From "Will You Be My Bridesmaid?" proposal boxes to color-coded, laminated wedding party binders, our social feeds are flooded with the peak chaos of the wedding industry. Now, comedian Meg Millane is bringing the ultimate hilarious antidote to New York City.
Fresh off a sell-out, double-award-winning run at the Edinburgh Fringe packed with 5-star reviews, Meg Millane’s solo show Bride To Be comes to SoHo Playhouse for two nights only.
Combining the chaotic energy of drag brunch with sharp satirical humor, Bride To Be skewers the modern wedding machine, female friendship, and the contradictions of trying to take down the patriarchy while secretly wanting a big sparkly gown.
Credit: Benjamin Rivera
TAWK: Was there a single impetus for this play, or was it just kind of seeing a pattern over the course of years?
MEG: I went through a three-year phase where I was either planning my own wedding or helping my best friends with theirs. I got a lot of material from those experiences and figured there were other women going through similar phases in their own lives. So why not write a show about it?!
TAWK: Weddings have a funny way of bringing out the best and worst in people. In creating Bride To Be, what did you come to realize about why we attach so much emotion, money, and meaning to a single day?
MEG: I think a lot of emotions get stirred up during weddings because, other than your funeral, when else in your life do you have so many loved ones in the same place at the same time? It is such a beautiful thing to see so many close friends together from different stages of life—all interacting while a dubstep version of "Unwritten" plays in the background.
On the other hand, everyone has their own opinions and expectations, which can be emotionally exhausting. For example, I had a family member tell me my wedding didn't count because it wasn't in a church...
And not to be dramatic, but the wedding industry has blossomed into a capitalistic fever dream preying on brides everywhere! Okay, a little drama never hurts. The goal is to make brides believe that if they don't have the ice sculpture, they will regret it for the rest of their lives! Who would want to live with that regret? Forever?! Better get two ice sculptures just to be safe. This scarcity mindset can lead to a pretty hefty credit card bill.
Credit: Rachel Niswander
TAWK: There's a fine line between laughing at something and realizing you're actually laughing at yourself. When you were writing Bride To Be, did you discover anything about your own beliefs or contradictions that caught you off guard?
MEG: Bride To Be is about being a feminist while also participating in a historically patriarchal system. The purpose of marriage was originally to settle political debates or obtain new livestock, using daughters as currency. In Bride To Be, I grapple with my own contradictions: Do I want a big, sparkly gown, or do I want to take down the manosphere? What I learned is that I can do both!
TAWK: I recently saw a TikTok where a woman said she wanted to drop out of her friend’s wedding party. She then panned over to footage of her friend passing out binders with color-coded and laminated pages for her bridesmaids. This was not a skit. What are your thoughts on all of that?
MEG: It makes me so sad when I hear people complain about being a bridesmaid or having to attend a bachelorette weekend as if it's a chore. If you're dreading being part of someone's wedding, perhaps the friendship isn't that deep to begin with. And if you're the bride and not considering your friends' perspectives, you're not being a very good friend.
I think bachelorette and bridal parties should be about celebrating the friends who stood by your side during dark moments. I saw it as a way to honor them for their emotional support throughout the years! I love bachelorette parties. I only drink out of penis straws! I love celebrating friendship and getting to let loose with my girls and gays.
Fortunately, I've surrounded myself with incredibly supportive and wonderful friends; it's all about finding people who share similar values in life. I have felt so honored to play a role in my friends' weddings, but like me, they cared about the relationships—not the color of the bridesmaid dresses.
Credit: Benjamin Rivera
TAWK: If an alien landed in New York tomorrow and you had to explain why humans spend thousands of dollars on flowers, matching outfits, and a choreographed entrance to prove they're in love, what would you tell them? And which wedding tradition would be the hardest to defend?
MEG: I would tell them... it's fun! And we all die someday, so why not?! Humans live for connection, and we also want to feel important. Weddings are a way of bringing people together to shower you (and your partner) with love and support in a very uncertain world. We are also just an inherently dumb species... so let us waste our money on a chocolate fountain if we wish! I would then show them how to do the "Cha Cha Slide," and they will never have felt more alive in their entire alien lives!
Wearing white is a hard tradition to defend. Technically, it all started with Queen Victoria. She wore white to prove that she was filthy rich—only the wealthy could afford such an easily spoiled color. And then, somehow, it became a symbol of purity? Now... we just kind of do it.
TAWK: Rhys Reviews recently said that your play has "all the fun of drag brunch with an array of over-the-top characters." Can you tell us more about that?
MEG: Hahaha, I love that quote! I think I bring a warmth and energy to the stage that makes the audience feel like they're at brunch with their best friend, just chit-chatting about life. I am your bubbly bestie who is always down for a mimosa! Plus, I play a lot of fun, lively characters in this show that take ordinary wedding tropes to the next level.
TAWK: You clearly have a knack for finding humor in the absurdities of everyday life. What's something completely ordinary that you find inexplicably ridiculous?
MEG: I have worked as a personal trainer and Pilates instructor for the last decade to support myself, and I, for one, find the fitness industry ridiculous! First of all, there is so much misinformation on social media that people believe blindly just because they liked the creator's matching set. Some of these boutique fitness studios are built on marketing rather than science, and they use the most insane methods of "training." And the price of some of these classes—my god!
Credit: Philip Romano
Bride to Be is playing on November 6th & 7th at 7:00pm. Buy tickets here.
