Together

A Heart Full Of Love

And it's finally time.... Harper's last show as Coco (as the lovely Jillian Butler calls Cosette, haha!) This chapter is a bit emotional for me honestly, awww. I'm quite fond of this one, so I hope you all like it as well. Lots of love to you all, and let me know what you think on this one!
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December 16, 2026

Harper

I take my bow during my Wednesday matinee, then run back to my dressing room almost immediately. It's very bittersweet to be leaving Les Mis.

I feel like today will most definitely be my last time playing Cosette. Last time, I somehow had this little hope inside of me that I might get the chance to return, and I did. Now, I'm looking for complete closure.

It's somehow easier to find than I expected. This show did so much for me. It gave me my West End debut, and my Broadway debut. It gave me my husband, in a way, and because of that connection, I hope that it'll someday give me a family. Even if I'm somehow not that lucky, it gave me a chosen family without a doubt. So many amazing friendships were formed on the barricade. Being here, in New York playing Cosette, after playing her on the West End is a full circle moment for me. That's what is helping me to not be a total mess. It feels like the right time for this chapter of my life to be over.

Don't get me wrong. I know that I'm going to cry during bows tonight, but all of my new friends will be by my side to hug me. I get to look forward to going home to Patrick, and my little tea date with Taylor once I'm settled back in, in London.

I can't think of anything better than those two incentives to go home.

"One more show," Brittney says to me, as I'm collecting my things before heading out to the stage door. "Are you ready?"

"Bring it on," I smile at her. "Thanks for making this experience so great for me."

"We are going to keep in touch when you go back to London, right?"

"Of course," I tell the girl who I've grown quite close to these past few weeks, sharing a dressing room with her. My sixteen shows have been so much fun, getting to know her, as well as the rest of the cast.

"Do you have any plans in between shows?" Brittney asks.

"Nope. I was just going to hang out in Times Square... maybe go check out the Disney store or something."

"Let's go to Schmackary's and get some cookies to celebrate your last show. Just the two of us. I'll treat," Brittney suggests.

"That would be amazing," I smile at her. "Thank you so much."

The two of us grab our backpacks and walk out to the stage door. I fish my marker out of the side pocket of my bag and start to sign autographs.

While the stage door can be annoying sometimes, I do enjoy it most of the time. New York stage doors have been completely different experiences than London stage doors. I've really liked them, though. The energy is way higher, as there is a bigger crowd. At first, it was a little bit overwhelming, but by now, I've learned to relish in the crowds.

When I'm done, I realize that I've only got one more stage door here, before I'm on a plane home tomorrow.

The rest of the day absolutely flies by. Before I know it, I'm in Cosette's wedding dress and standing in the wings of the Imperial Theatre's stage to enter for my wedding scene.

Then, suddenly, the show is over. Before I know it.

That's when the emotions really hit me.

As I stand up there for my bow, holding Brittney's hand, the tears start to flow down my cheeks. It's done. It's really over.

We take our company bows next, then I get to step forward for my own little bow, alone.

The little girl who is playing our Little Cosette tonight, Hannah, runs over to me and throws her arms around my waist. I love having our littles get to take bows over here. They never got to in the West End, due to child labour laws.

I pick Hannah up and hold her in my arms. She's barely light enough for me to be able to, but I can hold her for a little bit, still.

I expect the curtain to close, but instead, I watch Brittney step forward and grab a microphone from the pit.

"Hi everyone," she smiles. "I'm Brittney... and this is my new friend Harper. Tonight's her last show as Cosette... wasn't she amazing?"

The audience all cheers, causing me to smile and blush. I can't believe that Brittney is making a speech about me.

"She's so incredible. She has done sixteen shows here in New York, and tomorrow, she's flying back to London. Her home is on the West End. She stepped into the show at the last minute when Annabelle Wilson, our regular Cosette, had sudden health issues and we were faced with a casting emergency. We are all so grateful to Harper, so can we have one more round of applause for her?"

Everyone cheers, again.

"We have a bit of a tradition here at Les Mis," Brittney then continues. "We have a lyric in our opening song, which is, 'it means you get your yellow ticket of leave.' Every time that we have a cast member leave us, we like to give them a 'yellow ticket of leave.'"

I look, in shock, between Brittney, and Hannah, who is giggling. She was clearly in on this, tonight. Brittney is handed a frame from the pit, and she walks over to me.

"Can I put you down?" I ask Hannah, who nods, then hops out of my arms and stands next to me, while I accept the gift from Brittney. Inside of the frame is a yellow piece of paper, which looks just like Valjean's prop in the show.

PERMIS DE SORTIE

Harper Alwyn
December 3-16, 2026
With love from your entire company at Les Miserables on Broadway.

"Oh my god, you guys," I manage to choke out between my tears. Brittney wraps her arms around me in a hug, then everyone else starts to join in. It becomes a full company hug, and I know that I'm going to remember this moment forever. The audience claps, and before I know it, the curtain is closing.

The show is done.

I take a few moments, before I head back to my dressing room to clean up, to stop in every dressing room and say goodbye to each and every company member. It's a teary time, but necessary for me.

Then, I head back to my dressing room, where I share the hardest goodbye of all, with Brittney.

Now, it's time for me to finally go back home.