REVIEW: TITANIC: THE MOVIE, THE PLAY Distills James Cameron's Cinematic Marathon Into 60 Minutes Of Madcap Interactive Theatre

Friday 16th September 2022, 8pm, Australian National Maritime Museum - Performance Platform

25 years after James Cameron reawakened interest in the famous/infamous unsinkable ship, TITANIC: THE MOVIE, THE PLAY revisits the ill-fated love story with amusing economy. Co-creators Natalie Bochenski and Dan Beeston bring their homage movie to the Australian National Maritime Museum for Sydney Fringe.

The 1997 epic that held the position of highest grossing film for 13 years and won a slew of awards including 11 of the 14 Academy Awards nominations and 4 out of the 8 Golden Globe Nominations was a breathtaking piece of theatre when it premiered. While Cameron's cinematography and overall scale of the work draws awe, the 195 minute run time and cheesy storyline is a natural target for a parody spoof. TITANIC: THE MOVIE, THE PLAY gives the story the Fringe festival low budget treatment with an amusing interactive interpretation with contemporary pop culture references thrown in with wordplay and general ridiculousness.

While there is a 9 strong cast, led by 'Old Rose' Anna Renzenbrink narrating the work, as per Cameron's original, the budget didn't extend to 'Young Rose' so the audience is enlisted to help fill the role, with aid of prompt cards. Zac Partridge is affable as Jack, the young poor artist that saves and befriends the young Rose while Alistair Magee oozes the oily narcissistic control of her fiancé, only ever referenced as the performer Billy Zane who portrayed Caledon "Cal" Hockley in the movie. Jack Price ensures ship designer Thomas Andrews is seen as honest and affected by the realization that he shouldn't have allowed corners to be cut in favor of aesthetics. Amy Victoria Brooks presents the only other significant character, the bold and brash Denver millionairess Margaret "Molly" Brown, with a suitable gravitas and sass.

While the pertinent points of the storyline are recreated with enough clarity to follow the storyline, this work probably lands best with people who have seen the movie a few times. With the audience being called on to participate, each experience will be unique and will be greatly affected by the skill of the actors to select willing and capable candidates thought it appeared that the addition of more light to read the prompt cards could have been beneficial to a few of the people selected on the night reviewed.

TITANIC: THE MOVIE, THE PLAY is an amusing revisiting of the film that has the absurdity of pantomime for grown ups that will have you wondering how they'll interpret the blockbuster movie on a shoestring budget.

https://sydneyfringe.com/events/titanic-the-movie-the-play/