Titanique’s Heart Will Go On! The Hilarious Parody Musical’s Season Extends
PHOTOGRAPHER: Daniel Boud
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A Jack and Rose parody aboard a famously sinking ship with Celine Dion? We’re onboard!
The iconic cinematic experience of Titanic is back. Sort of. Titanique is a musical parody reuniting Jack and Rose and, er, Celine Dion!
Titanique premiered in 2017 in Los Angeles before moving to off-Broadway five years later, where it achieved cult status and won three Lucille Lortel Awards, including Outstanding Musical. It began gaining popularity in New York through word of mouth, leading it to transfer to larger venues. While RENT has its Rent Heads, devoted Titanique fans are known as TiStaniques.
In Australia, Titanique has docked at Sydney’s Grand Electric, with Georgina Hopson as Rose and theatre hunk Drew Weston as Jack – and with the season extended to June 1 due to popular demand, it’ll be a while before it sails off into the sunset.
“Jack is like a cuddly Labrador puppy,” says Drew. “I bring the essence of Jack to the stage. It’s an outrageous role; at one point he’s referred to as an aging twink. That should paint a picture of the show’s direction!”
The production is camped-up, with lots of pop culture references that will land with queer audiences.
“In certain parts, Jack is quite camp,” says Weston. “I feel lucky because I’ve never played something like this before. I’m used to playing the boring guy next door or the manipulative bad guy like Sebastian in Cruel Intentions. Now I’m making use of my comedy chops. RuPaul fans will certainly enjoy some of the references, and the scene where I draw Rose on the bed is hilarious. Let’s just say that Celine may insert herself in there! I was in hysterics all through rehearsals.”
As a jukebox musical, Celine Dion’s back catalogue provides most of the music with the occasional surprise, like Who Let The Dogs Out? Playing the pivotal role of narrator Celine, Marney McQueen, known for Hairspray and Priscilla Queen Of The Desert: The Musical, brings the spirit of the Canadian songstress to life.
“Celine is a goddess,” says Drew. “In this show we pay homage to her brilliance and Marney absolutely nails it. She is perfection, a comic genius, and sounds incredible. Georgia is hilarious as Rose, and it’s ridiculous how great her voice is. In fact, all the voices in this show are insane.”
While the production is based on the classic 1997 film, the story twist comes from Dion’s perspective as she takes over a Titanic museum tour. It is then that we are given an account of what really went down with these characters.
“It’s brilliantly written,” says Drew. “Our director [and co-author] Tye Blue did the show on Broadway, and told us how people have seen it up to 20 times because every night it’s different. There’s quite a bit of improv from Celine and others, which constantly changes to keep it fresh.”
“My Heart Will Go On is quite nostalgic and many people will remember how they felt when they first saw the film,” says Drew. “Seeing Titanic as a child, was one of the first times I cried in the cinema. Celine hasn’t seen Titanique but her team is across it and love it. We have a sign on the wall of our rehearsal room that says WWCD. People usually say What Would Jesus Do? But ours is What Would Celine Do? She leads with her heart on her sleeve. You never see her get angry, she finds humour in everything and is the queen of bold choices. Maybe when the audience leaves, they’ll think about that, too!”
For more go to: titaniquemusical.com.au.
