Tiffany, the 1980s pop star, made her New York theatrical debut this week with the off-Broadway opening of her new show Spandex: The Musical. The 54-year-old leads the comedy as a 1980s Miami housewife who forms a close friendship with her aerobics instructor Lorraine, played by Sims Lamason. They eventually enter the 1988 Crystal Light Aerobic Championship, which was a real life extravaganza co-hosted by the late Alan Thicke. In footage posted by TV producer John Pascarella , Tiffany regaled the crowd at the first preview Thursday with her 1987 smash hit single I Think We're Alone Now. Her audience was clearly awash in devoted fans of hers, as many of the onlookers could be heard singing along to the number. She was decked out in sparkling blue gym-wear redolent of the retro Florida setting of the show, which is backed by Crunch Fitness. The Daily Mail has contacted Tiffany's representative for comment.

Tiffany's stage triumph comes five years after she went viral for swearing at a fan during a shambolic rendition of I Think We're Alone Now in Melbourne, Florida . During the performance, she began to lose her voice and miss certain lyrics, so some members of the audience started singing supportively along, but she nevertheless grew so unnerved that she snapped at one of them: '[Expletive] you!' As her outburst circulated online, she posted an apology video explaining that she had been reacting to the unexpected vocal issues she encountered. 'I am so sorry. I panicked. It's not often that I lose my voice and I got up there and just absolutely had a panic attack, a meltdown,' she said. 'And out of my frustration, I said things that I don't mean, at all. I love you guys very, very much,' insisted the songstress, whose full name is Tiffany Renee Darwish.

Thanking admirers for their 'love' and 'concern,' she said she had been 'horrified' over the preceding few days because she had 'not been in that situation' before. 'I pride myself in being able to come and bring it to my shows and I love being with you guys and I had no clue I had a vocal problem,' she said. Along with I Think We're Alone Now, Tiffany's hit singles have included the 1987 release Could've Been and the 1988 song All This Time. Although her music career subsequently failed to return to the heights she reached as a teenager in the late 1980s, she has featured on several reality shows since, including Celebrity Fit Club and Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. She played herself on an episode of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother and competed on the Australian edition of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.

Tiffany raved that her latest project, Spandex: The Musical, 'has everything I love: music, comedy, big personalities, ’80s energy and a story about people fighting for their dreams,' in an interview with the blog Call Me Adam . 'There are also some Tiffany "easter eggs" in the show, which makes the experience incredibly special for me. If I’m going to make my New York stage debut, this feels like the perfect way to do it,' the California-born songstress said. She maintained the production was not merely an exercise in 'nostalgia' but also contained 'a message about believing in yourself, finding your voice and not allowing someone else to decide what you’re capable of.' The show began its limited engagement at Asylum NYC in the Flatiron District on September 17 and will continue through September 27.