Why ‘Titaníque’ Has Arrived on Broadway Right on Schedule

Director-cocreator Tye Blue and longtime cast member John Riddle on bringing “queer joy” to the big stage

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Talk about the shtick of dreams! Titaníque began as a goof among longtime pals Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue as they wondered what a send-up of James Cameron’s Oscar-winning epic Titanic would look like as a stage musical as seen through the eyes, songs and vibrato of Céline Dion. Turned out their concept had sea legs.

The musical comedy set sail in 2017 as a series of live concerts followed by a virtual presentation during the pandemic. After the shutdown, the show became a long-running Off-Broadway hit full of campy, queer humor. Now Titaníque has docked on Broadway at the St. James Theatre through July 12, with Mindelle reprising her loopy turn as Dion, who hijacks a Titanic Museum tour, recharting the course of the movie’s iconic moments and characters through her catalog. Blue directs a cast that also includes Rousouli as Jack, Melissa Barrera as Rose, Jim Parsons as her bitchy mother and John Riddle as Cal, her nasty fiancé.  

For a while, Broadway seemed an unlikely destination admits Riddle, who’s been with the project since the outset. “During the pandemic, we did a livestream concert to an audience of, like, two people. It was a hellscape,” he recalls. But it helped lay the groundwork for the musical’s wildly successful downtown engagement, which spanned two theatre and three and a half years—and spawned productions in Sydney, Montreal, Chicago, Paris and Sao Paolo. Yet Broadway remained elusive. “We were told for so many years that this was not a Broadway show,” says Blue. “Theatre owners just did not want this jukebox parody on Broadway.”

The turning point came with a West End production, still running across the pond, which snagged two Olivier Awards last year, including Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play. “When we won the Oliviers, I thought that was the pinnacle that we were going to reach,” says Blue. “But what was happening in the background was the powers-that-be were seeing this property differently.”

When Titaníque was announced as a late addition to Broadway’s spring season, Riddle knew he had to bring his voyage with the musical full circle. “I messaged everybody involved and I said, ‘Just so you know, I really, really want to be in the show!'” When it was Off Broadway, he juggled his run as Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera with brief stints as Cal in Titaníque. Now he’s playing the cad at the St. James just feet away from Titaníque‘s original rehearsal space.

Both Riddle and Blue say the show’s long journey is why it’s able to succeed in such a large theatre. “Our creative team has had the chance to go all over the world and explore different-sized venues and different audiences, and it’s truly been like a test run to get us to the St. James,” says Riddle. “By the time we were rehearsing for Broadway, Tye had an arsenal of tools of what works and what doesn’t.”

Initially, the writers attempted to make several script changes to distinguish the Broadway production from its downtown incarnation, but they ended up changing their minds. “We were just like, ‘Oh wait, this isn’t actually funnier. Let’s revert,'” says Blue. As a result, the show maintains the outrageous energy of Off Broadway while also feeling bigger and more polished. “It has that same essence, only we’re doing it in front of 1,700 people a night instead of 50,” Riddle says.

The actor believes Titaníque has arrived on Broadway at the perfect moment, when queer joy is in abundance: CATS: The Jellicle Ball is running across the street, and Oh, Mary! and the revival of The Rocky Horror Show are just blocks away. “The fact that we’re here at all is incredible, but the fact that we’re here now feels a little bit divine,” he notes.

As thrilled as Blue is to crack up his queer community, he’s also excited Titaníque is now reaching mainstream audiences on Broadway who may be new to this style of cheeky fun. “This country is at odds with itself right now, so how appropriate that we’ve got so many big queer shows showing people this is how you tap back into joy,” he says. “This is how you find your happy place again. This is how we do it. We use joy, we use expression, we use drag, we use color, we use all of these mechanisms to survive.”

It’s a sentiment Riddle echoes, and he welcomes those moments of connection. “Here are a bunch of queer people onstage making you laugh,” he says. “We are an access point for people who may not even know what queer culture is. You would have to be truly dead inside if you’re not enjoying yourself by the end of the show.”

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TDF MEMBERS: At press time, discount tickets were available for Titaníque. Go here to browse our latest discounts for dance, theatre and concerts.

Titaníque is also frequently available at our TKTS Discount Booths.