Interview: Meg Millane - Bride To Be
Meg Millane is a New York-based comedian, actor, and producer, known to be the most charismatic person on this planet. Last year, she attended the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and she is happy to return this year with her solo show Bride To Be—a comedy about a woman deep in wedding planning.
As she navigates and unravels the history and cultural weight of marriage, she forces herself to confront what commitment actually means to her. Torn between spectacle and substance, she must decide if she’s planning a wedding... or redefining it. Meg has been described as 'quite literally a star' (BeyondTheCurtain.co.uk) and as having 'the energy of a chihuahua who’s had a triple shot espresso' (EvulveProductions.com).
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/bride-to-be
Venue: Thistle Theatre at Greenside @ Riddles Court
When: 7-15 August
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself and what Bride To Be is all about?
I am a NYC comedian/actor, and I love cats... the animal, not the musical... although the revival is incredible! I moved to NYC 11 years ago in hopes of being a Broadway dancer and spent many years training extensively in tap, jazz and ballet before making a hard pivot turn to comedy. My first solo show, How To Give Up on Your Dreams, can tell you all about that.
Bride To Be, my newest creation, is a high-energy solo show about the cultural baggage of getting married. This show dives into the emotions and societal pressures women endure while marching their way to the aisle. The audience can expect a lot of fun, a lot of laughs and a lot of familiar wedding characters.
You’re coming all the way from New York to Edinburgh for the second time! How did you first get involved with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and how does it feel to bring your new show over to Scotland?
I cannot wait to return to Scotland!! Especially after seeing the Scots drink Boston dry for the World Cup - No Scotland, No Party!! And I don't know if I get points for this, but my husband is from Boston, and we got married in Cape Cod (about an hour outside of Boston).
I first heard about the Fringe Festival through fellow comics and immediately knew that I needed to go. My biggest passion in life is combining comedy with theater and there is no better place to explore that connection than the Edinburgh Fringe. The magic of being around so many different creatives is palpable.
I am excited to bring my new show! I feel so confident about this piece and feel like I have grown so much as a writer and performer since last being in Edinburgh. I also feel so much more prepared this time. Don't get me wrong, my first Fringe was magical, but I was absolutely running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
Bride To Be is a solo comedy show about a woman deep in wedding planning while tackling the cultural weight and history of marriage. What inspired you to turn the stress of cakes, DJs, and family expectations into a comedy show?
I am in my 30s, and over the last couple of years, truly all of my best friends, and myself, of course, got married. I found it to be such an interesting pocket of time, every weekend a bachelorette party or rehearsal dinner, and all of us going through this weird stress cycle. At the time, it felt as if I didn't choose the right napkin colours, the world would end....which is so silly!!!
I just think that there is so much to unpack with weddings. The pressure to please your families while also staying true to your own values. The need to include everyone without breaking the bank. What it means to marry a man in this traditional union, while being a very progressive feminist. I went through it, my friends went through it, and I figured women everywhere were going through it - so I wrote this show :)
Reviews have described your stage presence as having "the energy of a chihuahua who's had a triple shot espresso"! Since this is a one-woman show, how does it feel to carry that incredible, high-energy performance completely on your own?
Haha, I absolutely love that Evulve Productions said that....they get me. Honestly, it is very natural. I don't even think about being high energy. I didn't know how high energy I was on stage until other people pointed it out! I just go out there, and the connection with the audience fuels me deep in my soul, to the point where the words just pour out in such an intense way.
What do you hope audiences, whether they have planned a wedding themselves or just attended one as a guest, will take away from your fresh feminist take on saying "I do"?
I hope that the audience walks away thinking "that was so much fun!!!!" We can be multiple things at once, like a good feminist and a good wife. One of the main overall themes of the show is that we humans just kind of made everything up one day, and with that, we also have the power to create pockets of joy.
If you had to describe Bride To Be in only three words to make people eager to come and see it, what would they be?
FUN!!!!
Relatable
Introspective
