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Tiffany Makes Off-Broadway Debut in 'Spandex the Musical'
ReTiffany Makes Off-Broadway Debut in 'Spandex the Musical'
The 1980s pop icon returns to her first love—acting and dancing—in a limited Off-Broadway run that benefits Children's Miracle Network.
Tiffany, the pop singer who became a teenage sensation in 1987 with the chart-topping hit «I Think We're Alone Now,» has made her Off-Broadway debut in «Spandex the Musical.» The 54-year-old performer, whose full name is Tiffany Darwish, is playing Linda Gustafson, a housewife who competes in a fictional 1988 aerobics championship. The limited engagement runs through Sept. 27.
The role marks a return to the acting and dancing dreams Tiffany pursued before music stardom interrupted them. «Before music came into my life, I was a dancer and an actor, and those dreams were put on hold when 'I Think We're Alone Now' took off and my recording career began,» she told People magazine in July. She described the project as «a true full-circle moment.»
Tiffany's path to fame began with the Shopping Mall Tour '87, a grassroots campaign that had her performing free concerts at malls across the country starting in June 1987. The strategy helped turn the then-15-year-old into a household name. By September of that year, her cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells song «I Think We're Alone Now» had reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 less than two months after its release. The single was the second from her self-titled debut album, which also produced the No. 1 hit «Could've Been,» a Beatles cover titled «I Saw Him Standing There» that peaked at No. 7, and «Feelings of Forever,» which reached No. 50. At 16, she became the youngest female artist to top the Billboard 200 with a debut album.
She headlined her first major tour in 1988, with New Kids on the Block as her opening act before the boy band's own rise. But sustaining that level of success proved difficult. Her 1988 sophomore album, «Hold an Old Friend's Hand,» was certified platinum and yielded the Top 10 hit «All This Time,» yet it did not match the commercial force of her debut. As the teen-pop landscape shifted in the early 1990s, her third album, «New Inside,» failed to gain traction. A fourth album, «Dreams Never Die,» was released in 1993 only in Asian markets.
Tiffany largely stepped back from the mainstream music scene to raise her son Elijah, whom she shares with ex-husband Bulmaro Garcia. The couple was married from 1992 to 2003. In the early 2000s, she left Hollywood and moved to Nashville, a decision she discussed in a 2023 interview. «I came to Nashville for the first time when I was 10,» the California native recalled. «I've been coming back ever since. I love being out in the country – I'm a country girl at heart. I've toured all over the world and this place has always been home for me. There's just something about coming home to my little ranch… I've never looked back.»
Since her teenage stardom, Tiffany has continued to tour and release music as an independent artist. She has appeared in films and television shows and starred in several reality series. In recent years, she built a culinary brand called «Let's Food With Tiffany,» offering recipes, virtual cooking experiences, and food-focused events. Earlier this year, she released her second cookbook, «POP LIFE: The Ultimate '80s Kitchen Encore,» created with Las Vegas celebrity chef Alicia Shevetone. It followed her first cookbook, «Breakfast with Tiffany,» which she released independently.
In «Spandex the Musical,» Tiffany performs «I Think We're Alone Now» during the curtain call after each show. A portion of the proceeds benefits Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit that raises money for 170 children's hospitals across the United States and Canada. «There are so many wonderful parallels between Linda's journey and my own, and I'm thrilled the producers have even woven in some fun Tiffany Easter eggs that I know longtime fans are going to love,» she told People. She added that the project is especially meaningful because of the charitable component. «Making my Off-Broadway debut with such a funny, heartfelt and uplifting show is truly a dream,» she said.
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