Rosé sets sail in Off-Broadway’s ‘Titaníque,’ but which queens would she toss overboard?
Rosé is the latest Drag Race alum to hit the New York stage, and she has no intention of sinking.
Drag queens are descending on New York City’s theater scene, and no amount of political posturing can slow them down. Jinkx Monsoon is getting raves as Matron “Mama” Morton in Broadway’s long-running Chicago (though she’s not the only reason to see the show), Blair St. Clair recently brought her cabaret show to The Green Room 42, and now our favorite Scottish queen Rosé (aka Ross McCorkell) joins the company of hit Off-Broadway parody Titaníque.
What would happen if Celine Dion was also onboard that fateful sailing with Jack, Rose, and 2,238 other unlucky passengers and crew? Led by the ridiculously talented Marla Mindelle (who also co-authored the show) as the five-time Grammy Award winner, Titaníque is one of the funniest musicals in New York City at present, with a comedic cast buoying the sinking ship.
Rosé steps into the dual role of Victor Garber/Luigi, originated by Frankie Grande, delivering all the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent you’d expect from a RuPaul alum.
Queerty caught up with Rosé in between sailings, and there wasn’t a life jacket in site!
Fans are so excited to see you onstage outside of Rosé’s signature glam. What’s your favorite part of playing Victor Garber and Luigi?
I’ve gotten so used to being absolutely packed, plucked, and strapped into Rosé’s physical form any time I’m onstage, so it’s completely unnerving and exhilarating to feel so simplified and exposed onstage. I’m exercising and flexing parts of myself that have been resting for years underneath the glam. It is so empowering and fulfilling. I absolutely f*cking love it!
Titaníque’s cast does a phenomenal job of playing parody, which isn’t easy with a well-known film like the original Titanic. What’s the key to this kind of comedy? And how much time did you have before stepping into the role?
The key is taking it seriously. The absurdity of our script is even funnier when we play directly into the naturally dramatic, life-or-death nature of the film’s plot. Titanique’s writers, Marla Mindelle (Celine), Constantine Rousouli (Jack), and Tye Blue (Director), have created a phenomenon that sparks and awakens joy in all of us, by encouraging us to howl laughing in the face of certain death and doom. Both the audience, and we, the artists producing the spectacle. It is an ecstatic experience. I adore it. I had about a week and a half of rehearsals before stepping onstage. Time flies when you’re drowning!
The Celine Dion song that gets me every time:
“Taking Chances”
Revive ________so I can star in them!
Cabaret, Hair, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party
I can sing. I can dance. I can act. But I can’t:
Find my husband, and if you see him, tell him I guess I’m just singing, dancing, and acting while waiting for him to f*cking introduce himself!
They never taught me how to be ___________in acting school, but I’m a fast learner.
A goddamn f*cking sickening drag queen.
The queerest thing about me:
An entire floor of my home is an astoundingly organized closet full of gowns custom-tailored to my body. Haha!
If you were on a sinking ship with all the queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13, who would you save, and who would have to fend for themselves?
OMG not you asking me who I’d let live and who I’d let die! A literal slay. I’ll keep it simple and take Ru’s lead here, let’s save the Top 4. Surely Symone, Gottmik, and we can all ride Kandy to safety. She floats!
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