Titanique Honors 25th Anniversary of Titanic with Special Off-Broadway Re-Opening Performance

Chad David Kraus The cast of Titanique

Titanique, the acclaimed Off-Broadway musical that parodies the 1997 Oscar-winning blockbuster Titanic, held a special performance on Tuesday night to both celebrate the 25th anniversary of James Cameron's beloved film as well as the show's re-opening after relocating to the Daryl Roth Theatre.

PEOPLE was in the attendance on the milestone night, alongside a sea of guests including Joan Grande, there to support her son Frankie Grande in the cast (his sister Ariana Grande is currently in London shooting the Wicked movie).

The laugh-out-loud musical breathes joyful comedy into the tragic love story of the film by setting it to a score of hits from "My Heart Will Go On" songstress Céline Dion — and making Dion a character in the show itself, interjecting herself into the film's tragic love story to hilarious results.

She's played by the glorious Marla Mindelle, who doesn't just mimic Dion's infamous tone but also nails the Grammy-winning singer's effervescent personality. Mindelle also co-created the show with costar Constantine Rousouli (Jack) and director Tye Blue.

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Chad David Kraus Constantine Rousouli and Carrie St. Louis

The trio have packed the 100-minute musical with punchline after punchline, each eliciting belly-laughs from theatergoers. There's also a fair amount of improv, as demonstrated at Tuesday's performance when the scene-stealing Russell Daniels, as Rose's mother Ruth Dewitt Bukater, screamed during a breakdown, "These gays are trying to murder me!" — a line just uttered by Jennifer Coolidge on Sunday's finale of The White Lotus.

It was a moment so unexpected and so topical, the entire audience stood up in a spontaneous, mid-performance standing ovation.

"We do different things in the show each night," Rousouli told PEOPLE at a post-show gathering in the lobby. "Marla, particularly, is genius when it comes to thinking of those things on the fly. There's a part of the show where she tells a different story each night, and Carrie St. Louis (Rose) and I have to act it out. Tonight, she told a true story about Cameo requests Carrie had been getting where she was asked to pretend she was a giant. None of us had any idea that was coming."

"You can't do that sort of thing on Broadway," Rousouli adds. "We kind of take the rulebook for traditional musicals and throw it out the window."

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Chad David Kraus Russell Daniels and John Riddle

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That's part of the fun of coming to Titanique. You never know what you're going to get from the time you step into that theater; only that you're guaranteed to laugh your iceberg off.

It's also the type of show where, when watching it, you can't help but think of all the people in your life you want to bring back to see it, knowing the fun they'd have too.

But Titanique is more than just a joke. The show is a beautiful tribute to Dion and the immeasurable impact her catalogue of songs has made on music.

Hits like "Taking Chances," "The Prayer," "Tell Him," "Beauty and the Beast," "I Drove All Night," "To Love You More," "A New Day Has Come," "All By Myself," "Because You Loved Me" — and yes, "My Heart Will Go On" — pop up throughout the evening, each fittingly nudging the story along while reminding fans of just how great of an artist Dion is (the French Canadian songstress is currently taking a break from performing as she's been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a rare and incurable neurological disease that can cause debilitating muscle spasms).

Mindelle leads a cast laced with incredibly talented actors and singers.

Rousouli and St. Louis, both previously of the delightful Cruel Intentions: The Musical, are a perfect Jack and Rose and sound superb when tackling Dion's catalogue. Frozen alum John Riddle could melt hearts with his smooth vocals, even as the callous Cal. Desireé Rodriguez (Molly Brown) tackles one of Dion's hardest tunes — "All By Myself" — with ease. Broadway vet Frankie shows that his sister isn't the only one who has the pipes. And Avionce Hoyles transforms into a surprise character towards the end, blowing the roof off the house with his range.

Special shoutout to Blu Allen, Courtney Bassett, and Donnie Hammond, a three-person ensemble who sound as though they're three-times the size.

RELATED: Titanic Star Victor Garber Visits Movie's Off-Broadway Musical Parody Titanique: 'Hilarious'

Chad David Kraus The cast of Titanique

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Meanwhile, everything in Titanique has been stepped-up for the move to the Daryl Roth Theatre.

The proscenium of the space leaves room for a grand ship-like set designed by Gabriel Hainer Evansohn and Grace Laubacher (for Iron Bloom), upon which music director Nicholas Connell leads the show's electric four-piece band.

Blue has re-staged the action accordingly, while creating new moments of comedy due to the natural levels of the new set. There's far more space for seats (attendees at Tuesday's performance were given special sailor hats to celebrate). And the size of the room means that the show, frankly, just sounds better.

It's a glow-up that makes Titanique even more impactful and irresistible. Yet, there's still a scrappy, endearing "let's put on a show" energy to it that gives the musical its Titanic-sized charm.

Titanique is open at the Daryl Roth Theatre (101 E 15th St.) in New York City. Tickets are on sale now.