I was in "Oklahoma" in high school. I was the Gypsy Fortuneteller - a really really blonde gypsy fortuneteller, mind you. They had to use about ten layers of base and I still looked very very pale. I was supposed to be married to the sherriff in the town, so I guess I didn't have to worry about nonconformist issues like reading tarot cards. I had one line, "And to your house, a dark club man." OK, that doesn't really mean anything, does it, but that was the line.

I was in most every scene, though, because I was one of their strongest singers, but I got so bruised up getting up and down dancing to the theme song that I bought a pair of basketball kneepads and wore them under my skirt. After that, several people asked me how I could be so "bouncy" and "smiling" all the time. I kept the kneepads a greenroom secret.

Musicals are a great way to lose weight, let me tell you. I lost about 10 pounds during rehersals because the dance routines were so rigorous, so my low-cut dress got lower and lower. So the director moved me to the front of the stage for the run of the play.