Annie | MissyRambles

Well, it’s here!

Tomorrow night is finally opening night for ANNIE! And I couldn’t let this day go by without a blog shout-out to my daughter, Kelly. Tomorrow night, she will walk out onto a stage in front of a room full of people and say her first spoken line in a show ever.

Her first spoken line. And she’s Annie!

I am blown away by the transformation I’ve seen in my little girl over the past few months of Annie rehearsals. This is the girl who only showed up for auditions in hopes of possibly being one of the orphans (hopefully with no spoken lines), or maybe even just to help backstage like she has done in a few shows in the past. When she was cast as Annie, she was almost in tears. And not the happy kind either. I’m talking more along the lines of the “Oh-my-gosh-what-have-I-gotten-myself-into-help-momma-get-me-out-of-this” kind.

And I’ll be honest with you. I wasn’t so sure she could do it either.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I absolutely knew she was capable of it. The girl has got a beautiful singing voice and can dance like nobody’s business. And she looks the part, without a doubt. But to have the courage to get up in front of all of these people and act? I just wasn’t so sure. She’s always been a “behind the scenes” kind of kid when it came to theatre. I was the actor and she was the kid who would tag along with her mom to watch.

I remember taking her to her first professional theatre show (which was Annie, no less – at Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia). At one point, after being mesmerized myself by the phenomenal performance taking place in front of me, I glanced over to see Kelly’s reaction to the show. And what was she doing? The little thing was turned around backwards in her seat staring up at the lighting booth and the spotlight operator. She was so much more interested in how they were making the show, rather than the show itself. Yep, she loved theatre – but in a much different way than her momma did. She wasn’t just interested in the acting. She fell in love with the process.

And now here she is – the lead role in the summer musical.

It still seems so surreal to me. It has been amazing watching her come out of her shell. She didn’t just peep her head out from the shadows to see what was happening on the stage. She made a huge, flying leap right into the spotlight. And let me tell you – this is where she belongs. And I think she’s starting to see that too. All she needed was a little confidence.

And this brings me to the point I’m really trying to make with all of this.

I’m so incredibly proud of my daughter. I mean, what mom wouldn’t be? But that pride doesn’t come from the fact that she’s Annie. Yes, she has learned to control her beautiful voice and sing songs that she thought she couldn’t manage just a few short months ago. Yes, she has studied hard and learned her lines and rarely misses a beat. Yes, she has done all of the things that make her a great little actress and has come a very long way since that scared little girl was given the news that she was going to be Annie. But none of that is what makes me the most proud.

What makes me the most proud is watching as her confidence and ability soars to new heights, and yet her ego and humility have not budged.

She is the most gracious, most appreciative kid I think I’ve ever seen. She takes compliments from people with a shy sweetness that does not indicate one little ounce of arrogance. She sent out a mass email to the cast and crew last night thanking everyone for their hard work – from the make-up ladies to the costume maker and everyone in between. She has learned first hand how much work it takes to create something this spectacular, and she appreciates each and every minute detail that has been put into making the show a success. That’s something a lot of actors never take the time to see. (I know I’ve been guilty of it myself at times. Too often, actually.)

To excel at something, even attain a bit of greatness at it, and yet still maintain a humble heart? That is something that is very hard to do. It takes a special kind of person for that. I think we could all learn a lesson or two from my little Annie.

And, in closing, I want to mention one more proud momma moment.

I too am in the show. And last night – our second-to-last dress rehearsal before opening night – I felt completely miserable. What is probably an ear and sinus infection (who has time or money to go to the doctor?) hit its peak last night and my body refused to cooperate any further. For the first time in my career as an actor, I had to miss a dress rehearsal. I couldn’t leave, of course, since I was little Annie’s ride home – so someone suggested that I go lie down on a couch in the lobby. So, I did. I took my feverish self to the lobby and crashed. And no sooner did I lie down, than I was out like a light. I only woke up about three times during the entire performance. And you know why?

Once was when Kelly was bringing me a drink of water.

Another time was when she brought a blanket she found in the dressing room to put over me.

And the final time was when she came to tell me the show was over and that it was time to go home.

There she was in one of her final dress performances in her first starring role, and yet she took every down moment she had between her many costume changes and stage appearances, to come check on her sick mom.

Have I mentioned how proud I am of my daughter? I want to be just like her when I grow up.

I know every mom is supposed to brag on our kids. It’s our job. But in my case? In my case, I’ve got someone pretty special here that calls me Mommy. She is definitely a star – on and off the stage.

So, break a leg, sweet girl! It’s your turn to shine.

***

“It must have been cold there in my shadow
To never have sunlight on your face
You were content to let me shine, that’s your way
You always walked a step behind
So I was the one with all the glory,
while you were the one with all the strength.
A beautiful face without a name for so long.
A beautiful smile to hide the pain
Did you ever know that you’re my hero?
You’re everything I wish I could be
I can fly higher than an eagle
Because you are the wind beneath my wings.”
– Bette Midler, Wind Beneath My Wings

I noticed something interesting the other day.

This is my daughter, Kelly.

This picture was taken on the day of her 7th grade graduation. We curled her hair, she had a little makeup on, wore a cute little dress…she was looking pretty darn spiffy. Well, later that evening, she and I had to be at theatre rehearsal. (She was cast as Annie in our local theatre’s upcoming production – if you haven’t already heard me mention that about 3,000 times. I’m just a little bit proud.) She still had her hair curled, still had the little dress on, etc. And something interesting happened. When she stepped on that stage that night, she did the best she had ever done.

Now, granted, my daughter is capable of playing this role. She is beyond capable. But with this being her first large role (first speaking role, even), she’s a bit nervous and a little reserved. Up to this point, she hadn’t found her ‘sea legs,’ so to speak. But by golly, she was swimming that night. That girl was spot on. I saw more spunk and confidence than I had seen thus far.

After rehearsal, I told her what a great job she had done and asked what made her come alive like she did. She said, “I don’t know. I had my hair all curly and a dress on…I guess I just felt like Annie.”

“I guess I just felt like Annie.”

Kinda profound when you think about it. She dressed the part, so she felt like the part. Simple as that.

So, how does that apply to the rest of us?

Granted, I know we’re not all title characters in a musical. Most of us are just out here floating about in our regular everyday lives trying to make it through the day without any major catastrophes. But I think I just learned a pretty good lesson from my 13-year-old daughter. Whatever I want (need?) to be, I just have to “dress the part.”

Let’s take my running for example. Now, I’ve heard a lot of runners have mentioned this before so I’m not alone in this thought process. Sometimes I just don’t feel like running. I just don’t. I know I need to, I know I’ll feel good when it’s over, but none of that matters. I’m just tired and I don’t feel like it. But as soon as I put on my running clothes and running shoes…suddenly, I’m transformed. I went from a lazy bum on the couch who didn’t feel like doing anything at all, to an all-out runner who is raring to go. It’s that simple. I dress like a runner, so I feel like a runner.

Now, that’s a literal example. But maybe this can be applied in a not-so-literal way. Maybe it’s not always an outfit.

Maybe if you want to be a certain thing, you just have to pretend like you are that thing. You know?

You want to be happy? Dress the part. Slap on a smile and be happy. The first time you do it, you may just feel dumb…smiling for no reason like that like a big dummy. But the second time you do it, who knows? You might actually start to feel a little better. The third? Maybe even better. Eventually your smiles will not only fool other people into thinking that you’re actually happy…you might even start to fool yourself. How about that?

Dress the part.

You want to forgive someone who hurt you? Act like you have. Seriously. Just act like that. When those negative thoughts pop into your mind, tell yourself that that person is forgiven. You don’t have to mean it. Just say it. Again – at first, it will feel silly. You’ll feel like a liar. But the next time? Maybe it will feel like a little less of a lie. The next time? Even less. Eventually, maybe it just might not be a lie. Maybe it’ll even become the truth.

Maybe you can put on that little imaginary cloak of forgiveness and finally – finally – just move on.

Dress the part.

Fill in the blank with whatever you need to fill it in with. You want to be a more positive person? Act like you’re a positive person. You want to be a better friend? Be a better friend. You want to trust someone? Trust them.

You want to love someone? Love them.

Dress the part.

Start with baby steps. Then bigger steps. Then keep increasing your stride until you’re moving at full speed.

YOU alone have the power to change everything.

***

“Endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”
– Socrates