This is the third musical I’ve seen that is based on a ship that sunk, previously having attended Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical and Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, but having missed, I think fortunately, Eastland: A New Musical.

I’ve attacked Titanique as I would have any long-term school project if I had ever done a long-term school project.

I went to the cast meet and greet, where I heard a couple of the show’s songs and some background from the director/co-author, Tye Blue, but mostly met and greeted a variety of cheese and crackers.

Then I watched the movie Titanic for the first time, clearing my calendar for an entire weekend to have time to do so.

As my final preparation, I attended the designers’ run at Porchlight’s rehearsal space, which confirmed for me that, except for two songs, I am unfamiliar with Celine Dion’s music (though familiarity is not necessary to enjoy the show).

The other thing I learned was that Titanique contains pop culture references about which I also am totally clueless. After the performance, I believe I heard one of my fellow attendees mention Dynasty (of which I’ve never seen even a single minute of the boot or reboot) as the basis for an allusion in the show.

Despite my ignorance, I was rapt by the performances and somewhat controlled insanity on stage (more on that after seeing the actual show), albeit somewhat embarrassed by the fact that everyone around me was laughing hysterically, even while I occasionally sat mystified, though entertained (I didn’t always understand Robin Williams or Jonathan Winters either).