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Ship of dreams indeed. From the basement of a Chelsea grocery store to one of the most venerated houses on Broadway, Titanique remains a musical that makes audiences who are willing to swim in the show's oceans of silliness feel like they are king of the World. Welcome to Broadway Radio. My name is Matt Tammanini and today I am reviewing the original Broadway production of Titanique. I first saw this show at the original Asylum Theater in the basement of a Gristide's in 2022 and left giddily delighted by the creativity and ingenuity of the plucky parody. Then I saw it again a little more than a year later with a completely new cast downtown at the Daryl Roth Theater. And while the show remained funny in the larger theater, having already seen all of the jokes, the humor was more of the amused chuckle variety, the the side splitting guffaws I had the first time around. So when the somewhat surprising Broadway run was announced, I worried that another step up in size and scope would make it even harder for a show built on spunk and scrappiness to connect with its audience, especially at main stem prices. However, I needn't worry because regardless of the size of the venue, increased star power or the upgraded decor, Titanic remains a balm in a theatrical season that leans a bit toward the underwhelming side and even more importantly, in a world at large that turns out disasters on a daily basis. Written by Marla Mendel and Constantine Rossulli, who star in the show, and Ty Blue, who also directs, Titanique, is a pitch perfect parody of James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic with a very French Canadian twist. The music of Grammy Award winning legend Celine Dion serves as the show's score and Celine herself played by Mendel, narrates the show not only because she's saying the film's iconic theme, my heart will go on, but because against all known laws of human mortality, she claims to have been a passenger on the Titanic. So she knows firsthand what really happened on that fateful voyage. Now there is no doubt that Mendel, who earned a Tony nomination for playing Dion, is the show's main attraction. With her now signature brand of kooky craziness and Celine like vocals, she is able to not only steer this ship, but also provide one of the funniest performances in recent recent Broadway memory. However, she is far from the only hilarious member of the cast. In fact, after seeing the show the night before Tony nominations were announced, I walked out of the St. James thinking that if any member of the cast received a Tony nomination, unfortunately, save for Frankie Grande, who is a bit out of his depth with all of the immense eclectic talents on stage, I would be delighted Scream and In the Heights film star Melissa Barrera makes her Broadway debut as Rose, essentially the show's lone straight man, which is a term that I suppose could apply on multiple levels with Titanique. She is funny when she needs to be and sounds great on the songs she gets, even if the real Celine bangers all go to Mendel as the two men on either side of Rose's love triangle, Rasuli plays Jack and John Riddle is Cal reuniting the two after originating the roles off Broadway. Rasuli, who has become one of the stalwarts of modern parody musicals, balances charm and an effortless ability ability to make whatever absurd choice the story calls for look natural. For his part, Riddle takes a delicious villain turn and remains one of the most underappreciated voices on Broadway. However, to me, the biggest surprises of Titanique, especially on third viewing, were two of the other three additions to the principal cast. First and foremost, four time Emmy winner and Tony nominee Jim Parsons takes on the expanded role of Rose's mother Ruth. And despite initial reservations, the Big Bang Theory star is legitimately wonderful. While nowhere near the singer that his cast mates are, the creative team did add a song to Ruth's repertoire, making the role worthy of a star of Parsons magnitude. And while theater fans have certainly seen him take on far more dramatically nuanced roles beyond the expanded Big Bang universe, it was fun to see him not only live in but thrive in a very non Sheldon comedic role. Similarly, Deborah Cox delivers a delightful turn as the unsinkable Molly Brown. Not only does she show off her legendary pipes, but having only really seen her in more serious roles on stage and screen in the past, I didn't realize just how funny she was. In fact, Cox's performance is emblematic of the entire show, finding just the right balance between Regal and Absurd. The other star joining the production for Broadway is Leighton Williams as the Iceberg Seaman tour guide. Having won an Olivier Award for the track last season, he is now Tony nominated this year. While I didn't think that the role provided enough to warrant a nomination, Williams makes the opening frame scene work far better than it ever has in the past, and the expanded Iceberg role channeling Tina Turner is undoubtedly a highlight. Adding a triple threat like Williams to the role of the Iceberg is a massive upgrade for the production. But the thing that makes all of these performances work as well as they do is the fact that everyone in the cast is willing to commit to the bit. Spoofs and parodies only work if you are able to believe that whatever world they are operating in is real and has stakes. While Titanique walks the line of ridiculous more than most Broadway shows and even most spoofs and parodies, because the cast is willing to dive directly into its delightfully deranged waters, you can't help but go with the flow for Broadway. The script has been punched up with new jokes, including some at new cast members expense, so even if you've seen the show multiple times, it still feels fresh. Eleanor Scott's choreography, which earned her a Tony nomination, helps fill out the larger Broadway stage while playing to the cast members varying levels of dance abilities. The Choreo not only adds to the humor of the show, but as a self professed cruise ship entertainment expert, I can tell you it would certainly fit in well on any ship sailing the seven seas. Now, I grew up on the music of Celine Dion and yet there are still a handful of tunes in the show's score that I don't think I've ever heard outside of a performance of Titanique. So while I am by no means a Celine scholar and there will definitely be more die hard fans who disagree, the show does feel a little overstuffed with her non top shelf material. Nonetheless, the way Blu Mendel and Rasululli fit the songs into the script either seamlessly or purposefully shoehorned is an ongoing source of joy. I admittedly walked into the St. James concerned that this little show that could might be swallowed up by the expansive stage and 3, 4 times as many audience members that it has ever played to in a New York house before. But rather than feeling small, every aspect of the production, from performances to set to staging to lighting, feels full and polished. Without losing that Mickey and Judy, let's put on a show energy that made it a hit in the place First First Place Titanic is not trying to be profound. It is not commenting on the troubles plaguing the outside world. Instead, it is simply trying to give audiences a 100 minute respite filled with buoyant performances in glorious goofiness, while another show known for its madcap performances lives just one block up and over. Titanic is a gleefully stupid, wonderfully meta romp through one of the most beloved and honestly overwrought melodramas in movie history, and I for one would happily sail on it as often as possible. Thank you so much for supporting Broadway radio. If you want more Broadway radio. Head over to patreon.com broadwayradio thank you for listening. This has been Matt Tamaneni and I'll talk to you soon. Sam.