Interview: Reneé Marie Titus of MOULIN ROUGE at Orpheum Theater

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to BroadwayWorld in Omaha!

Of course.

As I always like to do with these interviews, let’s start at the very beginning. How did you come to find your love of musical theatre?

Wow, so the thing about it, and what I love it so much, is that not everyone’s journey is the same. Mine was a little unconventional. I did not go to school for musical theatre, but I ended up taking a music class because I’d been singing and acting my entire life. I took a music class and my professor, who was this former opera singer, came up to me one time after class and said I was great and asked what I was doing and if I was pursuing this for real. I told her that I had no intention at that time, and she actually took me under her wing and I fell in love with musical theatre. I’m from New York. I lived in New York at the time so I was just immersed in musical theatre and I fell in love with it. I trained with that professor for like 10 years. I just fell into it. That’s how I got my started musical theatre.

You’re so right about how everyone’s journey looks different. Throughout your education and career, whether in musical theatre or not, what is the best piece of advice you’ve received that still sticks with you to this day?

The best advice has to be… Well, I want to say it’s two things. One of them is to really hone your craft. As someone who didn’t go to school for musical theatre, I have to say that I have so much respect for those people who did. So I’ve always made it a point to really study on my own, but also do the classes and do the lessons and stuff like that. Really study your craft and never stop. I still do that. I still do vocal lessons. I’m still learning. The second one is that in this business you need to not to take the “nos” personally. We all get so many of them, and sometimes it feels like the yeses are few and far between. So when you do get the no you just have to let it go and move on. And that has also been one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received. Just try to let go and move on.

Speaking of auditions and yeses and nos… What would you say has been one of your most memorable audition experiences, regardless of whether you received a yes or a no?

Most memorable? I will say that this one was completely memorable because it was such a whirlwind. It happened so quickly! It was one of the quickest audition experiences of my life. I got the initial self tape and then a week later I got the dance call back. It was such a wonderful experience in the room itself. It was so … It just felt really comfortable in there and the creative team were all so welcoming. I got the offer the week after that. It was such a whirlwind, but everything felt great and felt right. So I would say this is definitely been one of the best and most memorable audition experiences I’ve ever had.

You’ve done so many shows in your career already, whether on national tours or doing regional work… Is there a show that you’ve done that holds a special place in your heart? And to that end, is there a show that is still a bucket list show or role for you?

I have to say that Rock of Ages is probably the most fun I’ve ever had on stage. That is definitely up there as one of the best shows of all time for me. Truly. It was just such a joy to go to work and it’s such a funny show and I loved doing it. As far as bucket list shows go, I just want a show where I can really lose myself in the character. I love acting and I want a show where I can just find a character where I can just sink my teeth into it, whatever it may be.

Speaking of characters, Moulin Rouge is incredibly well-known. I think you would be hard pressed to find somebody who has not at least heard of the Moulin Rouge story, whether through the movie or musical production. There are specific characters in the musical that we might not have met in the film, including your character, La Chocolat. Can you tell me a little bit about her?

Sure! La Chocolat is actually based on a real person. They worked at the Moulin Rouge, but I believe it was a man in real life. But yes! She is based off of a real person. She’s one of the Lady M’s who works at the Moulin Rouge and kind of represent the Moulin Rouge. We (the Lady M’s) start the show off with a bang. We kind of introduce the audience to the world of the Moulin Rouge, and I see La Chocolat as the business woman of the bunch. She’s like Zidler’s right hand woman. She handles the day-to-day and the money and knows all the secrets. That’s who La Chocolat is in this production.

When you are approaching a character, whether well-known or not, how do you find the balance between being authentic to the interpretations that came before you while still maintaining your artistic integrity and bringing yourself to the role?

Great question. Honestly, I like to not see the show in advance, which is crazy because I feel like a lot of people don’t do that. I did not have the chance to see Moulin Rouge, so I went into this almost completely blind. All of my work was done in the room with our associate directors. For this role, I just brought myself to it where I picked out parts of her character that I really connected with or that I really felt was Renee and played into that. So I really try to go blind as much as I can and look for the similarities between the character and myself.

Is there a specific part in the show that you are drawn to that is your favorite moment, whether you’re on stage or watching from the wings?

I love Chandelier! It’s my favorite number to do. It’s so fun! We get to just like be silly and grand and sing, and I just love that number.

Different national tours have different lengths of stays in the various cities that they visit, but it seems like Moulin Rouge pretty consistently has a full week or two at minimum in each location. What is a normal day on tour like for you?

So far this tour has just been great. Usually we get to the hotel and most people like to research the city before we go just so we can find things to do. It can be pretty long days and then we do the show at night. The weekends we have the double shows so we have no time on the weekends. Throughout the week we try to find places to go if there are sites that you have to see when you go to certain cities. We all try to go and fit those things in if we can. We try to find great places to eat and great coffee shops to visit. Two weeks seems like a long time, but it really flies and sometimes we don’t get to do much other than the show. Especially with this show, it takes so much from us and we’re always working out or stretching or doing physical therapy or something. We’re trying to get and keep ourselves ready for the show and make sure that we are always healthy. But we try to explore the cities we visit if we can.

What is it about Moulin Rouge that you think comes keeps audiences coming back? It has such a huge Broadway fan base in NYC, and I’m sure it’s no different on tour where you have people coming to see the show time and time again. What draws them in and appeals to the audiences, regardless their ages?

Honestly, it’s just a fantastic production in general! It’s one of the best productions I’d ever seen when I finally saw it. The music is so relatable. We have songs from the movies and we have newer pop songs. And I think the voices are just incredible, no matter which company you are seeing. The choreography is just mind blowing. It all blows you away with the high energy, the costumes and the lights… Everything! It’s a spectacle. I think people just have a really great time when they see the show. You really can’t help it. It’s just wonderful.

What can Omaha audiences expect from the show this week and next?

I think you can just prepare to come and have a great night at the theater. When it comes down to it, it’s a love story and everyone can relate to that. It’s a love story between Christian and Satine, but also between these people who love the Moulin Rouge itself and shows all that they’re trying to do to save it and keep it alive. I think audiences are gonna fall in love with the story and also just have a fun night. Just prepare yourself to walk away had a great time at the theater.

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