New York is still holding onto summer, and an air-conditioned theater feels like its own small luxury. Thankfully, Titanique gives audiences an even better excuse to disappear indoors for 100 minutes — with no intermission.
I went to see the show recently knowing the basic premise — Céline Dion, Titanic, camp, chaos — but not much beyond that. Which, honestly, is probably the right way to do it. This is not exactly the version of events you learned from the history books, or from James Cameron’s 1997 box office behemoth. In Titanique, Céline takes the wheel, the iceberg gets a personality, and the story of Jack and Rose is reimagined through power ballads, deeply millennial-coded laughs, and a cast that commits to the bit with pitch-perfect precision.
The production, now playing at Broadway’s St. James Theatre through September 20, features a ridiculously stacked company, including Jim Parsons, Frankie Grande, and Melissa Barrera as a scene-stealing Rose. But at the center of the voyage is Marla Mindelle, the show’s cocreator and star, who turns Céline Dion into both a comic force and a surprisingly sincere guiding spirit. Titanique is currently Tony-nominated, Olivier Award-winning, and already preparing to sail beyond New York with a national tour set for 2027.
For this month’s Out & About series, Mindelle talks about the New York neighborhood that shaped her, her favorite espresso martini in the city, playing an icon people feel deeply protective of, the backstage chaos fans never see, and what it feels like to finally bring the boat she helped build all the way to Broadway.
As someone who lives and works in New York, what does the city give you creatively that you don’t think you could get anywhere else?
Well, obviously I’m a show queen, so the amount of musicals and plays I can see just by walking out my front door is unmatched. I love that I can literally buy a ticket to any show on a whim. That spontaneity is such a gift.
Is there a neighborhood that feels like it shaped you in some way?
The East Village. My first apartment was in StuyTown — that good old NYU nursing home. I moved briefly when I was 30. Now I’m probably 50 years too old to live there. I love how young the neighborhood feels. You can get a really great cheap meal, and there are so many incredible cocktail bars. If you love bakeries, go to From Lucie for a great slice of cake.
Marla Mindelle names Bar Pisellino in the West Village as her favorite spot for an espresso martini.
Courtesy Zio and Sons
Best place for an espresso martini?
Best espresso martini, hands down — not just in NYC, but anywhere in the world — is Bar Pisellino in the West Village. Also, order the gin pistachio cocktail and thank me later.
When friends visit, where do you take them?
I’ll always take them for a great meal or to a cocktail bar because I’m a total foodie. Katana Kitten, Sip & Guzzle, Parla, Torrisi… Bar Pisellino is another big favorite. Honestly, I should work for Beli. The amount of restaurants and cocktail bars I’ve been to is ridiculous. I’d just have to adopt that weird food influencer voice, and I really don’t want to do that.
Is there anything you’ve been meaning to do this summer but haven’t gotten around to yet?
I’ve never been to Governors Island, and I really want to go.
Bathhouse, one of Marla Mindelle’s go-to spots for a day off in New York
Courtesy Bathhouse
What’s your ideal day off in the city when you’re not doing eight shows a week?
Every day off, I go to the spa. Steam, cold plunge, swim, recover. Usually, Bathhouse or Great Jones — or honestly, anywhere with a steam room. I’ll spend about four hours there, and then I’ll have a really nice meal because I can’t really eat much when I’m doing the show.
What’s the best advice you’ve received from a friend?
“It’s not brain surgery, it’s just musical theater.” That’s what people tell me when I get nervous before going onstage, and it genuinely helps put everything into perspective.
When you travel, do you prefer a packed itinerary, or do you prefer to wander and see where the day takes you?
A bit of both. I like to have one destination, activity, or meal planned each day, and then leave plenty of room to wander and discover things as I go.
Bora Bora, pictured, is high on Marla Mindelle’s travel wish list, alongside Japan
Courtesy Tahiti Tourisme
What destination is currently at the top of your wish list?
Japan! Bora Bora! I know they couldn’t be more different. I’m an island girlie; I try to go to a different island every six months, which is ambitious. But I also love to explore and ever since watching Terrace House on Netflix, I’ve been obsessed with Japanese culture and food.
Titanique is already wildly funny onstage, but what’s the funniest thing that’s happened behind the scenes that you’re allowed to share?
Well, it’s funny now, but when we first did the show Off Broadway at The Asylum, above the comedy club was a Gristedes grocery store that was being condemned, and the whole building would be turned into condos. So, when the grocery store shut down, the rats came down to the basement. Then they fed them rat poison, but they would poop neon-blue rat chromatic poop. We said that even the rats at Titanique were gay!
For someone visiting New York and seeing Titanique for the first time, what would you tell them to do before or after the show to make it a perfect night out?
They have to embrace being an “aging twink” and head to one of Hell’s Kitchen’s many gay bars for a great drag show. Marti Cummings does an incredible Céline impression and should probably be my understudy, to be honest.
Marla Mindelle as Céline Dion in Titanique on Broadway
Courtesy Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made
Céline Dion is one of those artists people feel deeply protective of. Did that change the way you approached playing her?
When I watched her relentlessly online, I realized that while she’s revered and iconic, she also has the biggest heart and an incredible sense of humor. Once I understood that I could lean into that side of her, everything clicked.
Playing her requires vocals, comedy, chaos, and so much more. Which part of her comes most naturally to you?
I think the comedy comes most naturally to me. But I listened to Céline constantly growing up, and her voice absolutely shaped my own.
What’s a line, moment, or bit in the show that still makes you laugh, even after doing it so many times?
There’s a line about an eggplant in someone’s ass… let’s just say I pitched that joke 10 years ago and never looked back.
The titanically talented cast of Titanique, now playing on Broadway at the St. James Theatre.
Courtesy Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made
What surprised you most about the process of moving Titanique to Broadway?
I was surprised by the number of people who haven’t seen the show. I genuinely thought every gay man in the tri-state area had already been there and done that. But I can’t tell you how many older, unsuspecting straight men I see in the audience every night with huge smiles plastered across their faces.
At this stage in your career, what feels more exciting: the big Broadway dream coming true, or realizing you helped create the boat yourself?
As a writer, I know firsthand how difficult it is to get anything made. Titanique was a 10-year journey to Broadway and knowing that it’s also mine makes it that much sweeter.
With Titanique now set to launch a national tour in 2027, is there a city outside New York where you’re especially excited to see the show dock?
We actually started the show in Los Angeles, so it would be great to land there for a bit. And Titanique has been popping off internationally, so I’m putting it into the universe that one day we’ll play South Korea — if only so I can come back with a new face.
Tickets for Titanique, which runs through September 20 at at the St. James Theatre on Broadway, are currently available at titaniquemusical.com.
