The farcical Céline Dion jukebox musical Titanique is setting its course for Canada.
Producers of the off-Broadway smash say the show will make its maiden voyage to Montreal later this year, followed by dates in Toronto.
Titanique is a musical parody of James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster Titanic. It’s centred on a Dion character who crashes a tour group at a Titanic museum before leading them through the supposed true story of Jack and Rose.
Some of the Quebecois superstar’s biggest hits are scattered throughout the comedy, including A New Day Has Come, I Drove All Night and the unsinkable love anthem My Heart Will Go On.
A new musical showing in Toronto with Canadian roots, And Juliet, has dreams of Broadway, but Canadian productions and performers often face an uphill battle getting to the biggest stages.
An early version of the show premiered in Los Angeles seven years ago, but Titanique became a buzzworthy hit in 2022 when its off-Broadway performances drew enthusiastic reviews and big crowds shortly after theatres reopened from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The book was co-written by Marla Mindelle, who played the role of Dion off-Broadway. For the Canadian dates, Quebec vocal powerhouse Véronique Claveau will take on the part.
The rest of the 13-member cast will be announced at a future date.
Titanique is slated for performances at Montreal’s Segal Centre for the Performing Arts from Oct. 27 to Nov. 24. It will then move to Toronto’s CAA Theatre from Dec. 5 to Jan. 12 as part of the off-Mirvish subscription season.
