Theatre
Review
Review: Titanique
The hilarious parody musical delivers divas, drama and a whole lot of Dion at the Criterion Theatre
What do you get if you cross a diva and a boat? No, it’s not Jaws. Titanique, The West End’s most truly bonkers musical draws its inspiration from James Cameron’s three-hour epic – and, of course, from the woman who defined its soundtrack. Celine Dion would like you to know that wasn’t merely singing a song – she was in fact on the boat herself, and the real story is a little different from the one you’ve been told…
It’s always a pleasure to see something on the West End that has the semi-improvised, irreverent energy of a Fringe show. The show actually hails from Los Angeles, but the version playing at the Criterion Theatre has a distinctly British flavour, down to references to Claudia Winkleman’s fringe and an alarmingly up-to-date impression of Rachel from The Traitors.
The cast are a confident ensemble, guiding London audiences through a sea (sorry) of allusions to queer memes, British ads and Hollywood divas. And the diva who reigns over it all is Astrid Harris as the un-quash-able Celine Dion, sparklingly single-minded in her quest to be involved.
Never has a person been more excited to be part of one of the most notorious tragedies in human history than Harris’ Dion. Of course, in this irreverent retelling of a retelling, no one loses their life, despite the (personified) iceberg’s best efforts. Instead, this is a triumphant story, one in which the Titanic serves only as Celine Dion’s stage, and all the men and women merely background vocalists. Of course, we hit all the expected beats: “Paint me like one of your French girls”, “Do you trust me?” and the much-discussed size of Rose’s life-saving door. But the show always manages to surprise us – such as when Rose revolves to reveal that the door in question comes from the dressing room of… well, you can probably guess who.
It’s a much-needed dose of pure silliness and sunshine – and of course the Dion hits threaded throughout don’t go amiss. By the time Harris closes out with a soapy yet truly spectacular rendition of ‘My Heart Will Go On’, Cameron’s Oscar-winning masterpiece seems a little dull in comparison.
Titanique is now booking at the Criterion Theatre until 7 June – find your tickets here
