Review: TITANIQUE Presented by Porchlight Music Theatre And Broadway In Chicago

Near, far, wherever you are…you need to see TITANIQUE if you love musicals and parody. Porchlight Music Theatre’s production, presented in partnership with Broadway In Chicago, easily passes the Marie Kondo test: This show sparks immense joy. I haven’t had this much fun or laughed this hard at the theater in awhile. With book by Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousoli and Tye Blue, TITANIQUE tells the story of James Cameron’s TITANIC movie. But this time none other than Celine Dion narrates the events. With direction from Blue and resident direction from Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Director Michael Weber, the all-Chicago company keeps the laughs coming a mile a minute (or, I guess I should say, a knot a minute, this being a TITANIC parody). 

The musical hilariously begins at a Titanic museum, only to have the tour interrupted by Celine Dion herself. She’s here to tell her version of what happened on the Titanic…using, of course, her songs are as a key storytelling mechanism in this jukebox parody. It’s brilliant and hilarious to use Dion’s back catalog as the musical fuel…especially because it allows Celine Dion (Clare Kennedy McLaughlin) to insert herself into most musical numbers, lest the audience forget her centrality to the story. It was enjoyable to see how the writing team interwove Dion’s catalog into the narrative: “Taking Chances” becomes a glorious “I Want” duet for Jack and Rose soon after meeting, “Beauty and the Beast” (as performed by Dion and Peabo Bryson, played on opening night by Eric Lewis) becomes dinnertime entertainment fodder on the ship, and more. Of course, TITANIC’S pivotal theme song “My Heart Will Go On” plays a major role. I really only missed “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” among Dion’s big hits in this show, though I wonder if that’s a question of the rights not being available. 

Blue, Rousouli, and Mindelle have the show’s pacing moving faster than the Titanic itself toward its tragic fate, revealing more dimensions of parody, raunchy jokes, powerhouse vocals, and ever more ridiculous surprises. This production offers legitimate non-stop laughs. McLaughlin has immense displays of showmanship, but she’s also incredibly generous with her co-stars. She’s beautifully captured Dion’s mannerism and unique accent, she has riffs for days, and her line deliveries are both dead-serious and larger than life. Her comedic chops come to life when she imagines what might have happened one night between Rose (Maya Rowe) and Jack (Adam Fane) while she was too drunk to recall the real events, among other great moments. Rowe has a knack for comedy, but she also has one of the most gorgeous voices in this ensemble. She’s just as good of a fit to emulate Dion’s massive range and belt and challenging riffs as McLaughlin is. She’s a beautiful singer and a game comedian. Fane is likewise hilarious, putting an extra daft and daffy spin on Jack. 

I’m always happy to see Jackson Evans on a musical theater stage, and he shines in the dual roles of Luigi, Jack’s sidekick, and Victor Garber (as in, the actor Victor Garber, but also a surrogate for the ship’s captain). His rendition of “I Drove All Night” had me in stitches. On opening night, Eric Lewis tore up the role of the Seaman, Victor Garber’s right-hand man, and especially in a later surprise appearance as an iconic pop diva (I don’t want to reveal who but Lewis was simply phenomenal and hysterical in that role). Adrian Aguilar is sufficiently full of himself as Rose’s annoying and self-obsessed fiancé Cal, and he has ample opportunity to show off his wonderful singing. Rob Lindley brought down the house as Rose’s mother Ruth, and he easily had the funniest monologue of the night. Abby C. Smith was entertaining as Titanic survivor Molly Brown. Smith has a gorgeous belt, and I was especially amused by her performance of “All By Myself.” Caroline Lyell, Elaine Watson, and Jordan Douglas Ellis rounded out the cast as Dion’s game backup singers. 

TITANIQUE was such a genuinely mood-boosting time. I appreciate the musical’s endless capacity for both fun and cleverness. It’s not only a pure delight to watch, but the concept is so clever and executed with a keen eye for detail. I mean, truly, who better to tell the TITANIC story than Miss Celine Dion herself. With McLaughlin and the rest of this Chicago cast at the helm, this is one ship that magnificently sails to its destination. 

Porchlight's TITANIQUE plays the Broadway In Chicago Broadway Playhouse, 175 East Chestnut, through July 13.

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