This weekend I got to attend the taping of Miranda Sings’ Netflix comedy special in Washington, DC. The performance was held at the Kennedy Center- and friends- it was amazing. The lights, the music, the guest appearances, the audience; it was and hour and a half of nonstop laughing, cheering, and red lipstick. If you haven’t been around YouTube in the past decade and don’t know who Miranda Sings is, let me fill you in. She’s a character created and performed by Youtuber Colleen Ballinger who exudes confidence in every aspect of her life. Singing, acting, modeling, dancing, eating- you name it, Miranda claims to be the best at it. Her persona may come off as annoying, mean, and horribly unfashionable in her sweatpants, crocs and messy red lipstick, but she’s unafraid to be herself and follow her dreams. She’s inspiring millions (over 9.6M on YouTube) to have self confidence no matter what you look like or how talented you may be (and I think that’s truly the best kind of person). The live show was phenomenal. Our seats were only three rows back from the stage, so we had an amazing view. Colleen began the show with a ukulele number and readings from her actual childhood diaries. Her best friend Kory DeSoto was working backstage, but also performed a special diary reading in “bad theatre” style. When Colleen started singing ‘Defying Gravity’ from the broadway musical ‘Wicked,’ Mirfandas knew it was time to pull out the red lipstick. Colleen transformed into Miranda mid song and finished with Kory waving the end of the green cape she donned. Once Miranda hit the stage, there were a number of audience participation acts. One in which she “fixed” an audience member’s “porn” (immodest) dress, one in which she did “try not to laugh” and yoga challenges, and a third where she searched for a father for her unborn child. During this section, Eric Stocklin made an appearance onstage as Patrick (her love interest from her Netflix series ‘Haters Back Off,’ and also the actual father of Colleen’s baby). Later in the show, Miranda and Patrick performed a sword trick together to display their talent as magicians. Miranda sang many of her original songs, including “Where My Baes At,” “The Miranda,” and a more recent song about her status as “The Virgin Miranda.” Kory and Colleen's sister, Rachel, came onstage as backup dancers for this number. During every song, the audience was singing and dancing right along. Colleen was energetic and engaging for the entire show. As many fans know, the strain of pregnancy on her body has been tremendous lately, resulting in fainting spells and pelvic issues where she cannot walk. She stayed strong and smiled through the pain, and proved what an amazing actress, singer, dancer, magician, and model she truly is.
It was such an honor to be part of that audience, and I cannot wait a few months to see if we made any appearances in the taping on Netflix. The comedy special is scheduled to air January 2019.