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[0:00] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's The Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon. Welcome to The Roundtable, everybody. You're listening to us on the Broadway Podcast Network or watching us right here on our virtual talk show. You know, years ago, a couple years ago, I was on a boat, and it was a press day for a show that no one heard of called Titanic. And I went with my cousin, Adrian, we brought our little camcorder and we were like, what is this going to be? And then we fell in love with Titanic. We fell in love with the creative team of Titanic. And then the word on the street was Nicole Parker was in the show, knocking the Celine Dion off the bow of the ship. And she's back and you only have till the end of the month, then she's going to be at Green Room 42. And then she's taking over the entire world. Nicole Parker is here.

[0:59] Nicole Parker: Oh my gosh, thank you so much for talking about Green Room 42. I'm just going to squeeze it in right before I leave. You got to do it all. You have to do it all. Absolutely. But we're, we're such fans of yours, because we've been watching you from the Mad TV days. And we've been watching you and your musical theater days. And now you literally can get to combine all the impersonations, all of the comedy with all the vocals. What's it like to do this show all week long?

[1:27] Nicole Parker: Oh, it's the best time ever. It really is your what, like you said, it combines everything I like to do. And I you don't really come along a job like that. I'd say the Martin Short Show that I did, he becomes me was similar. But this time, you know, I have more freedom. And it honestly, I could just do it, probably for the rest of my life. And you know, Celine is ageless. So hopefully I can do it, you know, for the rest of my life. But I love it. I love it dearly.

[1:56] Robert Bannon: I think Celine is ageless and no spoiler alert. She is timeless. She's even, you know, thousands of years old by the end of Titanic. But that is the show is so brilliant and so funny. And the show really works based on the cast as well. How was it like to be up there with this group of actors every single day?

[2:15] Nicole Parker: Amazing both times, there are some people who are the same actors that I started with four of us, Lindsay, Heather Pierce, Brenda Gutierrez, and Michael Williams, we all started at the same time. And we were newbies. And now so many people, there's been such a turnover that those three are sort of like the seniors in the class. And Ty Blue and Marlon and Constantine, recently, they wrote, those are my buddies from LA. And they wrote such if I was around when they were writing it. You know, we always talked about how we hope that I could come and do it. So that was great that after all these years, I was able to do that. I'm very grateful to them for inviting me along for it. They've written a show that works so well.

[3:03] Nicole Parker: So first of all, it speaks to the show that they can bring in people that just lend their own individual specialness to the part. And what I love about the show so much, when I watched it, when I was about to go back in again, it really is equal opportunity for everyone, everyone gets their chance to slay like multiple times, you know, just everyone and you hardly ever get to see a show like that where it's an ensemble, but also everyone's a star in their own right, you know. And so I just love that spirit that everyone is like, yes, sing, yes, get it like this the whole time. And everyone celebrates that. And the people they have to cast, especially if they're swings, they have to be the most unbelievable superstars.

There are individuals in this cast that can sing Molly Brown and sing all by myself at the end, they can do Celine impressions, they can riff, they can be funny. They're all hilarious. They're all brilliant. They're also young. And it's very impressive, and a little intimidating, I'll be honest.

[4:06] Nicole Parker: No, but it's so incredible. And they're so great. And it really is a party, you know, and it still can be tiring, because it's like you're putting out so much energy, but it's just so much fun, that that kind of overrides everything.

[4:22] Robert Bannon: Well, I've seen it multiple times. And like I said, I saw that press day and was like, what is this and saw it underneath the Gristidis off Broadway and saw it now in the fancy theater. Now you all have moved on and up in your lives. And you pack the house, people come with bachelor parties, birthday parties, celebrations, like if you're looking for a good time in New York City, it's a Saturday night, and you're going to go celebrate with friends. There's nowhere else better to start your evening than over at Titanic. How do you find your Celine? What did you do to find the moments and the mannerisms and the voice?

[4:57] Nicole Parker: Well, Robert, I have been doing Celine for, I mean, I want to say almost 20 years. So, you know, I feel like Celine found me a long time ago. But it has evolved. Because the funny thing about being older is how different things were in a more analog time. And I can remember being on MADtv. I mean, I auditioned for MADtv with impressions and Celine was one of them. And I was, I mean, that was in 2003, I want to say 2004, 2003 was a long time ago. So that's how long I've been doing Celine. And, but at the time, you only had music, CDs, you know. And at the time, there was a research department. I don't even know if that's a thing anymore at sketch shows or anything, because you couldn't just go on YouTube and watch her DVD, that DVD that I that I was able to watch this time around to get so much more of her mannerisms and everything that was shot of her show in Vegas that wasn't even in existence, because her show in Vegas wasn't even in existence.

So what you had were maybe a few appearances on like the AMAs or an interview here and there, and they would bring you a VHS tape. And it would just say Celine research on it. And then you got to watch maybe the three clips that the research department had found by watching TV all day and keeping on the schedule. That's what they had to do. This is what they had to do back in the day, children. They're like, Oh, so he's going to be on Good Morning America. And, and so you would have just these quick clips.

[6:21] Nicole Parker: So I would like to hope that my impression has gotten more accurate and has evolved over time, because there's just there was more content to observe, right. And I'm also someone who loves a great impression of Celine, like, I think impressionists love other impressionists, because it's sort of a nerdy, strange, bizarre niche, obsession to have hobby to have, if you will, illness, whatever you want to call it. But so I mean, I love Marla's impression. Jackie Brunza's was amazing. All the girls who have done it as a swings. And Christina Bianco does an amazing Celine and we're buddies and always are just like, Oh, that's good, because I love it when I can see someone do sort of like a different angle, or they hone in on a specific twist or a specific sound.

I just love it. And it inspires me. But this time around, I watched a lot of that DVD, because there's so much in there. Also, people now have YouTube compilations of her being amazing. And so there's so much I'm like, okay, now I can actually hopefully get it a little better.

[7:34] Nicole Parker: But at the same time, so there's the accuracy and and there's certain things times where I think it serves the show. And other times, I think you need to focus on, you know, just the fitting in with the tone of the show. So I'd say like one half is like, yeah, studying it, watching how she's holding her voice, listening to the accent, you know, working on the singing and how she gets certain notes and and what what she uses her tools, but also I think a huge key to playing Celine Dion in Titanic is you have to be enjoying yourself. Because if there's anything about Celine, she is enjoying herself. And it doesn't matter how ridiculous it doesn't matter what choices she makes. She actually doesn't stop to think of a choice. She really just is the ultimate yes and or of like, I feel like doing something I'm going to do it, you know, because I feel like I'm gonna do it. Even though guess what, we don't care. Because we're like, that's fabulous.

[8:26] Nicole Parker: So it's really like if you can get to the places as an actor where you just are uninhibited, and don't judge yourself, but be having fun and just be full of learn for the crowd and for yourself. I feel like that's winning. I feel like that is essential to having a good time and having a successful, you know, be being Celine in Titanic. I think that that's key. And that's, of course, started by the team that wrote it, you know, which is what moved them to her in the first place and the whole spirit of this. So I'd say it's a two prong two prong Celine approach.

[9:01] Robert Bannon: I love it. Well, Titanic musical.com is where you can go get your tickets, grab your tickets. They're on sale for I don't know forever. And they'll and you're there until the end of the month.

[9:11] Nicole Parker: I am I am. So jump, jump and get your tickets. And you can follow Nicole on Instagram at NF Parker girl. And you could stay up to date on all of the things that is Nicole Parker, like this green room 42 show that you're ending your your run and then running to green room 42 just running just heading uptown with a wig falling and the glittery dress.

[9:34] Nicole Parker: I have a different way for this character that I play named Jillian Jenkins. She's like a Suzanne Somers.

[10:08] Nicole Parker: I wrote original music for it, but she was famous for a sitcom in the 70s called She's Got a Job, and she played the secretary, Callie Carter. And so it's all fictitious, but it's all sort of inspired by how ridiculous, again, our obsession with celebrity is, and now I can update it to things that are within pop culture now. And there's some improv in it, there's some improvised music and some improvised sections. So you get to come and be a part of it, if you'd like, and throw out some suggestions. So Greenroom42.com, she's got her leotard ready, you should see the picture. And I have a picture of it. I believe I've been on is the genius Matthew Caston, who was the wig master for Mad TV, who again, the makeup and the hair and the word departments at Mad TV, they were geniuses and deserved every Emmy that they won and should have gotten more.

He designed the wig for me, and I still have her after all this time. It's just a monstrosity of red, there it is with terrible blonde highlights. There she is. And, and so I still have that wig after all this time. It's a light it to me, it's an iconic wig.

[11:16] Robert Bannon: Well, what's fascinating about you, Nicole, is that, you know, all my LA friends have known and been praising the Nicole Parker, LA scene, the comedy, the music, and you did Broadway, and you did Martin Short, like you said, I remember seeing that back when that was here. And you did Elphaba. And you did, you know, you did the Groundlings, and the Groundlings are legendary. And then, well, I just want to clarify, I'm sort of I am very lucky to have just been invited by the Groundlings for again, the last like 15 years or so, I did not go through their whole program. But I do a show with them called Cooking with Gas, I only just because it's so rigorous, I would never allow anyone to just, I would never misrepresent that I went through all I understand everyone there enormously. But it's been so wonderful that I feel like I'm a part of the family because I've done this show Cooking with Gas with them for truly about 15, 16 years. So yes, I spent a lot of time there.

[12:10] Nicole Parker: Yes. Well, it's a journey from, you know, when I think about when I bring actors on you at Indiana State University, your university IU. Yes, from there, to the television gamut to the Mad TV of it all. And, you know, doing the Britney Spears and the Jessica Simpson and on television, to then transition that to Broadway, you have to bring chops Nicole, like they don't just like pick you up out of obscurity, you have to come and sing your face off to be Elphaba or to be Celine. So how's the journey? What is it like when you reflect and look at the overall arching journey from that girl that was in school till today?

[12:44] Nicole Parker: Well, I mean, it is strange for me that Mad TV happened first, because that was not obviously the plan. That's not how life works. Sometimes other things come along and you go, okay. And I, because when someone thinks of me as LA, I'm like, No, but I danced to my mom's final record of Maine when I was nine. You know, like that's it doesn't get more before it was cool to even be in musical theater before you could Facebook friend Mandy Patinkin. Do you know what I mean? Like, we can do any of that. Okay, I couldn't do any of that. I couldn't bootleg I couldn't watch. I had four pictures from Maine. And that's all I had. I couldn't find anymore, because there was no online, you know, so like, my face was what I like to call Sondheim white, which is the color of faces when it doesn't go out in the yard and practice any kind of athletic ability.

No, I was trying to learn all of the lines to It's Your Fault. And I had to rewind my cassette tape a million times to learn into the woods lyrics to that. So it's like, that's like dedication. That's like nerd dedication. So it was confusing to me. But I always say I never I can't decide what I fell in love with first comedy or musicals and obviously musical comedy was my favorite. But I mean, I was watching Laughing and I had my best of Gilda Radner tape and I but I also love Madeline Kahn and Carol Burnett people who did do both they did Broadway and they did comedy. I was like, Well, I want to do that. I don't want to have to choose. But that lends to a chaotic career in terms of like, Oh, where is she?

What's she doing now? But I don't really I can't imagine taking away one of the other that the piece of the puzzle is missing is I went to a place called Boom Chicago right out of college that you might not have heard of it, but you've heard of their alumni. I was out there with Jordan Peele and Ike Barinholtz and Jason Sudeikis. It's the whole reason Ted Lasso exists. Amber Ruffin, who's now you know, not only wrote Some Like It Hot the book for Some Like It Hot, but is now working on The Wiz. And it was a pretty crazy lineup of comedians out there. And it's an all-American show in English for an international audience to do sketch and improv. And it was a full boot camp. It was one of the hardest things I ever did.

It was terrifying. You have to get people up on stage. You have no idea what's going to happen. I mean, it prepared me for truly anything. It prepared me for something like Celine where I'm dealing with the audience. That's just like nothing. You know, it's like it can still be a little bit, but it's so natural to me to be like, well, I'm ready. I'm ready to deal with whatever situation, you know. And it was because of that.

[15:09] Nicole Parker: What's funny is that, you know, they everyone from that went to either SNL or Mad TV and we were all going to those places. But I'm just thinking, even though I was like 24 and living in Europe and working, I was like, but I got to get to Broadway. You know, I just got to get back. My life is flashing before my eyes. It's like you were living in you. You should have stayed for three more years, for God's sakes, because it was amazing. But I came back to New York. But now all my contacts were in comedy. So now I was doing shows at UCB under the Christie's when it was the original UCB space and just as disgusting, but filled with hilarious people. And by that point, Seth Meyers, his brother Josh and Ike Barinholtz were on Mad TV and they could suggest my name to audition in New York.

So. So, yeah, weirdly, I was in New York too. I was doing the non-equity auditions. I was getting there at six in the morning, whatever mysterious sign up some girl had started when they're like, and we already started one, you know, and all that stuff. Get to the audition at like five p.m. and you're like, what am I even auditioning for? I don't even remember. So while I was there doing that, then, you know, this came along. And in my mind, even though I also desperately I made a tape for SNL, you know, I desperately wanted to be on that. But you have to understand, like Jordan Peele was my best friend. We started Boom Chicago the same week we were one year apart, born on the same day. He's like my brother and Ike Barinholtz.

And then other of my friends were auditioning for Mad. And I just thought, well, I want to be with my friends, you know, and also I'm from California. So this would be great. And, you know, they really wanted a lot of impressions. And so that's something that I could do. So that's kind of how Mad TV happened because of Boom Chicago. I don't believe I would have ever gone there if I hadn't done Boom.

[17:32] Nicole Parker: And the thing is, I did improv and musical theater in college. And I had a friend in college who went on to do Boom Chicago. That's how I even heard of it. You know, Jill Benjamin ahead of me went. And I just thought, well, that's cool. You know, it's like it was. And what's funny is I think what got me the job is the musical improv section because I just saw everyone else shrink back. I'm like, well, I can do this, you know. So that sort of became my thing. And then, of course, I met TV. I did as much singing as I could. We're to the point where people were sick of it. And the only reason the Martin Short thing came about is because Dick Lasucci, who was our showrunner, used to work with Marty on SETV up in Canada. So that's where he sort of suggested my name. And so it's, you know, it's just gone like this the whole time.

[17:48] Robert Bannon: It's a podcast. Sorry about that. I use my hands in a wavy motion.

[17:53] Nicole Parker: No, it's on YouTube, too. So if you're listening, then just click over to the YouTube and see Nicole's really crucial that you see my hand. Oh, it won't make any sense without it.

[18:00] Robert Bannon: Well, what I have to say is that we are grateful for the journey. We are grateful for the laughs. We are grateful for your James Blunt impersonation. We are grateful. We are grateful for all. And if you are in New York, go to greenroom42.com and get tickets. And if you are in New York at any time over the next month, make sure you go to titanicmusical.com and grab your tickets. And I'm just a fan. I'm excited. I'm excited. My partner is in Detroit, and he's never seen Titanic. And we plan to come and see the show because you can't be gay in New York City and not come see the show, people. Straights, too. But really, if you're gay, where have you been? All of you can come. Actually, you can tell that there's a lot of people coming from around the country.

And you can tell you can sort of tell the ratio of like gay to straight individuals in the audience based on the laughter. But yes, please come. And also, if you enjoy improv and you enjoy podcasts, my podcast, The Neighborhood Listen, is also something that you can find with Paula Tompkins. So it's totally improvised. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed with you. Thank you for being here. It's an honor and a pleasure to have you here.

[18:58] Nicole Parker: Well, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.