The Drama Department did not fail to impress this year. Their musical rendition of Legally Blonde was lively, funny, and of course, pink. The effort and amount of work that the drama students put into this production was evident. The students added many new and creative aspects to the production, such as neon light-up jump ropes that made it stand apart from the movie. While the movie has its gems, the musical cast Legally Blonde into the spotlight.
An aspect of the production that impressed me were the talented actors. The vocals, music and acting were all cohesive. Senior Kimi Crouch, who played Elle Woods, has a vocal range that matched the role, but a serious personality which matched Elle perfectly. Watching her performance reminded me of Reese Witherspoon’s sassy character. Senior Spencer Browning nailed the role of Emmett Forrest, the nerdy, quirky Harvard intern. His natural, gentle gestures and laid back personality throughout the show made him such a lovable, and unique character. His interactions with Elle showed how much he cared about her and wanted to help her succeed in law school. In the movie, Professor Callahan is a serious, strict, and creepy person who cares only about his reputation. Senior Ben Radspinner, played the role perfectly. He took on the role well due to his ability to give a stern tone of voice, and his intimidating looks screamed Harvard professor. Another notable character is Warner, Elle’s ex-boyfriend, played by junior Nick Paugh. He highlighted the role well by portraying Warner’s conceited, narcissistic behavior with his sure tone of voice and outgoing gestures. Lastly, I have to mention Paulette, played by Jordan Speece, who portrayed the character exceptionally with her sense of style and accurate New England accent. When watching her perform Ireland, I was blown away by her vocal range and control. We also cannot forget Elle’s canine sidekick, Bruiser (Delilah), and Paulette’s pooch, Rufus (Coal). Both dogs were played by each respective actress’ real dogs and were very well behaved.
While watching the performance, I was captivated by the music, which, in my opinion, makes the production more enjoyable than the original movie. The orchestra came in right on cue and played impressively. The pianist, brass, woodwind, strings and percussion were well conducted by chorus teacher, Jacob Cook. The hip beat of the drums and the jazzy aspect of the piano added more depth and detail to the show. There were many upbeat, cheerful musical numbers in Legally Blonde, but What you Want Pt. 2 takes the cake. color guard, orchestra, drumline and the ensemble were included in this number. Elle was dressed in a parade costume complete with glitter and a tassel and her Delta Nu girls were shining in sequins and white skirts. The song starts out slow, but then the stage explodes into a fun, parade-like number. I knew Legally Blonde was going to be awesome, but I had no idea it would be this good. I never expected a full ensemble with drumline, dance team and color guard all on stage.
Despite the small budget the drama department has, the set for this musical is outstanding. The tech crew outdid themselves. The Delta Nu house is just a platform with a cardboard wall stuck to it and topped off with pink trim, but it looks so convincing for what was used. I was also impressed by Dewey’s trailer and the way it was created. There was a pink line across the middle of the trailer with brown splotches to depict the dirty state of the trailer. Similar to the movie, a serene, romantic atmosphere was created in the restaurant scene in the musical. Calm, tranquil music plays while Elle and Warner make their way to the restaurant, and candles are set out with a gleaming cherry blossom tree in the background while Warner sings his signature song, Serious.
I can’t help but “Keep it Positive” when talking about the musical. I have never seen a high school production with the amount of talent involved in every aspect of the production. All of the actors, orchestra, color guard members, dance team and technicians were hardworking. The decor, acting, vocals, music is everything you would hope for in this production. The Drama Department made everyone say “Omigod!” with this production.