Titanique – 08 April 2026

Titanique is an interesting conglomerate of things people like: the movie Titanic, Celine Dion, musical comedies, colorful lighting, and actors in drag. It’s a fun vibe that sets sail to tell the much beloved tale of Jack Dawson (Constantine Rousouli) and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Melissa Barrera), complete with a very large diamond, a personified iceberg (Layton Williams), an overbearing mother (Jim Parsons in a dress), and Celine Dion (Marla Mindelle) as the narrative liaison shattering the fourth wall. Despite the updated jokes, Titanique feels a little dated at times. In general, it swims in a place of contradictions, leaning into outdated gender norms and feminism in equal parts. Silly, witty, and just a little bit “kooky crazy”, Titanique is a great way to unwind—let your hair billow out in the wind to a lovingly familiar score that transports you to a wonderfully nostalgic place.

The characters are more like caricatures, and some of the best jokes in the show come from the design elements. Costuming (Alejo Vietti) leans into childhood silliness with the fabric choices, properties created stick figure cat drawings for Jack, and lighting (Paige Seber) was heavily saturated. The set (Gabriel Hainer Evansohn, Grace Laubacher) was jokingly (and hilariously) compared to the set of the television show “The Voice”. One of Titanique’s greatest strengths is not taking itself too seriously, and leaning into the idea of theatre as entertainment: funny, sexy, over dramatic, and not requiring much thought to enjoy.

Titanique knows exactly what it is, and never aspires to be anything more than what it is. Williams’s portrayal of the iceberg, complete with a bedazzled dress and electric blue wig was highly enjoyable—predominantly because, like most of the cast members, Williams has a set of pipes on him that is worthy of a Broadway stage. The ensemble moments were very well balanced, with Mindelle sometimes stepping in front of other cast members as a bit about her character being self-centered. Some of the repeated bits became a little tedious, but they were broken up by impressive vocal moments, especially from Deborah Cox (portraying Molly Brown), Frankie Grande (portraying Victor Garber), John Riddle (portraying Cal Hockley), Constantine Rousouli (portraying Jack Dawson), and Melissa Barrera (portraying Rose DeWitt Bukaker), who all stepped in and out of the metaphorical limelight with precision and grace. The acting in the scenes maintained the energy, with Jim Parsons excelling at comedic timing with the audience hanging on his every word.

After a series of false endings, Titanique concludes with a much-desired opportunity for the audience to sing along and belt “My Heart Will Go On” with the cast. Everyone leaves the theater feeling good. It’s the perfect show for clearing your head—if you need a beak from your life, come see Titanique and put yourself in these capable, unsinkable hands.

I attended this performance on a press pass from Vivacity Media Group.