Would my latest visit to the Criterion see me boarding the ship of dreams or sinking faster than a boat that’s hit an iceberg. I had no idea what to expect but as a Celine Dion fan (I mean who isn’t) I had high expectations of Titanique however this show blew these expectations out of the water.

The show tells Celine Dion’s story as she boarded the Titanic and observed Jack and Rose with her very own eyes. Along the way we meet Rose’s fiancé Cal, who is rich and also incredibly camp, Rose’s money grabbing mother Ruth, the actor Victor Garber who is the captain of the Titanic as well as Jack’s best friend Luigi(!) and of course…the iceberg himself! Throughout the course of this 100 minute show there is not a dull moment. Titanique is brilliantly and unashamedly bonkers and not only brilliantly parodies the James Cameron film, but also Celine Dion herself and throws in a huge amount of other cultural references as the cherry on top of the iceberg.

The music is all Celine Dion music from songs such as ‘I’m Alive,’ ‘Tell Him,’ ‘Because You Loved Me,’ and of course ‘My Heart Will Go On.’ Each song is introduced cleverly into the narrative and whilst many of the links are tenuous you can’t help but embrace the madness and laugh along. Of course this approach can only be successful if the vocals are flawless, and they are!

The cast are, across the board (or deck), inspired. Lauren Drew plays the legend herself Celine Dion and does so with her tongue firmly in her cheek, so over the top but yet easily identifiable of who it is supposed to be. Layton Williams brings the house (and the boat) down as the iceberg with not only show stopping dance moves but vocals that Dion herself would be proud of.

Rob Houchen plays Jack and Kat Ronney as Rose and together they brilliantly spoof the film characters, from naked drawing to the iconic door moment, each moment they embrace the silliness and do so with a willing glint in their eye. Jordan Luke Gage plays Cal and he has firmly entered his villain era in this role. Making the audience boo you one moment to laugh along with you the next can be a hard balance to strike but Jordan Luke Gage manages this with apparent ease.

The set is kept fairly simple as the multi levelled set becomes everything from the choppy waters to the 3rd class dining area but this approach keeps the momentum of the show speeding along and the clever and colourful lighting design by Paige Seber ensures that the technical side of the show is every bit as camp as the book and music.

Who would have thought that I would start the new year by urging everyone to take a ride on the ship of dreams at Titanique. 100 minutes packed full of laugher and vocals to die for, Titanique is the perfect trip for a gloomy January and in fact pretty much every month of the year!

You can find out more and book tickets for Titanique here.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Mean Girl, Back to The Future and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.