They'll always be MY brides and brothers

*Warning: This post could get sappy...and long.*

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers has ended. It's over! I am sadder than I can possibly say. I love every show that I do, and I always meet fantastic people, but I think I can honestly say that I could have done this show for a year and never gotten tired of it (provided I didn't also have to work during that day. The schedule was tough). It may be my favorite show that I've ever done. I was not ready for the experience to end, and I haven't had the chance to stop and mourn it yet. I miss it.

As is my custom after I close a show, I'll now try to share some of my favorite memories and stories. It seems such an inadequate and incomplete way to commemorate a show that meant so much to me. But, I guess that's true of any experience. I read my journal, look at photos, and watch the video if I have one, but it's not the same as being there, living in the moment, and knowing that your life will never be the same again.

"Milly... how 'bout marrying me?"

To be fair, I did warn you this might be sappy.

"Beautiful, glorious, heavenly, marvelous, wonderful, wonderful day!"

This show was so hard! If I wasn't in a scene, I was backstage getting ready for one. I was on my feet pretty much the entire time, and by the end of any given performance my feet and back ached (next time I do a show requiring character shoes, I'm going to spring for some that are my size. This awesome DI pair are just too big). Although I worried about my lines and lyrics and the dancing, by the time we opened I felt confident and didn't make many noticeable mistakes for the paying masses. We had wonderfully supportive audiences and I was always grateful to talk with them afterwards. I was thrilled by how many of my friends came! And there were a lot of friends I hadn't seen in years. It was awesome!

I had the best "seat" in the house. I had full access to my cast members' facial expressions and ad libs and energy. Every time Brett (the actor playing Adam, wearing blue in my photos) looked at me in wonder and delight after I accepted his marriage proposal, I couldn't help but melt inside. So sincere and so cute! And dear Cody (Frank, in purple) worrying about doing "sissy stuff" during "Goin' Courtin'" just made me happy.


Then there was the scene when I meet all the brothers; they had such different reactions and with the audience laughing openly it was SO HARD not to laugh, too! The first shock at seeing Shane (Caleb, in orange) popping out of the laundry was killer, as was the bashfulness of Brandon (Daniel, in yellow) expressed in that foot moving back and forth. Actually, I did crack up once. I couldn't help it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Michael (Ephraim, in green) pull a lacy camisole out of my suitcase and put it on his head and I lost it. I put my face in my hands for just a second, and then tried to recover by looking at Adam with a fiercely angry expression... it took me a good minute to trust myself to look at anyone else and react to what was going on.

One day as I was getting ready, I looked at myself in the mirror, and with my crazy curly hair and excessively long eyelashes and pink lips I blurted, "I look like 'Little House on the Prairie Barbie!'" Doesn't hurt that my costumes were AWESOME! I sort of -- only sort of -- wish women still wore bloomers and petticoats and corsets. I really think my looks are best suited to period pieces, which is one of the reasons I enjoy theatre so much.


May I just say, it was a little disconcerting yelling offstage at the brothers to give me their winter underwear? The boys were all changing out of their winter underwear and into their blankets. Sure, they were wearing biker shorts under their costumes, but I made a choice pretty quickly not to look directly at them. Changing in front of people is a way of life in the theatre, but that doesn't mean we necessarily like people watching.

One thing my 20 years of theatre training has taught me is to pause for laughter. Thank goodness, because there was a lot of it, especially in the scenes with the brothers. I did a lot of pausing in this show. However, I can do a lot with my facial expressions and body language, so even though I might not be able to say my lines right away I felt like the show was still moving along, which was nice.

One thing I've never mastered? Ad-libbing. I live in fear of having to cover up flubbed lines and missed entrances! During the middle of "Goin' Courtin'" the boys all left the stage to change out of their blankets and into a full set of clothes (shirts, pants, socks, shoes, removal of beard-stubble makeup) and I was left on stage alone. I worked out some ad-libs during rehearsal, but I was always afraid it would take Ephraim just a little bit longer one night and I'd have to keep going. Fortunately, he always showed up before I could get too uncomfortable. I'll love him forever for that.

"Look whose suited up like a dandy!"

I also love that I taught Ephraim how to waltz. So, when I'd grin that silly grin at him at the beginning of our solo it was because of my immense pride. He was such a cutie -- so nervous and serious and talented!

Okay, how adorable are these girls? The answer is: completely adorable. They worked freakishly hard and never complained, even when Nichole (Martha, in bright green) and Dani (Dorcas, in sea foam green) both sprained their ankles during performances. As far as I know, they didn't even mind too much when we couldn't get the rights to the "June Bride" song. None of us ever had any arguments, were free with compliments, always happy to help where we could, and very supportive. One day, when I broke down in tears (I was laughing, then I was crying -- I don't know what happened!) Nichole and Erin (Ruth, in orange) took me in the dressing room and just listened and let me be sad until I wasn't anymore. One of my favorite moments was watching them backstage as they silently performed "We've Got to Make it Through the Winter" while their brother counterparts performed onstage. So funny! They tried hard to include me whenever they could, even though when they were backstage I was onstage and vice versa. They were the best little sisters I could have ever wished for!


And I've got to say that I'm glad I didn't dance in the big Challenge dance. I have no idea how the brides, brothers, and suitors just kept going and going for 5 and-a-half minutes. They are my heroes!

My costar, Brett, was terrific. He and his girlfriend got engaged during the run and I couldn't be happier for them! They are two of the nicest, most genuine people you'll ever meet. And he's such a good actor! I really enjoyed playing opposite him every night. I must admit that most of the time when things went wrong it was my fault (like the laughing incident), but he never let it phase him, and it usually resulted in he and I permanently changing our line delivery in some fun way. He and I worked hard on our characters and relationship and by the time we started to perform we were comfortable with each other. It's nice to have that kind of trust with a costar. Trust that neither of us will take advantage during the kissing, trust that we'll help each other out with flubbed lines, and trust that we'll consistently do our part to make the show a good one.

Trust is a big deal in any show, really. This one had a lot of difficult fight and dance choreography, fast costume changes, scene changes, and specific props. I very much appreciate all of the people who helped me keep track of the insane number of props I had to deal with during the show. They were always where they needed to be, and I could not help but thank them every time I went offstage and someone handed me yet another tray of food. I had one thirty-second costume change, and without fail my three helpers were there to help me. Bless them.

"Now tap him on the shoulder and
say 'May I?' and the gentleman
will step aside."

For the most part, I gave up Diet Coke and ice cream for a month. My voice is pretty, but it's not terribly robust and I'm not an alto, and singing eight songs a night six times a week definitely took its toll. I figured it was worth the sacrifice of some of my favorite junk food to sound as good as I could. I love, love, loved the music and never ceased to be awed that I got to sing Milly's songs. My favorite song in rehearsal, "One Man" ended up being one of the hardest songs in performance. Turns out, walking around the stage three times in two minutes while singing a belting song is hard work; I was always out of breath afterwards. But, it was a dream come true to command the stage like that and hear the applause afterwards!

The cast and crowd's favorite song, however, was "I'm Glad That You Were Born" a lullaby I sang to the baby. I could not believe how many compliments I received and the number of people who told me I'd made them cry! It was a hard song for me because it was right in my breaking range. Consequently, I didn't use a lot of dynamics. I just sang it straight and loved that little baby doll and enjoyed being the center of attention. It was always worth it when Brett would come onstage and I could see tears in his eyes. It was an honor to share that tender moment with the audience. Someday I hope to sing it to my own babies.

There are so many more things I want to talk about, things I want to remember, but I think I'll save them for my journal. Good-bye Seven Brides. I loved you and I'll miss you terribly. Thank you for being everything I hoped it would be. Thank you for fulfilling so many of my dreams, for introducing me to such terrific people, and for helping me to grow in talent and confidence. I am so grateful to have been a part of this show.

Now it really does feel over.

I'm still not ready.