Latest news with #PorchlightMusicTheatre
Time Out
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
May 2025 events calendar for Chicago
Every night in our dreams, we've wished for this moment: Titanique the Musical is cruising into Chicago! The smash-hit comedy, in which "the music of Céline Dion makes sweet Canadian love with the film Titanic," is gearing up for a Chicago run as a co-production from Porchlight Music Theatre and Broadway in Chicago, with performances set for the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place this spring. Led by actress Clare Kennedy McLaughlin, who will play the French-Canadian pop diva herself, Chicago's Titanique will retell the fictionalized story of Titanic's sinking from James Cameron's 1997 Blockbuster, albeit using Dion's famous power ballads to push the plot forward. Featured tunes include 'Because You Loved Me,' 'All By Myself,' 'To Love You More,' 'Tell Him,' 'Beauty and the Beast" and two of Dion's most-loved covers, 'River Deep, Mountain High' and 'I Drove All Night," culminating, of course, in that radio juggernaut 'My Heart Will Go On.'
Axios
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Three routes to Titanic fun in the Chicago area
Folks who loved the Titanic exhibit at Old Orchard last year can embark on more nautical disaster-themed fun this spring. The big picture: Fans can pair a Titanic dinner and show at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, which is presenting "Titanic The Musical," along with themed meals at sister restaurant Three Embers. Or stay in town for the musical spoof "Titanique" by Porchlight Music Theatre at Water Tower Place. Dig in: For the run of "Titanic The Musical," Three Embers has transformed into the White Star Grill, serving period dishes including chicken Lyonnaise ($29) topped with caramelized onion in a wine reduction. "We took that directly from the first-class Titanic menu," restaurant manager Tiffany Javior tells Axios. "For dessert, we have peaches with chartreuse jelly. It's one of my favorites, because it's light, but it's still rich." Other Titanic items include steak & ale pies ($15) and salmon mousseline ($36). They also offer a three-course meal for $49 and a dinner theater package that starts at $81. Bonus: The restaurant brims with social media-friendly props, letting you goof around and pretend you're really on a ship. On stage: After dinner, folks can catch the accompanying show featuring spectacular period costumes and a solid musical cast. But don't be like me and search for Jack and Rose. The musical features many cute couples but is unrelated to the blockbuster movie. For Titanic laughs, check out Porchlight's" Titanique" in which a Celine Dion-like character purports to tell the ship's real story through her iconic songs.
Chicago Tribune
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘Titanique' at Broadway Playhouse avoids the icebergs and showcases a rising star
There's no time limit on the global fascination with the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic. James Cameron's epic 1997 movie 'Titanic' scooped up 11 Academy Awards before drifting into camp in the popular consciousness, even as it steamed into the fiscal record books. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, has a popular Titanic museum, and the North Atlantic wreck itself has been a magnet for adventurers. So when I say that 'Titanique,' the new spoof musical at the Broadway Playhouse, plays that disaster strictly for laughs, it might sound like a jarring idea. But it's a matter of time passed, of course, and of tone. This silliest of shows, created as a laugh by Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue, is an insouciant parody not so much of the disaster itself but of the movie about the disaster with those steamy class warriors Rose and Jack, as played on screen by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. And of the Canadian vocal diva Céline Dion, the immortal pride of the Quebeçois. What was Dion's actual connection to the movie? She performed the song 'My Heart Must Go On.' She did not get wet. But it's the combination of making affectionate fun of both Dion and the movie that makes up the secret sauce of the romp 'Titanique,' which I first saw in New York's East Village, where it attracted mostly a young and party-minded audience before moving on to London and, now, Chicago with a new version. That's what makes it different from its peers. Well, that and a notable perky script well-stacked with gags, retro power ballads and bejeweled shtick of all kinds. Fans of Dion get to hear some of her boutique catalog and enjoy a loving tribute to her distinctive vowel sounds and sparkly clad frame. Fans of the movie get to see parodies of their favorite scenes, including that sexy loss of judgment over the ship's bow, the floating doors and the angst of the handsome road-not-traveled for Rose. None of that would work, though, unless the script were as funny as this one. And it surely helped that one of the writers, Blue, also has directed every 'Titanique' production, including this quick-fire Chicago premiere presented by Broadway in Chicago in cooperation with Porchlight Music Theatre, employing an all-Chicago cast. The cast of locals includes such familiar names as Adrian Aguilar (as Cal), Rob Lindley (Ruth), Adam Fane (Jack) and Jackson Evans (Victor Garber/Luigi), all having a blast. But the real standout here is Maya Rowe as Rose, a young Chicago performer oozing with talent who has been killing it around town over the last year or so, not just here but in 'Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812' at Writers Theatre in Glencoe. Here's a star in the making, folks. Rowe's vocals — she has a deep and, when she wants, deeply funny sound — are as fabulous as her aptly guileless physical comedy. She's the anchor of this production, even though she's playing a role that in the hands of lesser talent would be a kind of romantic throwaway. She's a total blast, as is Abby who plays (the unsinkable) Molly Brown and gets to belt 'All By Myself,' which in my book is worth the price of admission just for its percussive elements, hilariously drummed out here. And then there's Eric Lewis, who (at the show I saw) played a kind of Kirkland-brand able seaman, as well as Peabo Bryson and Tina Turner, just 'cause. He's hilarious as all of the above. As 'Titanique' opens in Chicago, talking to the actress who plays Céline Dion Clare Kennedy McLaughlin does well as storyteller Céline but she has left herself a lot of room to build that performance vocally and comedically. She should let go and have more fun. When she does hit up the audience, you get some of that signature Céline sparkle, but while it's unusual for me to write that the lead performance in a camp parody should get yet campier, that's actually the case here. It's well-rooted but insufficiently expansive. I don't doubt for a second that 'Titanique' will do well as we move into tourist season downtown. A PG-13 show ideal for girls' nights out, bachelorettes and so on will be an asset for the still-struggling Magnificent Mile, especially once the gay audience finds this show and word of mouth builds. I laughed my trunks off, and I'd seen it before, too. Most first-time cruisers, especially those who bought the drink package, won't want to return to the dock. Chris Jones is a Tribune critic. cjones5@ Review: 'Titanique' (3.5 stars) When: Through July 13 Where: Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut St. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
As ‘Titanique' opens in Chicago, talking to the actress who plays Céline Dion
'Titanique,' a musical spoof of both the famed 1997 movie 'Titanic' starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, and the Canadian vocal diva Céline Dion, opens at the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago on Wednesday night. The Chicago staging follows successful productions in New York, London and Sydney, among other places, and is directed by the original director Tye Blue, featuring Chicago-based performers in a collaboration between the Broadway producer Eva Price, Broadway in Chicago and Porchlight Music Theatre. The Chicago actress Clare Kennedy McLaughlin, a Northwestern University graduate, plays the character named Céline. Our following conversation has been edited for clarity and length. Q: How did you first hear of this show? A: I was in New York for a callback and I saw a poster on the subway for what looked like a French production of 'Titanique.' I couldn't understand why it was misspelled. Q: So, Céline huh? A: The queen of the power ballads. One of the greatest singers of all time. A role to which every belter can aspire. What a catalog! So many super-emotional ballads. 'My Heart Will Go On.' You know. Q: But you are doing a spoof. A: Yes. I love doing comedy. But not many belting roles let you be comedic. Truly, it's a parody of 'Titanic' more than a parody of Céline herself. It's more of a love letter to all that Céline is — but seen through that quirky lens you can also see when she does her interviews. Q: Her stuff is hard to sing, no? A: The belting is insane. People know that Céline has this huge range and incredible belt but what is more interesting to me is her use of the dynamic, her ability to pull back. She really does her own audio mixing just through her microphone placement. Q: And the accent? A: So, so specific. She's Quebeçois, but she's lived in the U.S. and traveled all over the world. A lot of her vowel sounds are unique only to her. I'm really trying to home in on all those nuances. Q: Is Chicago's show the same as in the other cities? A: We've added little local references that make it specific to Chicago, as has been done before. And it's a Chicago cast with lots of people I've looked up to. It's a bit like the Chicago 'Avengers.' I get to play with all my friends. I can't imagine getting sick of doing this, given how much freedom we have with all the improv and the talking with the audience. Actually, the speaking element, all the narration, is more challenging for me than the singing. I am going to have to go full diva on my days off and wear a sign around my neck that says 'on vocal rest.' Just like Rachel in 'Glee.' Q: So is this show a signature moment for you, personally? A: Oh yes. It's not just a big thing for me, it's a big thing for me doing Céline. My parents have seen the show three times already and we've only had seven previews.
