Six Star Abby Mueller Offers Quarantine Advice: 'Have Some Self-Compassion'

Six was supposed to have its Broadway opening night on March 12, but that day it was announced Broadway was shutting down all shows because of COVID-19. Abby Mueller, who has the role of Jane Seymour in Six, was getting ready for her big night when she was told about the decision. “The good news was I hadn't started to get my makeup on, so then I just got to go home,” she said to Broadway.com's Paul Wontorek on #LiveAtFive: Home Edition. “My parents were in town.”

It was supposed to be a celebratory week for the Mueller family: Abby Mueller’s sister Jessie was appearing on Broadway in The Minutes, while her brother Matt was finishing up his final week as Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Instead of going out and celebrating, the Mueller family “came over to my house and we ate burgers and fries, and we had a nice little toast.” It wasn’t what they planned but, “this is absolutely the right thing to do,” said the Six star and Broadway.com vlogger. “Yes, it's disappointing. Yes, it's inconvenient, but not in the big scope of things. We knew everybody else was in the same boat, everyone on Broadway—as well as the arts communities across the whole friggin' country. Everybody is bummed. And the most important thing is to all do the right thing and be safe and be healthy.”

While she’s been at home, Mueller’s been spending time with her cat Chaunce, staying in touch with her fellow Six co-stars via group text and doing some adult coloring books. “I sure did pull out the Notes From the Universe Coloring Book,” said Mueller. “Remember when that was like all the rage?” Though she comes from a showbiz family, Mueller considers herself an introvert. Thus, she’s been embracing the stillness, through meditation, yoga and not pressuring herself to be productive. “If you need to just lay down and snuggle under a blanket, if you feel like you want to do a lot or if you feel like you don’t, now's the time to tune into what you need,” said Mueller. “Have some self-compassion.” Though she does admit she has been asking herself, “Why the heck haven't you finished your taxes yet?”

Mueller's also looking forward to Six having its opening night in the future. Though she has been on Broadway in Kinky Boots and Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, Six is her first time originating a role on Broadway. “I love what the piece says. I love that it celebrates women,” she said. “We are all different shapes and sizes and walks of life, but we're still this fierce girl group.” Mueller’s also looking forward to connecting with the Queendom again, the Six fans who have made her experience on the show that much more joyful. “To be a part of something that is making other people feel happy and empowered and healed," she said, "is all I could ask for in this career. That's all I've ever wanted to do.”

Watch the rest of Mueller's #LiveAtFive: Home Edition interview here, where she also shares a Six costume secret.