of Jack and Rose.
Despite Celine’s dominance, the young couple are still the heart of the story and were sweetly played by Luke Bayer and Kat Ronney (now replaced by Rose Galbraith). Though in this version of their story, Rose’s mother, Ruth, is a bully and played by a man, while Rose’s rich fiancé Cal has Grindr on his phone.
The rest of the Titanique cast are great, especially Ryan Carter, who sings and dances brilliantly in various parts. That includes the fateful iceberg, reborn as Tina Turner, who later begins to impersonate RuPaul. Did I mention it’s as camp as Christmas?!
There were a couple of points where it felt a bit overdone, particularly a section where Carl Mullaney’s Ruth talked to the audience for a bit too long. But most of the time, his comedic timing was great. And his ‘hat’ was two doves perched on top of his head, which raised a constant smile.
Which is what Titanique is all about, making people smile. At the end, all of the cast were on stage having fun and encouraging the audience to take photos and share the joy. So if you need a good laugh and like a healthy dose of camp with your comedy, then this is the musical for you.
You can book tickets for Titanique on the musical’s website. For more reviews of theatre, art, comedy and music, check the Arts section of my blog.