14 Oct 2022
Broadway's Baaack Baby
Fridays with Frankie, yes Frankie Grande, is once again here to deliver you conversations and kiki’s with some of your favorite Queer icons and allies — you’re welcome. This week's episode shines the spotlight on some of the queer community's favorite Broadway stars. Guests include queer icon and Tony Award Winner for her role in Hairspray, Melissa Jarrett Winokur; Pose and American Horror Story actress, Angelica Ross, and Tye Blue, the creator and director of the smash off-Broadway queer hit Titanique. When talking to Melissa Jarrett Winokur about her time playing playing Tracy Turnblad in the Broadway musical Hairspray, Frankie pointed out, “it’s very obvious why you became so beloved by the gay community, because it is such an example of like ‘the other.’ Like someone who didn’t necessarily fit in… But because of her unbelievable personality, her perseverance, her tenacity, she become someone who could overcome all of those obstacles, and have everyone fall in love with her.” Admitting, “and I feel like that’s every little queer kids dream, honestly.” Well according to Winokur that was the exact intention John Waters, the writer of the original 1988 Hairspray film, set out to convey. “He actually told me early on,” Melissa shared, “that he wrote 'Hairspray,' that he wrote Tracy Turnblad because that if your gay… basically all the minorities, but still that 16 year-old girl is gonna be picked on more.” Noting that Waters worded it much better to her at the time, but that the point is his goal was to make minorities feel included. Frankie and Melissa also went on to talk more about her turn as Tracy Turnblad, her more recent role in Kinky Boots, and more. Tye Blue, was next to join Frankie to talk all things Broadway after working on many shows “in a lower level position, not been treated well,” doing “a lot of hard thankless work.” Now, more than anything with Titanique, Tye is grateful to have created a space “that’s not like that, where everyone feels loved and empowered and like they have a voice.” As Frankie pointed out, one of Titanique’s most important missions “is to reach the most queer on the planet.” “Very often we just assume that Broadway is a queer-friendly space, so therefore gay people will come and gay people will support the theater just because it is fun,” Frankie expressed. “But it doesn’t matter if it was created for them or not, there just still gonna love it, because a straight Broadway Diva up there is what a gay man lives for.” But what makes Titanique different is that it was “truly created for a diverse queer audience, that’s who we created it for, and the straight people are along for the ride and there having a great time.” Where as usually “it’s t ...
