EXCLUSIVE: Marla Mindelle is riding the iceberg all the way to the Tony Awards with three nominations for Titanique, including Lead Actress, Book, and Best Musical.
“I’m the first woman to be triple-nominated… which is making her-story,” she tells Deadline.
For the latest episode of On The Go, Mindelle invites us inside her dressing room, otherwise known as the Diva’s Cabin, a backstage retreat she designed with the help of friend and interior designer Guillaume Coutheillas.
The space, tucked away inside the St. James Theatre, helps Mindelle channel her inner Celine Dion eight shows a week. “I feel rich,” she says, taking in the room’s elegant details, while Coutheillas reminds her just how dramatic the transformation has been.
“When we got here, it looked like a prison cell,” says Coutheillas, the founder and creative director of design firm frenchCALIFORNIA. “We wanted it to stay in the theme [of the show], so we integrated vintage objects and cool items. Her awards are everywhere — just look.”
For Mindelle, one piece stands above the rest. “The chaise lounge… where he can draw me like one of his French girls,” she jokes, referencing the movie Titanic. “We do eight shows a week here and I need to rest and recover all the time, so I’m always on this.”
The result is a space that feels equal parts dressing room, sanctuary and extension of the larger-than-life performer audiences see onstage each night. Between the awards, personal touches and playful nods to Titanique, the Diva’s Cabin reflects both the show that has become a Broadway phenomenon and the artist at the center of it as she heads into one of the biggest nights of her career.
Watch the full video interview above.
