Cincinnati homegrown soccer star Rose Lavelle made a debut performance of a different kind with another well-known Rose Aug. 11.
Lavelle, who plays for Gotham FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), briefly appeared in the Broadway musical “Titanique” at the St. James Theatre. “Titanique” is a comedy which parodies the 1997 Oscar-winning film “Titanic,” which was set on the doomed ship.
The musical features several characters from the film and is told from the perspective of Celine Dion, who recorded the iconic Oscar-winning song from the movie, “My Heart Will Go On.” Dion, played by Marla Mindelle, is a main character in the musical and several of her hits are part of the show.
The show was nominated for four Tony Awards in 2026, including
Best Musical.
Lavelle appeared on stage for less than a minute and didn’t have any lines. She appeared carrying a large ax as the musical parodied a classic scene from the film, when Kate Winslet’s Rose DeWitt Bukater uses an ax to free Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack Dawson from handcuffs as water fills the lower bowels of the ship. Lavelle’s name was announced as she walked onto the stage with a smile on her face.
The character Rose, played by Melissa Barrera, took the ax from her and freed Constantine Rousouli’s Jack in a scene played for laughs. Then she gave the ax back to Lavelle.
The musical also stars Frankie Grande as Victor Garber, and Jim Parsons, best known as Sheldon on "The Big Bang Theory," as the elderly version of Rose.
Lavelle’s Gotham FC Club promoted her appearance in the musical ahead of time, and players attended the show. The show shared video of her scene on social media.
It is part of a Broadway-themed week for the NWSL team heading into their home game Aug. 14. The club will have a fireworks show accompanied by Broadway hits after the game.
Gotham, the reigning NWSL champions, is in first place in the current standings with a 12-3-4 record (40 points). Lavelle has four goals for the season.
She was included in the NWSL Best XI of the month for July, helping the team to a 4-1-1 record, including a win over rival Washington in front of more than 42,000 fans July 15 match at Citi Field.
Lavelle started all six matches, totaling 507 minutes while scoring two goals, both game-winners against the Washington Spirit and Seattle Reign FC. She also registered 10 shots, including five on target, while creating 10 chances during the month.
Lavelle also picked up her 50th career NWSL start in August.
Gotham has 11 more regular-season games to play, including Sept. 11 at Louisville.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati soccer star Rose Lavelle stars on stage with another Rose
