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Video: Marla Mindelle and Company Unpack THE BIG GAY JAMBOREE
Sep 20, 2024
The Big Gay Jamboree is heading to the Orpheum Theatre! This fall, the kooky craziness of Marla Mindelle (creator of the hit off-Broadway musical Titanique) is back with an even gayer new musical. Watch in this video as the entire company give s a very special sneak peek!
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0:00
This is Biggie Chamboree
0:04
Well, the Biggie Chamboree
0:20
who wakes up trapped in her and she has to utilize her BFA in musical
0:25
to get out. We've been BFFs since literally. half of our lives, over 20 years
0:32
Literally 20 years. So, yeah, we share the same deranged clown brain, I would say
0:38
which is really a blessing and never a curse. But, yeah, I mean, we share the same sense of humor
0:45
but I mean, Marla and I wrote this originally as a feature film script, I want to say back in, like, 2015
0:51
And we sold it with Margaropi to Paramount. Once was that Paramount, it just, like, died like so many feature film scripts do
0:58
But then Margo came and saw Titanic. Yeah, Margo came and saw Titanic
1:03
This is a true story. I was like, who is that beautiful woman smiling effortlessly in the third row
1:08
She emails me six months later. The email says, hey, it's Margo Robbie. My sisters are like, don't open it
1:13
It sounds like a scam. I open it up And Margo is like Titanic was the greatest thing I ever seen Are you working on anything else And the three of us had decided hey let revive the Big Gay Jambri from the cold dead ground and turn it into a musical
1:26
And Margot was like, great, I'm in. When do you want to do it? And I was like, tomorrow. And she was like, okay, cool
1:30
And it happened so fast. But it has been, like, such a blessing to do it with the most wonderful Hollywood actress
1:38
with my best friends of 20 years. Yeah, Sue. And Sue Wagner and John Johnson
1:43
Like, it's just the best. Yeah, the best producing team. Yeah, very lucky. It's amazing. We speak a kind of coded language
1:52
so we already have that going into it, that it's a shorthand for us, so things move really quickly
1:58
We're also not afraid to, there's no ego. So if we don't like something, we can say
2:03
almost, no. And we love Marla because she will never lie if she doesn't like something
2:09
I have a system where if I don't like something, Connor, the director will just see me go like this
2:14
Whether it's that or most of the time it's that. But to be able to go on writing retreats together and just go to dinner after rehearsals
2:22
it's like every now and again I just have to pinch myself. I get to do this with three of my best friends
2:26
So it's absolutely a dream. Well, first of all, the show is 90 minutes, start to finish, which to me, even if a show I don't like is 90 minutes
2:34
I like we off to a good start That being said it is if you never been inside the Orphium it an iconic venue Little Shop of Horrors Stomp many other shows
2:45
So to be in that space doing a musical like this, which really, again, has its roots in 1940s
2:50
musical, a musical, and with that, it's a big classic musical comedy with a sort of
2:56
unpredictable edge to it. There's elements of improv, I don't want to give too much away, there's elements of improv and audience
3:03
participation. There's a beautiful physical production. I'm so thrilled with the designers and the work
3:07
they are creating and I just think it's going to be a really special evening. One wild ride of
3:14
fun, excitement, and a new way of looking at theater. It provides enough of the scaffolding of a
3:26
classic musical that I was thinking about my parents seeing the show, which now you've seen enough of the show to
3:32
know that maybe some parents would be taken aback by elements of it. But my dad's number one dream
3:39
for years, he's always said to me when I was playing like the acid queen and Tommy and Fantine
3:44
and Le Miz in high school, he was always going, why are you always playing these characters? Why can't
3:49
you just be in the music man? And so I think this will scratch the itch for people that like classical
3:54
musical theater I think Connor Gallagher our director and choreographer is so brilliant at incorporating those real elements A lot of really beautiful dance is in the show that pays homage to the
4:05
great classic musicals. And then we also deconstruct it and make it filthy and nasty and stupid and
4:14
smart ways and smart and stupid ways, which is my favorite combination. So I think people will be
4:20
pleasantly surprised to go on the ride. I think there's stuff for
4:25
middle-aged parents to enjoy as well as, you know, people our age that are ready to
4:31
have a giggle and a gag about some Real Housewives references in the milieu of classic
4:37
musical theater. Even just like the rehearsal process is fine. Connie said a second ago, who doesn't want to laugh every two minutes and just giggle your
4:46
buns off with your pals? So even like if the show, if audiences have even half as much fun watching it as we have had
4:54
making it, then they're in for a treat, because it's been a blast
4:59
Yeah, that's all you want in this, you know, crazy world of acting
5:02
It's a, come into a room and feel safe and support it and, you know, laugh with your friends
5:07
I always said I always want to work with my friends, and we get a chance to do that, so we're really fortunate and really lucky, and I thank my lucky stars every night that we
5:16
get to do this. As do I
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