Interview: Melissa Barrera Has Found Her Happy Place on the RMS Titaníque

Melissa Barrera has something to confess: “In all honesty, I wasn’t a huge Titanic fan.” Don’t worry, though. That was before she set sail on the parody musical Titaníque’s ship of fever dreams. “Now I’ve become one.”

Barrera, an actor theater fans may have met when she played Vanessa in the film adaptation of In the Heights, makes her Broadway debut as the door-hogging leading lady Rose. She spends the show’s 100 minutes of chaos belting Céline Dion hits, sprinting the corridors of the St. James Theatre, and following the improvisational whims of emcee (and Titaníque co-creator) Marla Mindelle. Her feet have never hurt more. And still, “I hate having days off,” she says. “We’re all so in love with each other and can’t wait to get back.” Or, to rephrase on brand, “I think we’re all in this weird dream boat.”

Read on to learn how a vision board steered Barrera to her Broadway debut, whose face puts her in danger of breaking every night, and how, if she had her way, she would turn Titaníque into the next Oh, Mary!

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What, if anything, did you know about Titaníque before you joined the show?
I saw the show twice. Two of my sisters live in New York and they said, “There’s this show. It’s a parody—it looks like it’s a lot of fun.” So we all went [to the Daryl Roth Theatre]. Loved it. And then I was shooting Copenhagen Test in Toronto at the end of 2024, and I saw a billboard for it and I thought, “Oh my god, Titaníque is here?!” So I took my cast. I was like, “You guys, I have a perfect night out.”

How did the opportunity to make your Broadway debut with Titaníque present itself?
I’ve been wanting to do Broadway for a while. In January, I got put in contact with a theater agent for the first time. We were talking about another play, and I was like, “I would love to do a play. I would like to do anything theater, really. But musicals are my first love.” And she said, “OK, well, have you heard of Titaníque?” And I was like, “Of course, I love that show. What do you mean?” And she said, “It’s transferring to Broadway and they’re auditioning Roses right now. Would you be interested in going in for it?”

Did that proposal catch you off guard?
I started freaking out immediately. Because I was like, “I’m not ready. I haven’t been singing. I don’t know if I can sing Céline Dion songs.” So that night I went down a rabbit hole and looked up every single video, everything that I could find of the off-Broadway production. I practiced and I was like, “I think I can do this. I think I can sing these songs.”

Aside from the Céline of it all, did you see yourself as a Rose?
I never in a million years thought that I would ever play Rose because in my mind that’s Kate Winslet. But then I thought, “Why not? It’s theater.” It’s always been a world that felt more possible for someone like me than film and TV.

How did the audition end up going?
I immediately fell in love with Connie [Constantine Rousouli, Titaníque’s Jack and one of the show’s co-creators]. We had a 20-minute session where I sang the songs, and we did the scenes a few times. I left the room feeling really good—unsure if I had booked it, but feeling more certain than ever that I wanted to do theater.

What is a Titaníque rehearsal room like?
Iconic. It was nonstop laughter and foolishness. It was honestly one of the most, if not the most joyous process I’ve ever been a part of. But difficult at the same time. I knew it was gonna be tough, but here we were a week in, and I felt like I was run over by 10 trucks.

I think the audience is too distracted by silliness to realize how hard you’re all working.
Thank you for saying that, because honestly, my track is insane. I’ve never experienced the pain that I’m experiencing now in my feet. When I leave stage, I am literally running to my next entrance. And it wasn’t until I started the rehearsal process and they started teaching us vocals that I was like, “Uh, excuse me? I had no idea there were so many harmonies!”

And then there’s Marla Mindelle’s improvised scene where you and Constantine have to act out whatever she decides to talk about that night. Was that at the top of your mind when you booked this part?
You know, it wasn’t, because I saw it twice and it was mostly Marla using Connie. But Marla started incorporating me more and more, and I love being more a part of it. But every night I get nervous right before she starts because it’s like, “Where’s she gonna go with this?” Sometimes she’s like, “Do you want to know what I’m gonna do?” And I’m like, “No, don’t tell me.” It’s part of the fun to not know.

Who is it hardest to keep a straight face next to onstage?
Connie. I can’t even look at him. Just his stupid face—I can’t. And he knows. So sometimes, especially towards the end when it gets extra silly, there’s times where I have to look at his shoulder or through him because if I concentrate on him I’ll start laughing.

Knowing that Titaníque is a limited run and seeing the finish line ahead, how do you think you’ll look back on this time at the St. James?
Honestly, this has been the best job of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever felt happier. It’s also kind of nice that it is a limited run, because it takes the pressure away. But it’s a shame because I think that this is a show that could run for 10 years. It’s a perfect show like Chicago, and Oh, Mary!—you could have every celebrity come in and do a little run and it could last forever. And I selfishly would love to have that door open to be able to go away and then in a year call up Connie and Marla and be like, “Yo, should we go and do a month of shows again?”