Summer's Story: Pittsburgh Symphony PITT, PA Megan Hilty

Summer met Megan Hilty in Pittsburgh on June 21, 2014. Summer has a unique connection to Meg because she has just finished playing the role of Doralee in 9 to 5 the musical. 

When asked if Megan looked like she was expecting, Summer said, "Yes, she looked pregnant. Her first dress for the show was a deep magenta satin dress with a rushed bodice and cascading ruffle dow the front. After intermission, she came out in a royal blue chiffon gown with a one shoulder and yes, she looked pregnant. 

"She frequently rested her free hand on her belly.  I'm assuming her constant hand placement was partially because she needed somewhere to put her hand, but also for breath support because it's significantly harder. She said that a lot of people told her that she wouldn't be able to sing while pregnant, but she's still going. I noticed it was often her left hand because her wedding ring was sparkling."

Pittsburgh is the home of Carnegie Mellon University, where Megan attended college from 2000-2004. "She talked about graduating from CMU and how she's grown up since then, saying she had gotten married and is now expecting her first child. She then joked, assuring that the weight gain was because of the baby, not because she ate too many Primanti Brother's sandwiches (which are a Pittsburgh must-have) while she was here."

As has been a fixation on pregnant women, fans were looking to Megan's shoes. "Someone asked her how she was wearing four inch spikes and she laughed, saying 'I'm trying to be responsible, but....I can't wear flats, they hurt my feet!'"

Summer visited the stage door following Meg's performance. "She was genuinely happy and surprised to see everyone waiting for her when she first came out. I got her flowers that were pink and sparkly. She kept thanking me for them and saying how beautiful they were and I asked her to sign my 9 to 5 script. I went to hand her a sharpie and saw she had one. I was a little caught off guard. 'Well right now I don't have much of an immune system, I know it's gross, but I don't really share pens because of that,' she said. I posed for a photo and she signed my friend's program and took a photo again. Before she moved on, she looked at us and said, 'Were you sitting toward the front on the end?" I told her we were and she said, "I could tell. You two have a great energy. Thanks again for the beautiful flowers.'"

Thanks to Summer for sharing her story. Tweet me @MeganHiltyBlog or @baileyford2016 to share your fan story!