Jim Parsons walks on stage wearing a raspberry dress and a feathered headpiece. Below his receding hairline sit two white doves, plastic and proud. He’s playing Ruth, Rose’s acid-tongued mother, in the campy Titanic musical parody Titanique. And he is absolutely radiant.

The Big Bang Theory star began performances at St. James Theatre in March. The musical opened officially on April 12 and will run through July 12, 2026. Parsons makes no attempt to appear female. His baritone voice, his butch delivery, his visible beard—all of it stays. The comedy works because it doesn’t try to hide anything. He’s a man in drag, owning every awkward second.

Critics have called him “awesomely ugly” in the role. One reviewer noted his snooty attitude and the comic points he scores with his deep voice and delivery. Another said he “goes full camp.” The descriptions capture something true. Parsons isn’t performing drag as illusion. He’s performing it as pure character choice. The ugly is intentional. The camp is precise.

What makes Titanique different from other Titanic parodies is that it commits to being ridiculous. It knows what it is. The musical reimagines the disaster as a story told through Celine Dion songs. Yes, that Celine Dion. The whole thing is absurd. And Parsons fits perfectly.

When he appeared on The View in April, Parsons was asked about the role. His answer was simple and genuine. “It’s the most fun I’ve had onstage, ever,” he said. Not in a long time. Ever. The man who won four Emmy Awards for playing a brilliant but socially awkward physicist is happier in a dress and bird headpiece than he’s been in his entire career.

That kind of joy is contagious. It shows in how he moves across the stage. It shows in his comic timing. Audiences can sense when a performer actually wants to be there. When they’re not just collecting a paycheck. Parsons clearly loves this absurd role, and that love travels through the theater.

The show is scheduled to close July 12, so the window is closing. For anyone in New York wanting to see Parsons in the most ridiculous and joyful role of his professional life, time is running short. The St. James Theatre has the tickets. Titanique is waiting. And Jim Parsons is still there in his doves and dress, having the time of his life.