2017 jukebox musical
| Titanique |
|---|
|
 Promotional poster |
| Music | Various |
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| Lyrics | Various |
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| Book |
- Tye Blue
- Marla Mindell
- Constantine Rousouli
|
|---|
| Basis | Titanic
by James Cameron |
|---|
| Premiere | December 14, 2017: Sorting Room Theatre |
|---|
| Productions | 2022 Off-Broadway |
|---|
Titanique is a jukebox musical created by book writers Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, and Constantine Rousouli, and music supervisor Nicholas Connell.[1] The musical is a parody of the 1997 film Titanic and uses music introduced by Céline Dion.
The show premiered in Los Angeles in 2017. It began an off-Broadway run at The Asylum Theatre in June 2022, transferring to the Daryl Roth Theatre in November. The production won the 2023 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Musical and for lead performer (Mindelle) and costume design (Alejo Vietti).
Premise
The musical follows the main events of the film, with the exception of the present-day framing device; instead of treasure hunters searching for the Heart of the Ocean, Céline Dion surprises visitors at a Titanic museum and hijacks their tour.[2] Dion serves as a Greek chorus for most of the show. The musical uses pop culture references, including allusions to RuPaul's Drag Race and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Productions
Los Angeles (2017)
The show premiered at Los Angeles' Sorting Room Theater as a one-night-only experience titled Titanique: In Concert on December 14, 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.[3] Other cast members included Peter Porte, Tom Lenk, Drew Droege, Sebastian La Cause, Katherine Tokarz, Tom Detrinis, and Adam Zelasko.[4]
New York premiere (2018)
The show held a limited engagement at New York City's Green Room 42 inside the Yotel hotel from August 25–27, 2018 with Mindelle, Rousouli, Ellis, La Cause, and Zelasko returning. Joining the cast were Stephen Guarino, Kathy Deitch, Mikhail Thompson, and Mykal Kilgore.[5][6] An encore six-concert run followed from November 30 to December 3, 2018.[7]
Off-Broadway (2022)
An off-Broadway revival began previews at The Asylum Theatre in New York City on June 14, 2022, with an official opening on June 23, 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 as Victor Garber, Deitch as Margaret "Molly" Brown, 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.[8] The production was seen by several people associated with the film, such as Victor Garber,[9] as well as Dion's manager and publicist.[10]
The production closed on November 13, 2022 and re-opened on November 20, 2022, at the Daryl Roth Theatre 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.[11] Grande departed the show on December 22, 2022, and the role of Victor Garber was assumed by Wulf Clark, with Mark Evans taking over the role of Cal on December 24, 2022. Rosé assumed the role of Garber on January 26, 2023,[12] followed by Willam Belli who took over the role on September 5, 2023. The show is selling tickets through June 2024.[13]
The production won Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Musical, lead performer in a musical (Mindelle) and costume design (Vietti). Also nominated were Scott for choreography and Riddle as featured performer[14]
