Titanique, a jukebox fantasia that imagines Celine Dion survived theTitanic, has found its audience.
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So stupid, Frye-Ginsberg mutters to herself, laughing.
The show has been running since late June at Asylum NYC, former home of the Upright Citizens Brigade.
Frye-Ginsberg is right:Titaniqueis so stupid.
That is its inherent strength and the source of its absurd charm.
The gays are here!
They do something stupider every night!
(Listening backstage, Grande shrieks in recognition.
Rousouli and Ellis cant help but break character as they attempt to pantomime the Equinox experience.
Deitch runs by me shortly thereafter.
Did you tell them youre here?!
she says of the thunderous audience response.
They wont even let us say our lines!
We are so excited for lettuce!
Sometimes we get one chuckle!
Tonight, the line is met with total silence.
Mindelle and Rousouli finish each others sentences in a way that feels both practiced and completely real.
And were both gay.
We are the modern-day … Will and Grace!
Both turn to each other and laugh hysterically.
I was like, Queen, were both gay, says Rousouli.
Have you seen her?
Mindelle doesnt miss a beat: Have you seen him?
The exact opposite happened.
Ill be Jack; youll be Celine.
Still drunk, Rousouli wrote the entire outline for the show.
It flowed through me like Jesus Christ himself.
He was so down in the dumps that he wanted something to do.
He said, I keep thinking about this Celine Dion idea, says Mindelle.
People were cackling, says Mindelle.
When the show ended, she walked up to Rousouli.
Fuck, she said.
Now I have to produce this.
The rest of the story is just as theater-kid-fairy-tale-esque.
Rousouli stayed in Los Angeles, languishing and literally twiddling my thumbs.
(Mindelle is on the lookout for Dion in the audience nightly.
But their not-so-secret wish is for the very same Broadway stage they left behind a decade ago.
Its different this time, because its on our own terms, explains Rousouli.
I hope we do a follow-up piece in five years when were rich as fuck, says Rousouli.
Youll come to our yacht, and well be Lin-Manuel Miranda, just finished our Disney fuckin shit.
Mindelle chews on the thought: But so was Lin-Manuel Miranda at some point!
Mindelle stops and studies theBake-Offalum, Michael Chakraverty.
Didnt you have a showmance on your season?
We didnt … he says, trailing off.
The group exchanges good-byes.
Congratulations to all of you guys, jokes Rousouli.
They ponder the question.Titanicis gay, proclaims Rousouli.
Its a period piece, then theres death!
Bringing the past back to life is just gay, he says.
