I confess, I walked into the St. James theater, where I'd watched the swiftly curtained Queen of Versailles, with trepidation. I'd seen Titanique Off-Broadway and was absolutely enchanted by its madcap comedy, giddy pop cultural references, bawdy jokes, and drag show interpretations of Céline Dion, Tina Turner, and Frances Fisher. But I've seen high-energy, low-budget Off-Broadway shows lose their verve in a prestigious Broadway venue. (RIP, Dead Outlaw.)

Thankfully, director Tye Blue and his co-creators Marla Mindelle and Constantine Rousouli have expertly translated their bonkers vision of a Céline Dion jukebox musical/Titanic parody/drag show into a crowd-pleasing spectacle, so full of joy and laughs that you'll leave with your face aching from smiling. 

Titanique is bigger on Broadway, but not less bonkers. 

Marla Mindelle and the cast during the curtain call for "Titanique." Credit: Bruce Glikas / WireImage / Getty Images

Originally premiering in Los Angeles in 2017, Titanique imagines what would happen if international superstar Céline Dion crashed the tour of a Titanic museum to set the record straight. Once there, the diva begins recounting the movie Titanic for museum-goers, while employing her songbook throughout the retelling. 

This premise demands that the leading lady do a phenomenal Dion impersonation. And Mindelle, who originated this role and is now reprising it on Broadway, is absolutely sublime. Her voice is strong and beautiful, and she can hit those Dion notes with resounding confidence. But more than that, she understands the wondrous quirks of Dion's stage persona. She replicates campy crowdwork, including cooing at the audience, powerful punches to the chest to punctuate big moments in a song, and a generally regal yet kooky attitude that's made Dion an icon. If this were a Snatch Game challenge, Ru girls would be sweating. 

Meanwhile, Rousouli returns to reprise the role of Jack, wearing khakis so snuggly fit to his muscular thighs that it's giving Gene Kelly (complimentary). He plays the role like a hot himbo, who loves intermittent fasting, drawing cats, and — of course — the poor little rich girl Rose DeWitt Bukater (played by Scream VI's Melissa Barrera in her Broadway debut). Their love story is a comical collision of slapstick and silliness, which includes a totally unhinged recreation of the "draw me like one of your French girls" scene with some cleverly pixelated nudity. 

However, working against their blooming romance is Rose's horrid fiancé Cal (John Riddle from the Off-Broadway run), and Rose's vicious mother Ruth. Played by Frances Fisher in the movie, this bad mother is traditionally played by a man in light drag in Titanique. (When I saw it Off-Broadway, Messy White Gays' writer Drew Droege was hysterical as the shrieking battle axe.) For Broadway, Titanique has The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons in the part, and he embraces the lunacy with explosive cursing, snarling reads, and an allusion to his hit TV show that becomes a literal fart joke. 

Titanique's stunt casting works brilliantly, actually. 

Deborah Cox and Jim Parsons during the curtain call for "Titanique." Credit: Bruce Glikas / WireImage / Getty Images

Heralded actor Carrie Coon made it plain in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning what many have been saying about Broadway for years: TV stars are considered essential to sell tickets. So, we've got The Bear's stars headlining Dog Day Afternoon and Proof, while Glee alum are in Maybe Happy Ending, Just In Time, and Chess. RuPaul's Drag Race winners Jinkx Monsoon and Bob the Drag Queen have taken flashy roles in Chicago, Little Shop of Horrors, and Moulin Rouge! 

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Off-Broadway, Titanique used stunt casting to keep audiences coming. But the show shifts subtly to lean into the guest stars by folding in references to their work elsewhere. For instance, when I saw William from Drag Race playing Titanique's Victor Garber, he recreated his infamous vomiting exit from the reality competition show during a lip-sync for your life sequence that is core to this parody. In the Broadway version, Frankie Grande (who also did an Off-Broadway stint) is back as Victor Garber, giving their all with a pulse-racing dance number to "I Drove All Night." They also bring their high school photo into the show's shenanigans, all while impressively holding Dion's high notes with an audacious cheekiness. 

For Parsons' part, he looks strikingly chic with a sharp contour and a Clara Bow lip. And while he's not as down and dirty as Droege's take on Ruth, it's delirious fun to see the sitcom star drop the family-friendly schtick to chastise Rose, "Lock it up, cunt."

As for Barrera, I admit I worried she'd be boring as Rose, in part because I've been underwhelmed by her work in the Scream movies (which do get a jokey reference onstage). But she's radiant and really fucking funny in this role, putting the sweet ingenue archetype on its head with racy dance moves, a totally game embrace of the show's goofiness, and a beautiful voice that makes a meal out of Dion hits like "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" and "Because You Loved Me." 

This is a show for show-stopping divas, and Titanique has an unfair share, frankly! On top of Mindelle's epic Céline Dion, Broadway brings Canadian R&B star Deborah Cox on as the Unsinkable Molly Brown. And while Cox will do a little riff of her own hit "Nobody's Supposed to be Here," it's her magnificent performance of "All By Myself" that had the audience on their feet. I can't think of the last time I saw standing ovations throughout a Broadway show. But Mindelle and Cox got them, as did Bad Education's Layton Williams, who is credited as "Seaman/Iceberg." But Titanique fans know this means he'll be busting out a fierce Tina Turner, who serves as the personification of the deadly ice formation. 

Much of the cast is asked to do a bit of drag performance, including Riddle giving a spot-on Miss Vanjie re-enactment. Williams, however, is a vision, strutting on with a shining stage presence, an icy white wig, and a sparkly micro-mini dress, thighs out and glistening. Williams had the audience roaring with his rollicking "River Deep, Mountain High" performance. But when he ran and leaped into a split? His tuck hit the stage, and we were on our feet, cheering. 

Titanique on Broadway smartly keeps the audience in the mix. 

Jim Parsons, Layton Williams, and Frankie Grande during the curtain call for "Titanique." Credit: Bruce Glikas / WireImage / Getty Images

While the performances are outstanding, credit is also owed to Blue's staging. On this same stage, Queen of Versailles kept the performances elevated literally above the audience. Titanique has built the stage out, deeper into the audience and with steps, allowing the performers to come down to our level, racing up and down the aisles. This recreates the immersive element of the Off-Broadway show, inviting the audience to clap, cheer, cackle, and even sing along for the show's encore. Such an environment ignites not just excitement but also a sense of community, which I worried would be lost on Broadway.  

With Titanique Off-Broadway, I walked into the theater, where a big gaudy recreation of the Heart of the Ocean necklace dangled above the stage, and the vibes were instantly immaculate. The audience was chatty and friendly, but then locked in on the show, their energy joining with that of the cast to create a marvelous night out in Manhattan collectively. This energy has been successfully transferred to Broadway, where the Heart of the Ocean shimmers high as a club mix welcomes the audience. The seats are cushier, but the vibes are still party. 

From there, the reveal of the stage is bigger and bolder, recalling the metal and flashing lights design of reality TV competition shows like The Voice. There's a cheerful campiness to the design, and this glow-up doesn't detach Titanique from its ludicrousness or lewdness. Instead, it allows Mindelle to bloom, and her co-stars too. Together, they create a musical, magical epic, sure to please, but likely to make you want to shout, "I'm alive!"

Titanique is now on Broadway.