You. Are. Ridiculous.
You are so shamelessly ridiculous. That summarises it really. Though if we needed to elaborate, we’d explain to our friends that you’re a recreation of the Titanic movie, set against a Celine Dion soundtrack. And if they wanted to know more, we’d admit that actually you tear James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster completely to shreds, and insert Celine onto the ship as a slightly deranged (but vocally spectacular) passenger.
Yep, you took two epic pop culture phenomena from the 90s and did the only thing that anyone could possibly do – make a musical parody. But you are in a category of your own. Not quite jukebox musical, and not quite musical comedy. Definitely not a movie-to-musical adaptation, despite how closely you attempt to follow the plot. Perhaps we can best describe you as an eccentric comedy act featuring talented triple-threats doing Titanic-inspired skits.
Your one-liners come thick and fast. They are relentless. You poke fun not only at the movie, and at Celine and her classic ballads, but also at every angle of pop culture possible – movies, musicals, politics.. nothing is beyond your firing line – especially not poor Patti Labelle. And we love it. We laughed so hard we snorted. We barely stopped laughing, in fact. And sometimes, even when a joke went over our heads, we were just laughing at other people laughing – everyone high together on nostalgia.
So then, for a small show whose primary purpose is to make us laugh, it’s astonishing how you’ve also packed your cast with exceptional vocalists. Leading lady Marney McQueen strikes just the right balance between glorious and loopy, and doesn’t break from Celine’s Quebec French accent the entire show.
‘It made me feel like I had to sing. So I started to sing… I started to sing very well’ – Celine
Suave, mansplaining Jack (Drew Weston) reminds us of every one night stand we’ve ever had – which is apt really, because isn’t Titanic just a long anecdote about Rose’s exceptionally epic one-night stand? Georgina Hopson, as Rose, is impeccable, and her ability to sidle down a set of stairs with a large door strapped to her back is noteworthy. Stephen Anderson and Keane Sheppard-Fletcher, as Rose’s mother and fiancée respectively, play their villainous roles with unrestrained hilarity. Matt Lee (the Captain) and Abigail Dixon (Molly Brown) take what should be minor roles and make them iconic.
Setting up shop at the Grand Electric was a good choice too. Yes, it’s a smaller theatre, and we’re crammed together on chairs that occasionally make us long for an intermission that never comes – but it’s perfect for enabling you to get all cheeky with us. And really, the right way to come prepared to see you is to set our playlists to ‘Celine Dion’s Greatest Hits’ beforehand, re-watch Titanic (even if it’s the first time in 27 years), and be ready for a raucous party. That includes donning sailor hats and sipping blue florescent ‘Iceberg’ cocktails, regardless of how suspiciously strong they may be.
Because while the movie is full of suspense, romance, emotion, and the demise of 1,500 passengers and crew in one of the deadliest maritime incidents in history – there is no part of you that is serious in any way whatsoever. Not when Jack meets Rose, not during their heated tryst, and not even when Jack is frozen solid and lost to the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean. You quite literally turned the iceberg into a singing, dancing Tina Turner drag queen (Abu Kebe), for crying out loud.
Yes Titanique, you are every bit as camp, outrageous and joyful as promised. We hear you started out as a joke between friends. It feels like perhaps you’re still exactly that – except you have a lot more friends now.
With love,
Playing at the Grand Electric until 4 November 2024. Photos by Daniel Boud.
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