In August 2014 Allison Case and Ashley Connors got married. Case鈥檚 Hair castmate, Andrew Kober, introduced the couple at a rooftop BBQ, and four years later he officiated their marriage. Caissie Levy and Kacie Sheik, also from the Hair tribe, sang them down the aisle, and Case and Connors were surrounded by the love and support of their friends and family on their wedding day. It鈥檚 a day they feel even more grateful for now, after the devastating events in Orlando.
This Pride鈥攊n between Case鈥檚 performances as Broadway鈥檚 most beloved teacher, Miss Honey, in Matilda the Musical鈥�the couple plans to spread the love they鈥檝e received since the start of their relationship. Technically they鈥檙e not a true 鈥淪howmance.鈥� Connors works as the Group Strategy Director at the advertising agency StrawberryFrog and founded , a sock brand that sells pairs of creatively mismatched socks to encourage being friends with someone different from you, but she has been welcomed into Case鈥檚 Broadway community with open arms. Case and Connors may be from different worlds, but like Connors鈥� Pals Socks, they make a perfect pair.
I think this might be the first Showmance installment that does not feature two people in the theatre.
Allison: We were introduced by a person that works in the theatre, so maybe that works? It鈥檚 actually awesome. I love that [Ashley] has her own world and I have my own world. Between the two of us we meet so many different kinds of people. We like different things about what each other does. The hardest thing is the schedule, especially on the weekends.
Ashley, is it hard for you on the weekends when Allison is doing all her shows?
Ashley: Yes, but we鈥檝e been together almost six years, so there were periods where Allison wasn鈥檛 working, and she just wanted to be back in a show, so we鈥檙e both so happy that she is in Matilda right now.
Allison: We鈥檙e so grateful. It鈥檚 the biggest gift to our family.
Ashley: We find ways to see each other and find ways to work around the schedule.
Allison: Like on Friday nights, Ash will usually come to my dressing room after work, and we鈥檒l order sushi. We call it, 鈥淪ushi Friday.鈥�
Ashley: And Allison will get up with me around 7 AM every day, and we鈥檒l have coffee together. Then she鈥檒l walk me to the train with the dog, so we find time. It鈥檚 just a new normal.
Ashley were you surprised that you started dating an actress? Was that ever something you thought you鈥檇 do?
Ashley: I grew up in New Hampshire, then lived in Boston [before moving to New York], and I just had this perception of what actors were. I wasn鈥檛 like, 鈥淎ctors are superficial,鈥� I just really had never been [close to] an actor鈥攁nd certainly had not dated one, so I didn鈥檛 know what to expect. It was funny: I remember talking to my friends about Allison and it sounding kind of ridiculous like, 鈥淚 moved to New York, and I鈥檓 dating an actress,鈥� but I fell in love with Allison right away and her whole group of friends and the whole Broadway community. I鈥檝e always been a big fan of Broadway, so I鈥檓 like, 鈥淎llison aren鈥檛 you lucky that I love Broadway so much?鈥� I鈥檓 always saying, 鈥淟ets go to this show鈥︹�
Allison: Or she鈥檒l come to my shows multiple times. How many times have you seen Matilda?
Ashley: Oh my gosh, I鈥檝e probably seen Matilda 13 times鈥攊n a fun way. I love the show. People always want to come when we鈥檙e visiting鈥攆riends and family鈥攕o I鈥檒l go with them, but sometimes when I have nothing to do on an afternoon, and I feel like I haven鈥檛 spent enough time with Allison, I鈥檒l ride in with her and try to get a cheap ticket or enter the lottery and see it. It feels like I鈥檓 hanging out with her.
Have you become close to the Matilda cast?
Ashley: Yes. I love Amy [Spanger] and Rick [Holmes] and Bryce [Ryness]. When I鈥檓 up on Allison鈥檚 floor I hang out with them a lot, and I loved her Hair people, even though I met them after she did the show. They鈥檙e all friends of mine now, too. Hands on a Hardbody is another show that I literally text some of the people in the show鈥攚e鈥檙e close friends with Kathleen Monteleone. It鈥檚 just a great group of people, and I鈥檓 really lucky that I got to [expand my world], because working in advertising there鈥檚 a lot of work happy hours鈥攊t鈥檚 just a completely different social scene. I always say that I would have never crossed paths with Allison. I really don鈥檛 think we would have ever met.
I know that you are also very obsessed with your dog, Bodhi. Did you get him while you were together?
Allison: Yes. Andrew Kober was with us then also!
Andrew鈥檚 always right there鈥�
Allison: Yeah he鈥檚 a big part of our relationship.
He officiated your wedding as well! What was your wedding like?
Allison: It was so fun! I wish we could do it again, but also not, because it was so special. It was in Brooklyn, and my friend Eden Espinosa sang 鈥淪tand By Me鈥� with one of my best friends from college, while our families were walking down the aisle. Then Caissie Levy and Kacie Sheik sang their rendition of Sara Bareilles鈥� 鈥淚 Choose You鈥� when we walked down the aisle. It was a love fest. People were like, 鈥淥h you鈥檙e not going to eat, and you鈥檙e going to be so stressed,鈥� but we made a promise to each other鈥�
Ashley: People didn鈥檛 think Allison and Ashley weren鈥檛 going to eat鈥�
Allison: No! People were just saying that in general, so we just promised to enjoy ourselves and stay calm and just accept everything that was happening鈥攚hether it rained or somebody couldn鈥檛 make it鈥攂ecause otherwise we would have gone crazy, and we had the best day. It just makes you stop and say, 鈥淲ow all you need in your life is the people that you love.鈥�
Ashley: It was the best night ever. Then we wound up staying up until almost 5 AM with friends and family. Our wedding venue was only a few blocks away from our apartment, so we decided not to get a hotel. We just wanted to go home and be in our bed with our dog. But after hanging out, a bunch of us were like, 鈥淥h my God I want pizza,鈥� but it was Sunday night so nothing was really open except for Bagelsmith on Bedford [Avenue].
Allison: It was such a New York evening. We walked home with our bagels.
Ashley: In our wedding dresses. It was a special day.
Do you have any special plans for Pride this year?
Allison: Well you鈥檒l find me at Matilda the Musical, but I think I just have one matinee on Sunday [the 26th], so we鈥檒l probably do something. Obviously we鈥檝e been thinking about the Florida victims, and speaking of our wedding, we feel so grateful to be able to get married and have friends and family who are around us and support us. We hope that we can do that for other people.
It鈥檚 going to be a very emotional Pride this year.
Ashley: New York City is just the best though. Every year we get to meet so many great people of all ages and shapes and sizes, and there鈥檚 something so special about everyone just believing in love together. That鈥檚 the strongest thing.
