After months of rehearsals, previews, and performances, opening night was finally here.

Kasey would have preferred to not be sick on opening night, but things usually didn't turn out the way she wanted them to. She had a fever and a headache. She just prayed that she would get through the show. If she had to, she would skip the after party to go home. 

Kasey's after party dress hung on the rack that held her costumes. It was a deep red color, almost like wine. It was a pretty dress- Carleigh helped her pick it out weeks ago. 

She went into the theatre early, laden with all of her gifts for the cast members. She decided not to drop them off at dressing rooms, and instead put them in each cast member's basket backstage.

Then, she stopped by to visit Jess and Sebastian in their dressing rooms. Jess was doing an Instagram live. 

"Hey, guys, this is Kasey Winslow, who plays Anna," Jess exclaimed, as she put her hair into pincurls. "Say hi! If you have any questions for her, maybe she'll answer them."

"Sure," Kasey said, sitting down in the chair next to Jess. "I'll spill all the secrets."

"Alright, pascal17 wants to know if you ever met Kaitlyn Knox," Jess said, reading off the comments section.

"Yes, I did," Kasey said. "I saw Tangled with the Original Broadway cast, minus Jess, because she was on her day off. She's a great person, and, fun fact, I have her old dressing room."

Kasey looked at the questions along with Jess.

"Here's a good one, if you could choose, would you rather revive Tangled or Newsies?" Jess asked.

"I'm going to sound uncultured, but I've never watched Newsies, and I'm dating Jace Reynolds, so I'd probably get in trouble if I said anything but Tangled," Kasey laughed.

After a minute, Kasey saw a good question. "Jess, which Schuyler Sister would you play?"

"Either Peggy/Maria or Eliza," Jess said instantly. "But if I could play a dude, I'd be Laurens/Philip."

"Interesting choice," Kasey told her.

They did a few more questions- Amber from Hamilton Chicago apparently watched the live video, so Kasey answered her question. 

After that, Kasey had to go get her wig on, do her stage makeup, get her mic, and prepare for the show, so she left Jess in her dressing room.

"Ready?" Sebastian asked, poking Kasey with his foot as he passed her in the hall.

"Yeah," Kasey sighed. "I wish I wasn't sick, but not everything can be perfect, I suppose. It's not the worst thing that could happen."

"That's the spirit," Sebastian said. He handed her a mint green gift bag. "Happy opening, Kasey. You'll be amazing. See you out there."

~~~~~~~~~~

The cast gathered for their final show circle. All four leading actors, along with Gary, had to prepare a speech for the cast. 

The gypsy robe ceremony was also taking place.

"Happy opening night to the cast and crew of Frozen on Broadway!"  the representative from the most recent show announced. "The tradition of Broadway is that, after the gypsy passed down to the ensemble member with the most Broadway credits, it will circle the stage three times. People will touch the robe for good luck. After the robe visits all of the dressing rooms, the show will then be blessed with a happy opening."

"It is a great honor to present the robe to the ensemble member with the most Broadway credits- Miss Kaira Matthews."

After the gypsy robe ceremony, the leading actors gave their speeches. Kasey was first.

"This is my first show as a leading actor, and I can't imagine doing any other show. It is such an honor to be playing Anna, let alone with this amazing, talented cast. All of you are so motivated, dedicated actors. I have such respect for every member of this company. I wouldn't change anything in the world. You all deserve so much recognition for all the hard work that you've put into Frozen. Thank you for being so open minded, generous, and caring. I know opening night will go perfectly. Because of all of you, we're here today."

"I never thought I'd be a Disney princess," Jess said quickly. "It's every girl's dream, right? To stand on a Broadway stage, dressed in a beautiful gown, singing your favorite songs? It was mine, and I thank you for making this a reality. Each and every one of you belongs here. We're a family, we've gone through a lot together. We've put hours of rehearsal into this production. This night just gives everyone the chance to see how awesome we are. We don't need awards, or ovations to tell us that our show is amazing. Today is for you. Perform like you always do, and we'll blow the roof off of this theatre."

"I'll keep this short. Talent, drive, and heart is what got us here today. Let's make them last for many, many more years to come. We're making history here, guys. I wouldn't have it any other way," Sebastian said.

Jacob stepped forward. "We all need to thank the people who hold up this production. Myself, Jessica, Kasey, and Sebastian are your leading actors, and we're what holds this production together. Gary has tirelessly worked to make this production spectacular. If you all trust in the abilities of the four of us, I think we'll rub off on you. I became great from learning from the best, and you all can, too. So, today, you get to learn from us, and you get to make people learn from you. This is your opportunity to prove how good you are to the whole world. Let's make this worth it."

Kasey frowned. Something about Jacob's speech irritated Kasey. It was probably the way he seemed to patronize the other cast members, acting like the four leading actors were better than everyone else. The other three hadn't done that. Kasey shouldn't have been surprised- after all, this was Jacob they're talking about.

"I have worked so hard on getting you all up to the level that is expected of Broadway cast members. After months of stress, I think you may just exceed the minimum that I expected of you. I know we could have done better if you all had put forth more effort into rehearsals, but that is in the past. Right now, we need to impress everyone. We need to be the best show on Broadway, we need to beat out Hamilton. We're already better than Tangled. Let's continue this successful streak. Don't disappoint me," Gary snapped when it was his turn.

Just then, the orchestra stopped playing. Kasey could hear the sounds of the audience die down to silence.

Everyone quickly dispersed to their places. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to tonight's performance of Frozen: A Broadway Musical. We ask that you silence your cell phones and refrain from talking during the performance. During the show, be aware that snow soap is used in the production. Avoid looking up for long durations of time. No recording devices are allowed in the theatre. If you are found to be using them, you will be removed from the auditorium. If you need to leave your seat, please do so between numbers. Thank you, and enjoy this opening night performance of Disney's Frozen."

~~~~~~~~~

The chilling notes of 'Vuelie' filled the theatre. The ensemble's harmonies were incredibly tight, better than all their other performances. Kasey already knew that this show would be fantastic.

She waited with baited breath for her first entrance. This was it- her official debut as Anna on Broadway. From now on, she was a leading actress. That was terrifying.

"Ready?" Jess asked, standing next to Kasey.

"As I'll ever be," Kasey replied, her voice shaking a little bit.

"I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to be playing my sister," Jess said. "Break a leg out there."

"You, too, Jess," Kasey answered. Then, the opening notes of 'Do You Wanna Build a Snowman' began to play. Emma and Lily ran out onstage, with huge smiles on their faces.

This was real. They were doing it.