\n<\/p>\n
A word-of-mouth downtown hit, Titan\u00edque<\/em> bears more than a passing resemblance to another buzzy show that made it to Broadway, the Tony-winning Oh, Mary!<\/em> Both projects take a particularly tragic moment in the nation\u2019s history\u2014in this case, the sinking of the Titanic<\/em>\u2014and tell the story from a different, kookier perspective. But unlike its Broadway predecessor, Titan\u00edque<\/em> has more than just American history to mine for comedy\u2014it also lampoons James Cameron\u2019s 1997 Oscar-winning blockbuster, Titanic,<\/em> starring a young Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as star-crossed lovers Rose and Jack. As if that weren\u2019t enough, Titan\u00edque<\/em> also dares to ask this question: What if C\u00e9line Dion, the iconic French Canadian chanteuse who sang the movie\u2019s timeless anthem, \u201cMy Heart Will Go On,\u201d were actually aboard<\/em> the Titanic<\/em> in 1912? And, what\u2019s more, what if Jack and Rose\u2019s fictional love story were set to Dion\u2019s inimitable catalogue, which includes but is not limited to certified adult-contemporary bops like \u201cTaking Chances,\u201d \u201cI Surrender,\u201d and \u201cAll by Myself\u201d? With that hyperspecific, insanely stupid premise, Titan\u00edque<\/em> set sail.<\/p>\n Of course, an idea this profoundly dumb (which, in this case, is a compliment) could only be conceived under the influence of alcohol. \u201cWhen this idea came to be, we were drunk at a bar,\u201d says Mindelle, who plays Dion as an omniscient diva narrator. \u201cMaking each other laugh. We were miserable in 2016,\u201d adds Rousouli, who stars as Jack, iconically played by a young DiCaprio. Tried-and-true theater kids, Mindelle and Rousouli had already ascended to theater\u2019s highest echelon by 2016. Mindelle had tread the Broadway boards in a revival of South Pacific<\/em> and had originated plum roles in Cinderella<\/em> and the Sister Act<\/em> musical, while Rousouli had taken his turn playing pretty boy Broadway roles like Link Larkin in Hairspray<\/em> and Fiyero in Wicked.<\/em> Still, like many hyperambitious, multihyphenate performers, Broadway wasn\u2019t enough. \u201cI got on Broadway, but then I was still always craving, like, God, I really want authority over my life and my career,\u201d shares Mindelle.<\/p>\n So, independently of each other, Mindelle and Rousouli moved to Los Angeles, where they both were convinced a fresh start in Hollywood would turn them into stars overnight. Hollywood had other plans. \u201cThat\u2019s where your dreams go to die,\u201d says Rousouli, referring to Los Angeles. Mindelle puts it another way: \u201cLA slapped me on the face so fucking hard. They were like, \u2018Sorry, diva girl!<\/em>\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n While working at an LA dinner theater, the two struggling actors met Tye Blue, who was also living out his own Hollywood nightmare. \u201cI was casting reality TV shows and making okay money, but it was still very toxic and not making me feel good about my life,\u201d Blue tells me.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wake up and you\u2019re like, Hmm, I\u2019ve been here for five years and nothing\u2019s happened. I guess I should listen to somebody that says, \u2018You should create your own stuff,\u2019\u201d says Rousouli. \u201cAnd I was like, Fuck you.\u201d<\/p>\n Marla Mindelle<\/span>Photographer Emilio Madrid<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Thankfully, Mindelle was already well-versed in creating her own stuff. For a certain type of gay boy with a musical-theater addiction and who had unfettered access to the internet as a teenager (a.k.a. me), Mindelle has been a household name for decades. In the aughts, Mindelle was musical-theater-YouTube-famous thanks to videos like \u201cMarla Mindelle – Colors of the Wind<\/a>\u201d and a performance of a cabaret<\/a> she wrote and starred in, showcasing her sharp wit, comedic fearlessness, and powerful and flexible mix belt. But while thousands of musical-theater fans online could see\u2014instantly, clearly\u2014that she was a star, Mindelle wasn\u2019t treated as such at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she studied in a prestigious BFA program.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n