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, Marissa Jarret Winokur; Pose and American Horror Story actress, Angelica Ross, and Tye Blue, the creator and director of the smash off-Broadway queer hit Titanique.
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When talking to Marissa Jarret 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,” Marissa shared, “that he wrote 'Hairspray,' that he wrote Tracy Turnblad because he said that if you’re gay -- he was basically saying, like, all the minorities, but still the fat, 16 year-old girl is gonna get picked on more. She’s literally, it’s the worst. Like in high school, yea it sucked to be gay, but it really sucked to be the fat teenage girl... But he basically was saying that Tracy Turnblad represented the most minority of people. And then of course, I was like, ’did you just call me fat?'"
Frankie and Marissa 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 the other way around, where it’s created for the straights and the gays are just having a great time and along for the ride.”
Frankie’s last Broadway-themed guest was none other than Angelica Ross. She and Frankie caught up to discuss her recent groundbreaking casting as the first out trans performer to play Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway.
When talking about her exciting Broadway debut, Angelica revealed thus far it “has been one of the most interesting experiences of my life. It’s very demanding, very challenging.”
Noting that “people see me overcome challenges or do things, and I talk about certain things -- I don’t think people understand that I still have challenges too. So even though, you know, I feel very prepared for this, it’s still a challenge… There’s a lot of layers to it, and it’s showing me right now what I’m made of."
She continued, “I always had a kind of inkling that I’m made of the good stuff. But this experience for sure is making me aware that I have what it takes.”
Angelica and Frankie also discussed some of her other projects, including her music, advocacy work with TransTech Social Enterprises, and more.
To listen to the entirety of all three of these interesting conversations, press play on the episode above.
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