Titanique: Does This Parody Sink or Sail?

Hey guys, I’m back yet again!! For those of you just joining, my name is Miren. I’m a teenager born and raised in Manhattan who absolutely loves Broadway, and here on Encore By Miren, I share my unfiltered

takes on the latest shows, interview people from the industry (coming soon!!) and give you a look at Broadway from the perspective of an NYC teen!

Next up: Titanique.

If I had to describe this show in one word, it would be: ridiculous.

Not necessarily in a bad way — just completely, fully absurd. Titanique is a parody of the movie Titanic, but instead of simply retelling the story in a funny way, it basically throws the entire movie into a blender with Céline Dion songs, Broadway inside jokes, drag performances, and chaotic camp energy. Watching it honestly felt like being in the middle of a fever dream… but in an entertaining way.

The Plot (Kind Of)

The show starts with Céline Dion herself taking over a Titanic museum tour and insisting that she was actually there during the events of the movie. From there, she retells the story of Jack and Rose completely through her own perspective — which immediately sends the plot off the rails.

If you know the original Titanic movie, you’ll still recognize the basic structure: Rose is trapped in an engagement with Cal, she falls in love with Jack aboard the ship, and eventually the iceberg hits. But Titanique twists every single moment into something over-the-top and ridiculous. Characters randomly break into Céline Dion songs, modern pop culture references get thrown in constantly, and the show goes so far off-script at times that you almost forget you’re technically watching a Titanic parody.

And honestly, that’s kind of the point.

The narrator, Céline Dion (played by Marla Mindelle), is the glue holding the entire chaos together. She interacts with the audience throughout the show, and while some moments felt a little rehearsed, others genuinely felt improvised and current. In the performance I saw, there was an entire tangent involving Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele that came completely out of nowhere. Trying to explain this show honestly makes me sound insane, but if you’ve seen it, you probably understand exactly what I mean.

The Highlights

One of my favorite parts of the entire show involved Rose’s mom and Cal. If you know the movie, you already know they’re dramatic enough on their own, but Titanique somehow makes them even more unhinged.

Toward the end of the show, Jack and Cal compete in a full-on drag competition to determine who gets Rose. And the best part? The competition is judged by… the iceberg.

Yes. The iceberg.

It was so stupid in the best possible way, and I was laughing unbelievably hard during that entire sequence.

The cast as a whole also deserves credit because this material could easily fall flat with the wrong performers. Everyone commits 100% to the insanity, which is honestly what makes the show work as well as it does. Also we need to talk about how Rose's mom is played by JIM PARSONS which was honestly my famorite thing about the show!

Titanique vs. Oh, Mary!

Broadway has a few shows right now that really lean into absurdity and camp, and while watching Titanique, I kept thinking about Oh, Mary! — another show I really enjoyed.

Both productions are intentionally ridiculous and thrive on weird humor, but personally, I preferred Oh, Mary! because it felt more focused. Even though Oh, Mary! is equally campy and bizarre, it still stays grounded within its own plot and world.

Titanique, on the other hand, is so committed to being chaotic that it occasionally loses the story completely. Sometimes that works in its favor, and sometimes it feels like the show is trying so hard to top its own joke that it forgets what’s happening.

Know the Niche

This is definitely not a show for everyone.

First of all, you absolutely need to know the Titanic movie beforehand or a lot of the jokes simply won’t land. It also helps if you understand Broadway culture because there are plenty of theater references thrown in throughout the show.

Most importantly, you have to enjoy a very specific kind of humor: campy, loud, random, self-aware absurdity. This is one of those productions where you’re either going to think it’s hilarious or wonder why anyone paid money to see it.

Honestly, I’m surprised it’s been as successful as it has because the audience is pretty niche. A lot of Broadway shows rely heavily on tourists, families, or casual theatergoers, and Titanique really doesn’t feel designed for those groups. This isn’t the kind of show people bring little kids to, and it’s definitely not your traditional Broadway musical experience.

Overall…

If you love camp, Broadway references, chaotic comedy, and don’t mind completely turning your brain off for two hours, you’ll probably have a great time at Titanique.

Just don’t go into it expecting anything deep or emotionally moving, because that is absolutely not what this show is trying to be. It’s a parody first and foremost — messy, weird, self-aware, and intentionally ridiculous.

Would I recommend seeing it? Yes… but only if this sounds like your kind of humor. And definitely do not spend insane amounts of money on tickets.

Rating: 6.5/10