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'Titanique' Music and Stagecraft | Box Seat Babes Podcast · The BSB Podcast

• 0:01
  Welcome back listeners to another episode of the Box Seat Babes.
• 0:05
  Today we are going to continue setting sail with Titanic, the off-Broadway show that is taking the world by storm.
• 0:12
  This show is a Celine Dion retelling the classic James Cameron film, and it is just absolutely so much fun and we can't wait to talk about more of what you can expect if you
• 0:24
  end up going to see it.
• 0:25
  But first, if you enjoyed this episode, like, follow and subscribe to
• 0:30
  us, Box Seat babes on all social media platforms at box seat babes.
• 0:36
  Wow.
• 0:37
  Barely made it through that one, RJ.
• 0:40
  We are just...
• 0:43
  I started improv myself, which is quite telling of the show that we're going to be talking about.
• 0:51
  So before we dive into everything that we are going to break down, real quick on our last episode.
• 0:59
  of Titanic, we talked about the story and the characters of this once in a lifetime experience.
• 1:06
  However, in this episode, we're going to turn towards the shore or away from the iceberg maybe and talk about the show stopping performances and the world that comes to life on
• 1:16
  stage at the Daryl Roth Theater.
• 1:20
  Was that enough puns for you?
• 1:21
  Was that enough references?
• 1:22
  Am I good?
• 1:24
  don't know, might need some more to stay in alignment with the show.
• 1:34
  well, I'm gonna leave that to you.
• 1:36
  So let's get right into it then.
• 1:38
  Um, this show is very comedy heavy.
• 1:43
  which anybody who has seen it on social media, anybody who has witnessed the videos on TikTok, on Instagram, know how funny this is.
• 1:53
  Um, and I think that going into the show, I was wondering, I think you even mentioned this in episode one.
• 2:01
  I think I was wondering if this was going to be all the funny parts were in what we were seeing.
• 2:10
  Were we just getting the comedy bits and the rest was just going to be very serious or more retelling of Titanic?
• 2:19
  I can, at least from my point of view, the answer is no, that this show is funny from start to finish.
• 2:24
  But what about for you?
• 2:27
  Yeah, I similarly, I I think any comedy that I go into, I'm like, uh, how are we gonna, how are we gonna fare out of this?
• 2:35
  But pretty immediately, um, it was clear that that was not gonna have to be an actual concern, uh, just based on the introductions to our characters.
• 2:50
  Um, and from that moment on, it was just...
• 2:55
  I mean, I don't know if it's downhill or uphill because it was maybe the jokes were, guess you could consider like PG-13.
• 3:11
  And actually, now that I'm thinking at that, I'm curious as to what their, the rating of the show is, if there is a rating.
• 3:18
  But yeah, once again, I'm not a big comedian.
• 3:25
  I am not big into...
• 3:32
  comedy period, but I guess maybe musical comedy is my, of course, if there is one genre of comedy that I'm gonna like, it is gonna be musical comedy.
• 3:42
  So yeah, I really appreciated the fact that it wasn't like one joke and then three scenes and then one joke.
• 3:51
  was like the comedy is built into the backbone of the show.
• 3:56
  And then there are moments that are improv that
• 4:02
  make it 20 times as hilarious.
• 4:06
  You know, one of the questions I was going to ask you is how would you classify this comedy?
• 4:09
  And then as I had the Wikipedia page up, was like, this is a parody.
• 4:12
  And for some reason that never crossed my mind that this is a parody, even though that totally makes sense for parodying.
• 4:20
  but that didn't cross my mind because it didn't feel like, yeah, we're making fun of the Titanic, but it felt so different and removed from it that I'd never.
• 4:29
  It did not, did not connect the two to being a parody.
• 4:32
  I mean, now that you've said that, does, yeah, it makes sense to me.
• 4:38
  In that type, like that is the type of humor that it is.
• 4:42
  Like I was saying comedy, because yeah, it is comedy, but the specific type of comedy is parody.
• 4:49
  Do you think that the comedy worked more because you knew the story of Titanic?
• 4:54
  Or do think you could also approach this, on that note, Titanic?
• 4:58
  I think you could do it both ways, but you'll probably appreciate it more if you have for the purposes of knowing the characters traditionally.
• 5:12
  I'm not sure that it would have translated as well to just be like, this person and this person.
• 5:23
  don't, you know, he wants to marry her and she doesn't want to, like, I'm not sure, because the retelling is so vague and it's, of course, through the eyes of Celine Dion,
• 5:39
  that you miss out on why the jokes exist in the first place.
• 5:45
  Like, I think you're right.
• 5:46
  think that you can approach this without having...
• 5:50
  If you did not know, if you're living under a rock or you're straight and you don't know who Celine Dion and Titanic is, then this show would...
• 5:58
  You could still see it and enjoy it and not have...
• 6:02
  But I feel like you appreciate it more.
• 6:04
  You do understand a lot more when you know who this show is about or who this show is for.
• 6:11
  I did love that it did have many levels of comedy.
• 6:13
  There was the slapstick humor, there was physical comedy, there was, again, referential comedy.
• 6:20
  There was so many different layers of comedy.
• 6:22
  And like you said, it was one joke after another that you're basically laughing for 100 minutes straight.
• 6:29
  You're not getting a moment to breathe here for the most part.
• 6:32
  You're pretty much laughing to some degree from start to finish.
• 6:38
  Yeah, and I mean, you always are a little bit worried in a program when you see like, it's a one act show and it's almost still two hours long.
• 6:48
  But this, because of the nature of the way that it's built, it flew by.
• 6:54
  I mean, the show flew by even in the slowest moments, which like maybe were the funny ballads.
• 7:01
  Like it just, it kept going.
• 7:04
  There was not, I don't.
• 7:07
  I'm not even sure that there was ever like a scene.
• 7:12
  like a full blackout, it just kept, it was like a revolving door type situation.
• 7:18
  It did feel that way.
• 7:19
  It reminded me almost of like what you think of with like a farce of like there's always somebody coming in the door.
• 7:24
  There's always somebody going out of a door.
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  Cause like it doesn't matter where on the stage you're coming from, from behind the stage, off the side of the stage, the doors on the stage, from the top of stage, there's always
• 7:33
  somebody moving and coming.
• 7:35
  And it really did make for a fast paced thing.
• 7:41
  As we know, I'm somebody who needs a bathroom break halfway through a show without fail.
• 7:46
  Every show I need a bathroom break.
• 7:47
  And so when it comes to these shows that are like one act a little bit longer, I'm always like, am I going to make it?
• 7:52
  There was never a question about, like, you know what I mean?
• 7:56
  Because you're just so engaged in the comedy of the show.
• 8:00
  It does move so quick.
• 8:04
  Yeah, I mean, really a perfect balance of dialogue and music and comedy.
• 8:11
  Sure.
• 8:12
  I do want to speak on the improv of it too.
• 8:14
  I feel like improv is one of those things that could, it can go wrong so easily depending on the audience.
• 8:20
  can, you know, how they're going to react to it.
• 8:23
  Are the jokes going to hit that night?
• 8:25
  In fact, think Celine Dion even made, when she made one of the jokes, and granted this is not Celine Dion, her name is D.
• 8:32
  Rosoli, Roscolli.
• 8:35
  If I said your name wrong, I do apologize.
• 8:37
  But.
• 8:39
  She even addressed it and was just like, oh, is this the wrong crowd for that joke?
• 8:44
  And we all kind of laughed.
• 8:45
  then she was like, okay, no, there we are.
• 8:46
  We're back.
• 8:48
  What are your thoughts on improv and how do you think it works in this show?
• 8:54
  I mean, improv as an actor to me is absolutely terrifying.
• 8:59
  I am not interested in doing it ever.
• 9:02
  And so I think that that just magnifies my appreciation for people who can and do and do well.
• 9:10
  For sure, there are moments where you just have to be okay with falling flat on your face with a joke.
• 9:15
  Like with improv, you just have to know that some are gonna get laughs and some are just not.
• 9:24
  And luckily for them, the way that they've built their audience and the way in which the show is themed, you kind of know what route to take.
• 9:39
  But so much of it is the timing.
• 9:43
  So much of it are the pauses.
• 9:47
  so I just, yeah, I thought it was very well done.
• 9:52
  I loved seeing it in real time because sometimes you can also, people call it improv and then it just feels like it's been rehearsed 7,000 times.
• 10:02
  And this did not feel that way.
• 10:04
  And I, I think that also had to do with, you know, you had some newer cast members on stage.
• 10:11
  They had just kind of cycled through their previous cast, um, or at least for a couple of the characters.
• 10:17
  so that also made it feel genuine and unique because
• 10:21
  They, it was so interactive that you weren't just laughing because you were laughing, but you were laughing because clearly everyone on stage, they were also trying to keep it
• 10:33
  together.
• 10:33
  Not trying very hard because that is part of the show.
• 10:38
  Like for it to be funny and just know that it's going to be funny and we can all laugh about it is a part of the show.
• 10:46
  Um, but it, it invited the audience in.
• 10:51
  to laugh and to just kind of maybe laugh harder than you normally would.
• 11:00
  I think people can be a little bit afraid to audibly do anything at a show.
• 11:08
  And this was not that kind of show.
• 11:09
  This was very interactive to a degree.
• 11:15
  You know, think that one of the things I loved, correct me if I'm wrong, but it felt like there was certain people on that stage that were actors and there were certain people that
• 11:25
  knew how to do improv.
• 11:26
  And like, I think that combination felt really good.
• 11:28
  Cause like Celine, like the person who played Celine felt very much like comfortable with the improv, but the people who playing Jack and Rose were like, they felt like normal
• 11:37
  actors who would
• 11:39
  Like when you see an SNL and you see the star come out and they just can't help but break, you know, because they're not used to being trained.
• 11:45
  That's kind of the feel I got.
• 11:48
  Did you kind of sense that too or is that just something I'm making up in my head here?
• 11:52
  Well, I, and that is where I'm a little bit curious as to what the director, what the instruction is there because every, even though it's not supposed to be on the internet,
• 12:05
  that one particular scene seemingly is on the internet often regarding improv and almost every single version I see of it, the actors do break and there've been different actors.
• 12:18
  And so I'm like,
• 12:21
  Is the instruction to not care?
• 12:24
  know, like, is it to, like, it is okay in this moment because really, is breaking the fourth wall.
• 12:30
  Like, as the narrator, she's already been in the audience.
• 12:34
  We've already, there is no wall to worry about breaking.
• 12:39
  And so does that just make it fine and a part of the show for the characters on stage to also join in and laugh?
• 12:49
  Still kind of...
• 12:50
  You know, not so much that it takes away from what's happening, but enough that it's still funny and it still gives permission to laugh, but also do whatever the actual instruction
• 13:05
  is, which I'm trying to even, what was our, he had to walk, right?
• 13:11
  Um, like a
• 13:13
  the first one was that it was we so to set the scene for you everybody we saw this the day after the the inauguration, okay, and the first thing that she says you like look to the
• 13:24
  left and it's yesterday see if you already left because and like That was the joke.
• 13:31
  actually said she goes is this the wrong crowd because we we all kind of like laughed But there was like a sad laugh a little bit which again is gonna speak to the queerness of the
• 13:39
  show in a little bit but
• 13:43
  They broke so quickly.
• 13:45
  like, especially KCDPope, she lost it.
• 13:52
  She like could not hold it together for that joke.
• 13:57
  And it was so funny for that reason.
• 14:01
  Yeah, and so that's where I'm kind of like, is the instruction to almost instigate the laughter from the audience by having your character break character?
• 14:12
  And we've seen that before too.
• 14:13
  Like I think back always, I don't know why this is my reference, but Sutton in Sweeney and, oh my gosh, why am I blanking on his name?
• 14:26
  Aaron.
• 14:29
  where you just like, can't help.
• 14:31
  Like in those instances, I think they are instructed to not break character.
• 14:36
  I think Sutton just like has a thing for wanting to break character a little bit, but in this it was like, bring people in.
• 14:50
  by thinking that the joke is also funny.
• 14:53
  But I mean, truly, we'll never know.
• 14:55
  Like, whatever the direction is, if anyone in the show is listening to this, let us know.
• 14:59
  I'm curious.
• 15:01
  But I think it could go both ways.
• 15:03
  I think it could go both ways.
• 15:05
  I think it's interesting too that there's definitely some aspects that were improved specifically, but there's also some aspects where they were able to improv within their
• 15:15
  scenes.
• 15:15
  I'm thinking of one with the actor who played Rose's mom, Joel Wagner.
• 15:24
  He actually addressed the crowd a little bit.
• 15:27
  He broke that fourth wall and you could tell it was not supposed to happen, but he did.
• 15:32
  And even Rose did it at one point too.
• 15:34
  I can't think of what happened, but I remember at one point she had to get it back on track.
• 15:39
  It had fallen off the track a little bit and she had to put it back up there.
• 15:42
  Which again, it kind of makes it a little bit more like, haha, we're laughing together.
• 15:46
  You're not laughing at us.
• 15:47
  We're laughing together.
• 15:48
  We're all in on the joke, even if the jokes weren't scheduled.
• 15:54
  Yeah.
• 15:54
  And that was one of the ones too, where I was like, it was also a standalone improv happening.
• 16:03
  Um, whereas with Rose and Jack and Celine, it was interactive, right?
• 16:09
  There was physical comedy happening and Joel just like had the stage basically to themselves and line after line.
• 16:22
  It was almost like.
• 16:24
  was actively figuring out what his next line was gonna be.
• 16:30
  Which of course, like that's how improv works.
• 16:32
  But also that was a moment where I was like, is this just scripted as like five minutes of improv or is it scripted or is it totally off script and there's something happening we
• 16:45
  don't know about?
• 16:46
  Like, once again, one of those you'll probably never know but always curious type things.
• 16:54
  Absolutely.
• 16:59
  What performances stole the show for you of Titanic?
• 17:03
  I mean, that scene with Joel actually.
• 17:07
  was very good.
• 17:10
  the physical comedy just in general.
• 17:14
  I haven't seen and also like to preface this theater was basically a black box theater and so we were very close and it was a little bit theater in the round style so a lot of times
• 17:29
  the actors were coming through the auditorium and so just the physical comedy
• 17:37
  and the props even, like you mentioned, I think in episode one about the door.
• 17:42
  And it was just like, I mean, it was like a backpack.
• 17:45
  She was basically like wearing the door and just those little things.
• 17:51
  The heart necklace was this massive purse looking thing that she was wearing in front of her.
• 17:59
  So just, it's the little, the details of things that once again, like we're parodying off of a Titanic.
• 18:09
  And how the response of each actor with that was, really what kind of tied everything together for me.
• 18:20
  Absolutely.
• 18:20
  We're gonna pause for moment after we let my dog in and then we'll just cut this out.
• 18:24
  So one second.
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  And we are back!
• 18:27
  Thanks to Magic.
• 18:28
  Hopefully that was not much time at all.
• 18:31
  Magic.
• 18:33
  But I agree that seems like everybody had a moment in this show to really shine.
• 18:38
  And I loved the physical comedy of, like you said, the necklace, the door.
• 18:44
  Rose was really funny.
• 18:45
  The guy who played Jack was really funny, Max Jenkins.
• 18:49
  Sorry, I'm out of breath.
• 18:51
  And of course, Kyle Ramire Freeman, who played the seaman and the iceberg, top notch.
• 18:58
  Andrew Keegan-Bolger, again, a favorite here of the Cosmic Circus, Broadway.
• 19:05
  And of course Dee Dee who played Celine Dion.
• 19:07
  I mean like there was not a single person in this cast that just Did not steal the show for me.
• 19:12
  I loved it
• 19:13
  they're very all individually strong, which of course in a cast this small you have to be.
• 19:23
  But very solid, very solid.
• 19:26
  When it comes to the set and design, very simplistic, was there anything that kind of stood out to you other than the fact it did look like a boat?
• 19:34
  It looked like the end of a boat, which was kind of cool.
• 19:37
  Um, yeah, I did laugh.
• 19:39
  Uh, there is reference to the fact that their set looks like the set from, um, South Pacific, which it kind of does.
• 19:50
  I mean, and I haven't even seen, I've just seen clips of that show and I can say just based on the color configuration and, and yeah, it being a boat, um, that tracks, but of
• 20:02
  course, always fun to see the band on stage.
• 20:06
  That was fun.
• 20:08
  And I think exactly what this type of
• 20:13
  show needed.
• 20:14
  Like truly you didn't, nothing really, nothing moved, nothing really came on and off.
• 20:23
  It was, it almost felt like we were in a comedy club.
• 20:27
  That is the vibe that you get, especially with that black box theater feel was this is a comedy club that happens to have a little bit of a set on it with some stairs.
• 20:39
  and the band right there and people are just literally doing stand up for almost two hours.
• 20:47
  That is exactly the feel of the show.
• 20:49
  From start to finish, it was just like you were at a comedy theater and you were there with a whole bunch of comedians and you're having a great time.
• 20:55
  Everybody's there to laugh.
• 20:58
  Simplistic designs, the costumes were, they seemed accurate to the film at least.
• 21:04
  Maybe more simplistic, again, not putting a lot of effort into these things.
• 21:09
  The effort wasn't to Celine, Celine was the star.
• 21:11
  That's what we were there for in a way.
• 21:12
  That was the off-Broadway Audra McDonald.
• 21:16
  per se, you know?
• 21:19
  And so I really enjoyed that.
• 21:21
  I enjoyed the simplicity of it.
• 21:22
  I enjoyed the feel of it.
• 21:23
  I enjoyed how it all came together.
• 21:26
  And that felt really nice.
• 21:29
  Yeah, I think it was simple.
• 21:32
  again, you're not pulling focused on nobody's coming for the costumes, right, for the show.
• 21:41
  And it felt.
• 21:44
  I know if modern is the right word.
• 21:47
  Modern, maybe just a little bit updated versions of what we would have seen in the movie is how I kind of perceived, you know, of course with the tennis shoes and the...
• 22:02
  representation of the fact that we're in a museum and real people are just playing these parts.
• 22:15
  Absolutely and to tie it all together with the sets the costumes designs we have the Celine Dion songs, which You cannot go wrong with singing some Celine Dion power ballads
• 22:26
  Was there any songs that stood out to you or any like arrangements specifically?
• 22:29
  I liked the one arrangement that was Rose and Jack singing To Love You More at the end of Act 1
• 22:39
  I mean, yeah, they all, there were actually songs that I don't think I'd ever even heard before, which slightly feels like a sin, but it's fine.
• 22:50
  I heard them now.
• 22:53
  Absolutely.
• 22:54
  All right, before we wrap up, then let's talk about the queerness.
• 22:57
  This was a very queer friendly show.
• 23:00
  From start to finish, this was deep diving into the queerness.
• 23:04
  What'd you think of that?
• 23:07
  Um, yeah, I mean, it's, it's, literally, they basically say that it's, it's for the, for the gays.
• 23:14
  So, I think.
• 23:18
  Yeah, it was giving me like Schitt's Creek with stand-up improv, parody, Celine Dion classics playing in the background.
• 23:33
  yeah, it was just a lot happening and just a lighthearted good time, which honestly, as we know in today's world seems
• 23:49
  like there isn't enough of that, especially lately.
• 23:55
  So yeah, think it, I am curious.
• 24:01
  mean, yeah, a lot of the jokes were definitely geared towards the queer community.
• 24:08
  I'm curious as to, I didn't look it up in regards to like the writers and directors and really production team of the original.
• 24:19
  how queer that looks.
• 24:21
  Because oftentimes I feel like when there's queer arts, there's usually queer artists.
• 24:27
  Oh yeah.
• 24:31
  It makes me think of that original Celine, I'm pretty sure, ended up going on to doing the big gay jamboree, which is like, feels right up the same alley.
• 24:39
  Yeah.
• 24:41
  Yep, that makes sense.
• 24:44
  It felt very much like a safe space.
• 24:45
  felt like a very queer, like from start to finish, the story, the songs, the jokes, the people inside of it, very representative, very queer.
• 24:55
  And I liked that.
• 24:56
  I liked having that space to like enjoy that, or least be with people that felt like they enjoyed that too.
• 25:04
  Agreed.
• 25:05
  Would you go see this again?
• 25:08
  Yeah.
• 25:10
  Yes, I would.
• 25:13
  If all else to just keep laughing.
• 25:18
  Sure, absolutely.
• 25:19
  of course, like great performers, great singers, um, as well, and just a very unique, like there's nothing, I can't think of another show right now that is like it.
• 25:31
  So.
• 25:32
  Absolutely.
• 25:33
  I would go see this again multiple times with many people.
• 25:36
  I enjoyed this through and through.
• 25:38
  So obviously if you are in New York, go see Titanic because it is fantastic.
• 25:44
  And so with that, we're running out of time.
• 25:46
  So thank you again for joining us on the second part of the Titanic discussion.
• 25:49
  Stay tuned as we break down more shows from Broadway and here locally in Michigan on future episodes of the Cosmic Curtain.
• 25:55
  Thank you again for joining us in our box seats till the next curtain call.