The Happiest Day of My Life
“All the world’s a stage”
One time… during rehearsal of Spring Awakening… I was proposed to by a 16 year old boy.
Down on one knee, in front of the entire rehearsal room, with a ring pop… proposed. I was twenty-three, embarrassed and amazed. In complete shock , yet not at all surprised that this confident, charming, theater kid to the extreme, had the guts to pull something like this off. I mean, I’m not a monster or anything but I tell it like it is.
I met this young man, whom I shall call George, when I was twenty one years old. He was one of the companies few high school boys. He was eager, smart and quite popular among the other students in the program. The most shining example of his popularity was the amount of promposals he received…. I swear every week someone was asking him to a prom in another elaborate and ridiculous way. My personal favorite being the girl who changed lyrics to a song in the middle of rehearsal, which totally stopped a full run of the show. We have since banned promposals. I blame George.
23 Year old Lexie
George and I were buddies. We talked about theater a lot. As someone who had recently graduated from a major musical theater program, he was intrigued by my overall understanding of the business. We talked about school and all of the ways he participated in the community (another thing we had in common… I’m a joiner too). We talked about respecting women… open doors…. Buy flowers… the basics. Only being seven years older than him, I was like the big sister he always wanted - but also jokingly said he wanted to marry when he was older.
Halloween comes rolling along. All the students show up to rehearsal in costume. There is nothing like theater kids on Halloween. They go ALL out. Some kids go the inside joke way, dressing up as characters from cult musicals and expecting everyone to know exactly who they are. Others aren’t afraid to play with the ridiculous, over the top costumes. The whole slutty Halloween thing hasn’t really hit the theater community yet, thank god. George came in a full tux.
Me: And what are you supposed to be?
George: (confidently and without hesitation) The man of your dreams.
Me: Gross (walks away)
Ten minutes later, I see a rustling in the corner. The squirrel and Fantine from Les Mis were huddled with ‘The man of my dreams’ in the corner whispering and looking over at me. I felt like I was in high school, with kids talking about me behind my back. I went and hid with the music director behind the piano and pretended to discuss the inner workings of Duncan Sheik as a composer.
I see George inching his way towards the piano. A large group of students are filing in behind him, phones out, laughing, shh’ing eachother…. This cannot be good. I retreat further in to the piano but I feel push back from the music director. He is in on this too!!!
George drops to one knee and pulls out a bright red ring pop from behind his back. I laugh, uncontrollably, beyond embarrassed.
George: Lexie…. Will you marry me?
From the day he proposed! The happiest day of my life.
The entire room starts to laugh. I start to laugh. George even starts to laugh because this whole thing is utterly ridiculous. What was I supposed to say to this? Sure? Hell no get away from me you crazy sixteen year old? I couldn’t do that, it was all in good fun. So I take the ring pop and say ‘Talk to me when you are out of college’!’.
George, now twenty-two, is still as charming and eager as ever. Oh and did I mention, he graduated from Harvard?
