Joyful musical Titanique puts Celine Dion centre stage
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Canadian singer Celine Dion performing during an Elie Saab fashion show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Nov 13, 2024. A new musical imagining the pop diva as one of the survivors of the Titanic sinking recently opened in London's West End.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Imagine if singer Celine Dion had been on the Titanic, survived and wanted to revisit her version of events. That is the premise of the musical Titanique that has opened in London’s West End.
Featuring the Canadian diva’s back catalogue, the show’s light-hearted tone is a break with previous, more sombre accounts of the story of the ocean liner that hit an iceberg and sank in 1912.
It blends elements from the plot of the 1997 movie Titanic, which starred actors Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as lovers Rose and Jack, and other pop culture references.
American producer-director Tye Blue, who directs and also wrote the musical along with actor and writers Constantine Rousouli and Marla Mindelle, describes it as “a joy machine”.
The story is told through the eyes of the character Celine Dion, played by Welsh actress-singer Lauren Drew.
“This is very much a love letter to Celine Dion... paying homage to her and her craft and strength,” Drew said after coming off stage. “It’s completely embodying her kookiness, craziness and talent. So, I love that I get to do that every night.”
Blue said Dion’s team came to see the show after it opened in New York and that “they loved it” and “kind of unofficially gave us their blessing”.
In 2024, Dion returned to the live stage with a performance at the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris.
The 56-year-old singer said in late 2022 that she had been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called stiff-person syndrome that causes muscle spasms.
The music from the show includes ballads such as Titanic’s award-winning power ballad My Heart Will Go On (1997) and Eric Carmen’s 1975 hit All By Myself, which Dion covered in a 1996 release.
Titanique is playing at the Criterion Theatre until March 2025. Other versions of it are playing in Sydney, Toronto and Montreal, and another is set to open in France in April. REUTERS
