Review: Titanique

Review of the Sunday, April 26, 2026 evening performance at the St. James Theatre in New York City. Starring Jim Parsons, Marla Mindelle, Deborah Cox, Melissa Berrera, Frankie Grande, John Riddle, Layton Williams and Constantine Rousouli. Inspired by the film Titanic and the songs of Céline Dion. Co-authored by Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue. Orchestrations and arrangements by Nicholas James Connell. Scenic design by Gabriel Hainer Evansohn for Iron Bloom. Costume design by Alejo Vietti. Lighting design by Paige Seber. Sound design by Lawrence Schober. Choreography by Ellenore Scott. Direction by Tye Blue. 100 minutes, with no intermission.

I would have loved to have been in the room when Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue got together and came up with the idea for lampooning both the film Titanic and Celine Dion. It had to have been an absolute tear-down-your-face laugh fest. But it also must have been a lot of work. Something this simultaneously smart and irreverent cannot be that easy to create.

The show famously arrives on Broadway following a genesis from way off-Broadway to off-Broadway, where it was a smash hit, extended many times, and beloved by a devoted fan base. Broadway, on the other hand, was a bit of a gamble, as the Main Stem is littered with plenty of shows that couldn't survive the upscale treatment. Well, I'm happy to say that this time the gamble paid off.

Directed to within an inch of its life by Blue and choreographed with a zany fervor by Ellenore Scott, the little show that could thrives on the big stage. Fast paced and bursting at the seams with sight gags and creative entrances and exits, Titanique steamrolls its way through 90 minutes of craziness with a dexterity that should be studied.

Technically, the production got a full Broadway-sized upgrade - no longer does the show take place on a half-rate set from Anything Goes. Now it has all the bells and whistles of its new locale, the set of The Voice. Well, not really, but who's going to quibble when there's the dazzling staircases and multi-levels of Gabriel Hainer Evansohn (for Iron Bloom)'s set design which covers the enormous St, James stage and beyond? One can only imagine the price tag of Paige Seber's dazzling lighting design or Lawrence Schober's perfect sound design. As brilliant as all of that is, it is a stroke of genius to leave most of the props and Alejo Vietti's costume designs as cheesy as the off-Broadway originals? It just adds to the comedy that a send up of the richest people in the world on the grandest ship ever look like they are wearing thrift shop finds (the DeWitt Bukater ladies look especially hilarious). It would have been easy to upgrade all of the props, but where is the fun in that?

The song choices, from the film, Dion's catalog and beyond (even Beauty and the Beast gets a spin) mostly work, and are delightfully shoe-horned into the script, whether they work entirely or not. As with any good parody, it's the context that makes each song choice so inspired. The book, such that it is, is as irreverent as the rest: all the best lines from the movie are here ("draw me like one of your French girls, Jack" got a round of applause), and nearly everything Celine says in the show is recognizable as something the beloved singer repeats often. They make some fun choices, too, with the characters including Rose's mother played in drag, the captain of the ship is now Victor Garber who played the ship designer in the film, but is much funnier steering the boat, and a Tina Turner-inspired iceberg. Nothing goes unscathed here, except...

  

The music and singing are top-notch. The band is spectacular and joins in on the fun occasionally, too. And the cast is full of amazing vocalists - save for one, but entirely appropriately. They definitely brought their casting "A" game to Broadway. There are three backup singers (Sara Gallo, Polanco Jones, Kristina Leopold) who are simply amazing and I can't imagine this without them. West End transplant and 2025 Olivier Award winner Layton Williams makes a show-stopping (literally) Broadway debut in a trio of roles, the tour guide, the seaman and the iceberg. He's amazing as all three, but really brings down the house with his smoking hot iceberg drag. Welcome to Broadway! Frankie Grande is a riot as Luigi (yes, Super Mario Brothers) and as Victor Garber, who is a sassy queen here and stops the show cold (literally and figuratively) with his rendition of "I Drove All Night" as he steers the ship into the iceberg.

  

In a comic turn that I hope won't be his last, John Riddle brings his glorious voice and superb timing to the role of the villainous Cal Hockley. Sexy as always, he all but twirls his mustache with dastardly glee as he stomps, flounces and preens his way around the set. Former real-life Celine Dion backup singer and Grammy-winning icon Deborah Cox is another shockingly good comedienne taking on the role of the Unsinkable Molly Brown. I wasn't shocked at her gorgeous voice (especially in her big solo, "All By Myself") as much as I couldn't believe how genuinely funny she was! 

Jim Parsons appears to be having the time of his life as Ruth DeWitt Bukater, here a foul-mouthed social climber with abusive tendencies and a few surprising kinks. Somehow, he makes his thin singing voice work as part of the character, and he is especially funny when he has a complete meltdown about halfway through the show, taking on Patti LuPone, Carol Channing, Nicole Scherzinger and Marla Mindelle herself in the process. Inspired casting here.

Aside from Williams, the only other principal making their debut is Melissa Berrera, as Rose. She is the find of the season! I found her to be a delight in every aspect - her comic timing is razor-sharp and her singing is superb. She also has incredible energy - one imagines a complete exhausted crash for her after every performance! I loved everything about her performance and can't wait to see what she does next.

Two of the show's creators and original cast members are here chewing the scenery with gusto and style, and despite a more than three year association with the piece are as fresh as opening night. What can I say about them that probably hasn't already been said? Ok, I'll try. Constantine Rousouli is, well, so sexy and charming, I had trouble concentrating on much else when he was on stage. The swagger, the impossibly tight pants, and a goof ball smile are irresistible. His timing, affected dumb guy looks and his gorgeous voice are the perfect storm for such a terrific performance. He has a new fan in me, for sure. 

Then there is the absolutely sparkling performance of Marla Mindelle as a megalomaniac version of Ms. Dion (she swears she was on the Titanic...). There is nothing she isn't willing to send up about this beloved singer - from her thick accent to her over the top mannerisms. One thing she doesn't attack is Celine's singing voice (well, not too much), as she belts her way through one pop hit after another. Her last bit (after a terrific "My Heart Will Go On" sing along) is a crazy riot that I will not spoil here. I've been a fan of Mindelle since her stint in Sister Act, and this makes me love her even more.

Whether you sit in First Class or steerage, this is one insane boat ride you will not want to miss!

📸: E. Zimmerman