Meet ‘Titaníque’s’ Marla Mindelle: Comedian, Tony Nominee & Dion Diva

This morning “Titaníque” earned four Tony nominations including Best New Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Actress and Best Featured Actor in a Musical – honoring co-writers Tye Blue, Constantine Rousoulil, Marla Mindelle and Layton Williams, respectively. Ahead of a Wednesday night show, Access Hollywood went behind the scenes with now–Tony nominee Marla Mindelle as she got ready to take the stage at the St. James Theater in Midtown Manhattan.

How a musical parody of the 1997 James Cameron epic “Titanic” through the eyes of pop icon Céline Dion set sail on Broadway, much less become the talk of the town, is not what anyone expected. But given that it’s across the street from “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” a drag-inspired musical spin-off of “Cats,” and “Beaches,” a musical about two very close female friends, as co-writer and star Mindelle put it, “we’re on the gayest block on Broadway.”

The elevator pitch is simple: It’s the events of the 1997 film “Titanic” as told by Dion, who sung the record-breaking end credits classic “My Heart Will Go On.” The actors zip through the story of Jack Dawson and Rose De Witt Bukater, to the tune of Dion’s chart-topping hits – like “Taking Chances” and “I’m Alive” – making the show a nostalgia fever dream best enjoyed with a good friend, and without inhibitions.

Now, Mindelle is applying her own Dion-inspired makeup in her dressing room, drenched in what we collectively decide to call “Titaníque blue.” She shows off a recipe for a themed cocktail, the “Céline Fizz,” that her friend made for her on opening night. Gin-based, her favorite. Tucked behind a bouquet of flowers is a slew of awards from her “Titaníque” run.

There’s also a black-and-white trucker hat that reads “caviar dreams,” an homage to the hot pink musical “The Queen of Versailles,” starring Kristin Chenoweth, who last called this dressing room home. Framed photos of the queen herself, Dion, and Bowen Yang cosplaying as “the iceberg that struck the Titanic” sit on Mindelle’s vanity, which she jokes looks more like a CVS Pharmacy, with her B12, oregano oil, nasal spray, Throat Coat tea, and sugar-free Ricola neatly within arm’s reach. Her co-writer Constantine “Connie” Rousouli, who plays Jack Dawson in the show, jokingly calls her “Hansel and Gretel” because she leaves a trail of cough drop wrappers wherever she goes.

“When they exhume my body and they do an autopsy to see how I died,” Mindelle goes for it, “my heart and every organ will be filled with sugar-free Ricolas.” She throws a few in her bra for the show for emergencies.

“Titaníque’s” story begins at a bar in Los Angeles over a dirty martini and a glass of sauvignon blanc. Like any 20-something creatives in Los Angeles in the mid-2010s, Mindelle, Tye Blue and Constantine Rousouli found each other at the right time in life, and hopes were high and life was worth living. “I was doing dinner theater in Los Angeles with Tye Blue and Constantine Rousouli, and we were doing these movie-to-musical parodies like ‘[The] Devil Wears Prada,’ ‘Troop Beverly Hills,’ and ‘Scream.’” The trio credits Rousouli with being the one who first came up with the idea.

“Connie storms over after the show and he’s like, ‘I know what we’re doing next.’ (“And, you know, the wine is swishing in the glass,” Blue jokes.) Connie said, ‘What if we did ‘Titanic’ with all Céline Dion songs, and Marla, you’ll be Céline, and I’ll be DiCaprio, Jack Dawson, and Tye, you’ll direct it?’ And I said,” Mindelle recalled, “’Go to sleep. You’re crazy.’” The idea sat for two years, typed out on Rousouli’s phone. “We’re silly, broke actors in Los Angeles. How are we going to do this?”

They maxed out their credit cards. “It was a gamble,” Blue said.

So why Céline, and why Titanic? “I think Titanic was such a cultural mainstay of our generation. It was everyone’s awakening. It was all… I mean, we were teenagers,” Mindelle said. “It was like the perfect Venn diagram. One of the greatest events in American history, the two sexiest actors of all time, a classic ‘Romeo and Juliet’ love story, with the most iconic song of all time. It’s like your brain explodes.”

Part of what makes the show work is that the trio leans into their strengths. Rousouli’s background in dance plays well into his physical comedy as a tumbleweed-blowin’-in-the-wind version of Jack Dawson. Rousouli, Blue and Mindelle lean into their comedic timing, a talent they all share, and their natural gifts. For Rousouli, physical comedy is king, and for Mindelle, it’s an enchanting voice that can turn from a Midwest accent to a French-Canadian goddess on a dime.

Another part of the genius is the show’s ability to change shape. Each night, Mindelle pulls off a master class in improv in a scene about halfway through the show. Mindelle-as-Dion recalls Jack’s memory of bringing Rose down to steerage. The story changes every night with topical headlines or whatever is on Mindelle’s prodigious mind. One night, the audience was charmed by a freestyle rap about Matthew Morrison’s Cameo app; another night, a parody audition for the West End production of “Evita.”

“It’s like ‘Weekend Update’ onstage eight times a week,” Mindelle said, likening the topical turnaround to the popular “Saturday Night Live” sketch.

Despite the pop-culture connections, it’s the musical’s savvy writing and expert performances that keep people coming back. “A 75-year-old woman came off-Broadway, and she was older than the Crypt Keeper,” Mindelle hunches over to mime an elderly body full of zeal. “She was like, ‘Hey. I hate Broadway. I hate Céline Dion. I hate musicals. I love this show.’” Mindelle asked the obvious: “Ma’am, how did you get here?” Easy. They’re, well, everywhere. Good marketing, a recognizable poster, and what money can’t buy: fantastic word of mouth. The show has opened in London’s West End, Paris and Brazil, with plans to expand further.

The writers even tailor-made jokes for their new Broadway cast, many of whom come from their own pop-culture lineage. When Emmy winner Jim Parsons signed on as Ruth DeWitt Bukater, a “The Big Bang Theory” pun found its way into the script. Deborah Cox, playing the Unsinkable Molly Brown, weaves in a reference to her 1998 pop hit “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here” in character. There’s even a nod to “Scream” for Rose, played by Melissa Barrera, who was part of the horror franchise, though director Tye Blue points out that joke had been there from the start.

“When Melissa came in, we were like, ‘Do we need to modify this? Do we need to enhance this?’” Blue mulled it over before deciding to keep it as is. “The people who get it will get it. And they do.” That’s how the show works. Those who get it love it. Those who don’t still laugh anyway. Just ask the Crypt Keeper.

Mindelle’s room is perched at the landing of the first flight of stairs, and on this day, perhaps because her door is open, everyone pops in to say hello. Her first visit is from Tony Award winner Victoria Clark (“Kimberly Akimbo”), who starred alongside Mindelle in the 2011 production of “Sister Act.” Clark fans out a few pieces of paraphernalia for Mindelle to sign for the Beverly Hills Correctional Facility, which just did a production of the show.

Next up is Blue, who points out he and Mindelle are twinning in their gold David Yurman necklaces Joan Grande gifted them on opening night. Joan is the mother of Ariana Grande and Frankie Grande, the latter of whom stars in the show as “Victor Garber.”

Rousouli appears in the doorframe, dinner in hand. Mindelle greets him with a “That’s my stalker!” straight into a hug. “We live in the same building,” Rousouli adds for context. “She’s a creeper. I moved to this new, beautiful building in Greenpoint, and she was like, ‘I can’t find a place.’ And I was like, ‘OK, bye.’ And she was like, ‘How about I move 10 floors below you?’”

“We knew each other on Broadway in our 20s,” Mindelle says of their first impressions. “I thought he was kind of this shallow guy who only ate chicken and broccoli. And both of those things, I think, are still true.” The two break into laughter, although Rousouli notes that’s not true. He eats beef now too.

Their dynamic is so baked in; it’s like watching a vaudeville act. A few highlights:

“We call ourselves Will and Grace, but poor.”

“Someone said you reminded them of a young Dick Van Dyke… you look like him now too.”

“You look like Larry David in drag.”

Jabs that can only land if you know and love the other deeply, which is felt. It’s the kind of inventive relationship every artist longs for, and it’s irresistible to watch up close.

“I feel so blessed every day that not only do I get to do [the show], but I get to do it alongside my non-sexual life partner,” said Mindelle. By their own admission, the two cried like babies on opening night.

As for what has changed since being elevated to the Great White Way? Not much. Perhaps their secret weapon is that they chose to keep some of their humble props onstage — like “The Heart of the Ocean” and panels of blue fabric that represent water — that made the show so relatable and fun. After all, when they first started the show, Mindelle picked up a blonde wig off Hollywood Boulevard for $75 and rented a gold dress from Rent the Runway for $100 per rental. She realized after 10 rentals she probably should have just bought it. With a little more than a half-hour before curtain, Mindelle gets into her custom gold sequined dress with a built-in corset and cape, which she shows off as she playfully pulls it over her eyes. “Where is Céline?”

She’s on Broadway. Tickets are available at Titaniquebroadway.com.