A hit musical based on the music of Celine Dion is coming to Australia after receiving rave reviews in New York.
Australian stage and screen star Marney McQueen has landed the role of a lifetime as the French-Canadian singer in the musical Titanique.
But does McQueen, who has starred in several TV shows as well as stage productions of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Hairspray, resemble the 56-year-old songbird?
The actor and comedian was all smiles at the announcement of the new musical show in Sydney.
Marney wore a pink pantsuit and sported a very different hair and makeup style than Céline’s signature slicked-back hair and sparkly dress at the recent Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony.
While the musical theatre star may not be an exact mirror image of the beloved pop legend, she has received rave reviews for her imitation of Dion’s spoken and singing voice.
On Wednesday, McQueen revealed that news.com.au Which of the singer’s most iconic songs is the most difficult to sing?
McQueen said that My Heart Will Go On was the most difficult song.
Australian star Marney McQueen (pictured) has landed the role of a lifetime as Celine Dion in the musical Titanique. But does McQueen look like the 56-year-old singer?
Marney’s hair and makeup look is very different to Celine’s, with her hair slicked back and the sparkly dress she wore to the recent Paris Olympics opening ceremony. Pictured: Celine Dion performing at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony
“That’s obviously the hardest song to sing,” she said of the hit song that accompanied James Cameron’s famous 1997 film Titanic.
The musical, which stars McQueen, also ties into the Titanic tragedy, as it imagines Celine Dion on the ship the night it sank in 1912.
The show, which has been described as a “hysterical musical fantasy”, draws on Dion’s vast catalogue of songs to tell the story of the Titanic’s ill-fated voyage.
While the musical theatre star may not be an exact mirror image of the beloved pop legend, she has received rave reviews for her imitation of Dion’s spoken and singing voice.
McQueen also had to hire a vocal coach, as many of Dion’s songs are “big and powerful.”
In addition to My Heart Will Go On, the musical theatre star claimed that another song from Celine Dion’s catalogue was difficult to perform.
“I give up,” she sang as the ship sank. “It’s relentless,” she admitted.
On Wednesday, McQueen revealed that Celine Dion’s most iconic song, My Heart Will Go On, was the hardest to sing.
I Surrender was a single from Dion’s eighteenth studio album, A New Day Has Come, which went double platinum in Australia upon its release in 2002.
McQueen described the show as a “love letter to Celine Dion.”
“She has an incredible sense of humor, she’s extremely funny and all of that is present throughout the show.”
McQueen’s co-stars include Drew Weston, who plays Jack Dawson, Georgina Hopson, who plays Rose, and Abu Kebe, who plays the beggar.
Also joining the cast is former So You Think You Can Dance judge Matt Lee, who will play Victor Garber.
Titanique opens in Sydney at The Grand Electric from 12 September.
Tickets can be purchased here.