Melissa Barrera Makes Broadway Debut in TITANIQUE, Calls It 'Theatre for the Moment'

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Learn why Barrera feels that Titanique created "a new genre of musical theatre."

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Melissa Barrera is currently making her Broadway debut as Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanique on Broadway! Barrera can also currently be seen in the Peacock spy series "The Copenhagen Test," and on Netflix in the 2024 Sundance Film Festival romance, Your Monster. Melissa’s upcoming screen projects include the thriller Black Tides, and The Collaboration.

Her recent film credits include the Universal horror film Abigail, and Scream VI. In 2022, Melissa also starred in the modern musical film reimagining of Carmen, and in Gravitas Ventures’ All the World is Sleeping. Melissa also led Netflix’s “Keep Breathing,” and STX’s supernatural thriller Bed Rest, which she starred in and produced. In 2021, she starred as Vanessa in the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda ’s Broadway musical In the Heights.

Melissa began her career starring in popular telenovelas in her native Mexico, including “La Mujer de Judas,” “La Otra Cara del Alma,” and the renowned “Siempre tuya Acapulco” and “Tanto Smor.” In 2017, she made her Netflix debut in the comedy “Club de Cuervos”, followed by her U.S. television debut in STARZ’s series “Vida.” She’s starred in musicals such as “Spring Awakening,” “Young Frankenstein” and the Spanish pop-rock hit musical “Hoy no me puedo levantar” in Mexico City.

BroadwayWorld's spoke with Barrera about how she feels like Titanique created 'a new genre of musical theatre,' wildest fan interactions, and what it means to be making her Broadway debut with this show. Read the full interview and see photography from BroadwayWorld's Jennifer Broski here!

You’ve built such a strong career in film and television, it’s so exciting you’re making your Broadway debut — what was it about Titanique and the role of Rose that made you want to make your Broadway debut?

I’ve been wanting to be on Broadway since I was 12 years old, so it couldn’t come soon enough. I had been waiting for the right show and the right role to do it, because I really wanted my Broadway debut to be everything that I had always dreamed of, which meant getting to have the rehearsal process with the full company, originate a role for Broadway, potentially get to be on a cast album. I wanted all the things that I grew up seeing and wanting, and it just hadn’t happened.

And it wasn’t until I was told in January about the auditions for Titanique —and I was a fan of the show because I had seen it twice already when it was Off-Broadway and in Toronto. And I just thought that it was so brilliant. What Connie [ Constantine Rousouli ], and Marla [Mindelle] and Tye [Blue] did with this IP, and the catalog of Celine Dion , and all the pop culture references, it kind of created almost like a new genre of musical theatre, which feels like it’s theatre for the moment and for the people. It felt so unique, and so necessary, and needed at a time like this that feels so dark, to just be a part of such a joyous show that’s meant to give the audiences a good time. You laugh for two straight hours, I get to sing some of my favorite songs, and I’m having a blast every night. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for so long, and it has exceeded all my expectations.

This show used to be a cult favorite, now it’s mainstream, but its fanbase is still so devoted! What has it been like stepping into a show that already has this passionate fanbase while also making the role your own?

This is not my first time doing something like that, stepping into something that already has a fanbase, and I think what I love about this fanbase particularly, is that they’re so lovely and welcoming to the new people in the show. And the people that come back over and over and over, we have people that have seen the show over a hundred times, it’s crazy. And they want to see the differences, they’re looking for new things to laugh about, they’re looking for the little nuances that are different in every show that keeps them coming back. So, I’ve felt very embraced by the fanbase.

And it’s also very nice to come into a show that is so beloved because the energy that we feel from the audience every night is crazy. It’s electric. My career in film and TV, Jim Parsons has his very successful career in TV and theater, and we have people in the company like John Riddle , who has been on Broadway forever and done a lot of amazing shows, and we all kind of agree that this feels special, and unique, and unlike anything else we’ve ever done. So, it definitely feels like we’ve won the lottery, just being a part of this, and getting to live in this moment.

A little more on that note, how has it been working with this absolutely incredible company?

I feel so lucky because every single person is absolute perfection in their roles, everybody gets to shine, everybody is killing it and giving it their all, we’re all having a great time, we love being here. I feel very spoiled honestly, because I hadn’t done theatre in 10 years, so I felt a little rusty coming in, but the amount of love and support, everybody was cheering me on from the first rehearsal, and so happy to have me in the company, and that eased my anxiety a little bit.

They already had a family, Connie, and Marla, and Tye, it’s a testament to their character, the fact that we have so many people that have been a part of the Titanique family, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, and they all come to see the show, and they’re all supportive of them. It always trickles down from the top, and the fact that they’ve managed to keep this family alive in all its iterations, and the love is so pure and so real, the support that they get from people that have done the show before that come to see it, and we feel that. I think audiences feel that too, because we get asked all the time, “Oh my god, are you guys having the best time? It looks like you guys are having the best time, it looks like you guys love each other.” And we’re like, “Yeah! We do!” I don’t think you can fake that. And it makes the show feel even more special to the audiences because I just feel so lucky to be on stage every night with these people that I adore.

It’s a beautiful family that I know, long after we’ve all left this show, and hopefully it runs forever, I do think it has the potential to become the musical version of Oh, Mary! where you have people popping in forever and it just stays on. And selfishly, I would love to be able to come back whenever I feel like I need a reset, and I need to feel that uniqueness that only live theatre can give you as a performer. I would love to be able to come back. Because I do feel like this is a once in a lifetime thing that I’m living through.

Has anything surprised you about performing live eight times a week? Anything you weren’t expecting?

I know what it is to perform live because I did it in Mexico City for a while before moving to the US, but I think now that I’m so much older, and I haven’t done it in so long that I didn’t remember how hard it was [laughs]. And I think it’s just because I was younger and maybe I had more energy, but it’s no joke. Doing eight shows a week on Broadway, in a musical no less, you have to dance and sing, it’s for high performance athletes. My respect and admiration for Broadway performers, if it already was at 100%, it’s at 300% now. And I love it. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

And every night I’m excited to do the show, but the rhythm of theatre is just crazy! You do eight shows a week and you rest for one day. But you can’t forget that you were rehearsing for a month before that, nonstop Monday through Saturday, from 10am to 6pm, and then you go into previews and you’re still rehearsing, and then you go into shows, so it’s like an accumulated exhaustion that is wild. And you never really get enough time to rest. You get one day, which is a little bit of a tease, and then you’re right back into the eight-show week.

And so it really has taught me about how I need to listen to my body, take care of my body. As much as I want to party with the cast, I can’t be doing that anymore. I think I had forgotten how much discipline it requires, and how hard it is. You can be a performer, and you can be doing movies, but it’s different muscles, it all requires a lot of endurance, but specifically I think doing a musical on Broadway is perhaps the hardest thing you could be doing as a performer.

This show is so fun, and there’s an element of spontaneity to what’s going on on stage, and a real relationship with the audience. I’m sure there’s been awesome and crazy fan interactions. I’m curious, what is the wildest thing that’s happened to you or the cast during a show?

Well, [laughs] people in our audience, they’re here to have a good time, and so a lot of them are drunk. So, we have a lot of people signing along, we have a lot of people standing up and wanting to hug Marla. There was one time where we had people fully wanting to be a part of the show in the first row and calling out during the scenes, and commenting, and it was so distracting that it was hilarious [laughs]. But, that’s the kind of show that we are! We are a show for the people, and for party people and we’ve never had anything bad happen, we love when people get into it, and are rowdy, and loud. That’s the kind of electric energy you feel every night. So, I can’t think of anything crazy or weird that has happened other than those instances of people just getting a little bit too into it and wanting to talk to us! Or sing along!

Galileo

Watch the cast of Titanique on Broadway sing Celine Dion's 'Taking Chances'. The Tony-nominated musical is led by Marla Mindelle as Celine Dion, and more.

Watch in this video as 2026 Tony Award nominee Layton Williams chats more about making his Broadway debut, why being a part of this season is so special, and so much more.

Victor Garber went to see Titaníque on Broadway, heading backstage after the show to talk to Frankie Grande, who plays him in the musical, and the rest of the cast. Watch a video of his visit backstage.

An all new video has been released of Marla Mindelle performing 'My Heart Will Go On' from Titanique on Broadway. Learn more about the musical and check out the video here!

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Debut-of-the-Month-Melissa-Barrera-on-Why-TITANIQUE-is-Theatre-for-the-Moment-and-for-the-People-20260617)._