Omigod You Guys Go You Should Totally Go See Legally Blonde at the Players Club of Swarthmore Theatre

by M. Smith

BREAKING NEWS! The Players Club of Swarthmore is painting the town pink as its latest production of Legally Blonde: The Musical by Heather Hach, Laurence O’Keefe, and Nell Benjamin is taking the area by storm! This musical tells the story of Elle Woods, and how she goes from the president of Delta Nu sorority that no one takes seriously to a lawyer who stands up for what’s right against all odds. Now, I must first prepare you all that this is one of my favorite musicals, so a ramble about this cast is definitely in order. This show was my introduction to musical theatre, and its strong characters, catchy songs, and stunning choreography holds a dear place in my heart. Nevertheless, the production at the Players Club of Swarthmore directed by Jessi Meisel and assistant directed by Ally Perez and Mike Sokolowski brings these same beautiful moments to life on the stage. All of this team’s work comes together into a stunning piece that you will definitely want to come see! When you enter this theatre, you are greeted with a bustling audience, and hear the classics “Believe” by Cher and “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cindi Lauper as you take your seat and start to enjoy your concessions!

When you first enter the world of Legally Blonde: The Musical, you are transported to the Delta Nu (𝚫𝚴) sorority house with expert detail and execution by Set Designer and Master Carpenter, Ed Robins, who artfully brings this world to life alongside the beautiful artistry by Scenic Artist Karly Stew. This set is perfectly accentuated by the cast of this production as everyone prepares for the exciting engagement of their president, Elle Woods! As this is a show that consists of numerous characters, the cast cohesiveness and stand out moments are essential to the success of a show, and I would be remiss to not give everyone in this cast their credit for executing this need flawlessly. In the opening number “Omigod You Guys”, the energy to start this production needs to be through the roof, and this cast does all of that and more throughout this number and throughout the rest of this show. With the ensemble consisting of Evan Alexander, J. Tyler Atkinson, Christina Concilio, Laura Donnelly, Claire Gower, Aimee Ferenz-Renna, Nina Kilgore, Amanda Reed, Andrew SanFilippo, and Ellen Taylor, this is an ensemble that is well deserving of all of the praise they will undoubtedly continue to receive with all of the hard work and dedication that they have put into this show. In the background of scenes like in the songs “Serious” and “What You Want”, I found myself drawn to everyone on stage as they brought the space to life and did not allow for any stagnation during dialogues within said scenes. Furthermore, this ensemble executed Choreographer Jessi Meisel's beautiful choreography effortlessly assisted by Dance Captains Tess Coary and Kylah Monet. Especially as we prepare to see a dinner between Elle and her toxic boyfriend Warner Huntington III (played by Craig Lauer) unfold into an evening of chaos, the ensemble cast truly brings new dimensions to these scenes. As Warner is someone who is solely concerned with his own success and perceived status by others, Lauer’s depiction of his character was spot on and I never found myself rooting for Warner at any point of the show, which is exactly the point! Lauer did a wonderful job with portraying Warner, and stunned with his vocals during Warner’s song “Serious”, and it easily became a stand out song and performance during this production.

After our introduction to the ensemble in the Delta Nu sorority house, we meet our main character, Elle Woods played by Rachel Catherine. We meet Elle as she tries to find the perfect dress for her soon to be engagement dinner. In this moment, audiences get to see how Elle proves that she is not as unaware and clueless as others may seem to think as Elle realizes the sales woman is attempting to get her to buy an out of season dress on commission. Catherine brings this same energy throughout the entirety of their performance, especially with a role as iconic and well-known as this one. They bring a newfound energy to this role with new acting beats and stunning vocals. As audiences see the growth of Elle Woods throughout this production, Catherine truly keeps our attention and is with us every step of the way as Elle grows even more into her passion and confidence by the end of this show. Especially in the song “Legally Blonde,” Catherine delivers heartbreaking moments that brought me to tears numerous times during that song and more during this musical. I was blown away by every moment that Catherine brought to the stage, and would gladly see this show for the first time again to see Catherine and the rest of this cast truly bring a life to one of my favorite musicals.

Now we are off to Harvard Law School (What?! Like it’s hard?)! This is where we first meet some of Elle’s classmates: Enid Hoopes (played by Mikayla Cook), Aaron Schultz (played by Jason Boyer) and Sasha Dimitri Baryshnikov (played by Brian McCann). Cook, McCann, and Boyer portray their characters in comedic ways and truly take the stage by storm in their song “The Harvard Variations”. Each of these characters has a different story, and while we don’t see Aaron and Sasha make more appearances during the show, Enid is one who we see shine bright among Elle’s peers. Hoopes is a consistent character throughout, and Cook’s portrayal of Enid is one that I will never forget. I was laughing the entire time and looked forward to getting to see them come on stage. Along with some of Elle’s classmates, we are introduced to Emmett Forrest (played by Casey Lynch) who soon becomes Elle’s mentor after her initial struggle with finding her way at Harvard. Lynch brings the warm characteristics that makes the character of Emmett so endearing as he shows Elle how hard work and determination can help her achieve her dreams. Then, in direct contrast to Emmett’s support of Elle, we are also introduced to Vivienne Kensington (played by Victoria Heppard) who is one of the first people that Elle meets in law school who doesn’t think she doesn't belong with the rest. As we see Vivienne grow to support Elle, Heppard brings this complex character to life in wonderful ways on stage. With a consistency in Vivienne’s character arc, Heppard showcases the skills and talent needed to execute this role effortlessly all while delivering remarkable vocals. Finally, we meet Professor Callahan (played by Bill Weir), the well-known professor at Harvard Law. As an intense and intimidating character, Weir brings this to life through his beats in his song “Blood In the Water” as well as other scenes throughout the musical. On Elle’s first day at Harvard, Professor Callahan kicks her out of class, and Elle faces constant judgement from the students around her. However, her GREEK CHORUS consisting of Margot (played by Casey Bilger), Serena (played by Tess Coary), Pilar (played by Amirah Pooree), and select ensemble members come to give Elle constant support. In their song “Positive” Bilger, Coary, and Pooree bring the great comedic timings and deliveries that make this song a success. For me, the Greek Chorus always showcases the importance of having your support systems that will be there for you no matter what, and Elle is about to find even more support at the salon!

After facing the rejection and humiliation of her peers, Elle believes that going to a salon will be the solution to all of her problems, which is where we meet Elle’s number one supporter, Paulette (played by Kathleen Moran). As Paulette soon becomes one of Elle’s many anchors throughout this show, Moran does a fantastic job  in portraying the dreamer that Paulette essentially is. While she supports Elle through all of the ups and downs, Paulette continues to dream of her perfect life, one that she has not gotten to experience by far. In the song “Ireland”, Moran brought tears to my eyes by the end of that song, especially as it is one of my favorite songs from this production and musical. They truly brought the essence of Paulette to the stage and it was amazing to see from the audience. As we discuss the life that Paulette has led, it includes her terrible and toxic ex-boyfriend Dewey (played by Steven Tambon). Dewey’s character is overall a terrible partner, but the way that Tambon brought in comedy into this character is key to keeping the scene where Paulette gets her dog back moving. Tambon brought the comedic timing to the forefront and also brought these same moments to his other characters like Elle’s Dad. However, even after having to deal with her previous relationship with Dewey, Paulette does find her true love with delivery man Kyle (played by Nick Renna). As I have seen this show numerous times, the character of Kyle is a stand out as an actor's timing and presence is key to making this character stand out, and Renna did just that! As soon as he came out, you immediately felt the hush and laughter in the audience as he walked out in true Kyle fashion. Even better, Kyle also becomes a more background support for Elle, and this combination of support from her friends both old and new leads to Elle truly establishing herself in her new life. 

As Elle soon finds success with the guidance of Emmett and her friends, she goes off to her first lucrative trial! In this trial we meet Brooke Wyndham (played by Kylah Monet), who is unjustly accused of the murder of her late husband. As the character of Brooke Wyndham is one that requires intense physicality, vocals, and choreography, Monet brings the energy to each and every moment of this role that truly made them shine during this production. With an intense song like “Whipped Into Shape”, Monet crushed the jump rope choreography by Choreographer Jessi Meisel as well as the vocals by Music Director Aimee Ferenz-Renna and delivered a fantastic performance. Furthermore, we were able to meet characters like the Judge (played by Danielle Lachall) and Chutney (played by Amanda Reed) who were key characters that also stood out in this court case. For Lachall, it was amazing getting to see everything that they brought to  the metaphorical courtroom. They showcased their hilarious moments that accentuate the chaos that always takes place during this show, and their abilities to take the stage in impactful ways. For Reed’s performance as Chutney, this has always been a character that has been portrayed in a variety of ways, and Reed’s performance is just as wonderful. They truly brought a mystery to the character of Chutney that was entertaining to see as well as we see the decline of their character as the end of the musical approaches. Without revealing too much, it is clear to know that Elle Woods is victorious as she fights to clear Brooke’s name, and we leave on a happy ending where we see everyone who had ever doubted Elle truly see that she is more than capable of. 

Alongside the things that audiences can clearly see and hear throughout the production, what goes on behind the scenes and in-between are just as important to acknowledge. During this production of Legally Blonde: The Musical, the scene transitions that took place throughout were seamless and efficient to say the least. There was never a moment where I felt that a scene transition took too long, and the use of each piece intentionally alongside the seamless crew transitions made every moment flow into the next. Here, the credit goes to the wonderful crew team who consists of Stage Manager Liz Bradley, Assistant Stage Manager Annastasia Cavanaugh, Crew Chief Ann Bacharach, Crew Chief Sean Meenan, Production Assistant Ethan Rundell, and Crew Members: Amy Goldman, Taron Goldsboro, Julia McLean, Colleen Meenan, Anne Mare Scalies, Kevin Shaffer, Matt Stickel, and Gavin Wycuff. These dedicated team members efficiently made sure everything ran smoothly and that the essential props by Prop Designers Melody Marshall and Ellen Taylor were placed everywhere they were needed. As a key component of any production is a seamless scene transition, this team completed just that and more and created a truly wonderful experience.

As the cast have been primarily highlighted so far, I would be remiss to not also highlight the fantastic production team that made this production possible. Firstly, the vocals of this production were truly stunning, which is thanks to the amazing hard work of Aimee Ferenz-Renna as the Musical Director. There was never a harmony out of place, and the levels were perfect throughout, a true testament to their work and dedication to this production. Secondly, what is a production that doesn’t have beautiful costumes and wigs to match the talent on the stage? The production’s Wig/Makeup & Costume team consisting of Lucy Moth, Randino, and Mikayla Cook truly make every character stand out, all while ensuring that pink remains Elle’s signature color. Each and every costume piece was clearly intentional and worked with the characters of this production perfectly. Furthermore, the lighting and sound cohesivity was remarkable as the combined Light Design by Jack Janovsky and Sound Design by K Cook blended flawlessly on the stage. These same designs were executed by the dedicated sound board operators Emily Harrison and Amelia SanFilippo. Harrison and SanFilippo worked together seamlessly to ensure that all levels of the sound were in top shape, and they successfully delivered a stunning experience for everyone in the audience. Finally, the live orchestra is one that is a pleasant surprise to hear during this production! I always love getting to hear live pits during a show, and this orchestra consisted of Conductor Raquel Garcia, Brian Shapella (Keyboard), Charlie Harrison (Keyboard), Judy Large (Keyboard), Lisa Gilmer (Percussion), Steve Glanzman (Trumpet), Charlie Wolfe (Trumpet), Paul Cassarly (Trumpet), Tom Steele (Trombone), Andy Hutton (Trombone), Laura Reimer (Reed), Tom Trinter (Reed), Lucas Princiotti (Reed), Ahmet Erispaha (Guitar), George Livanos (Bass), Rich Conn (Bass), and Tyler Meil (Violin). When listening to the pit during this production, you could tell that hard work was placed into every single piece of this production and its scoring. While there were some moments where the tempos were not synchronized (which could potentially be a result of the staging of the pit) or out of tune, the orchestra truly bounced back after every moment to deliver a stunning performance. Nevertheless, everyone on this production team deserves their praises shouted from the rooftops for all of the hard work that they have put into making an extraordinary production.

As I have said time and time again during this review, the cast and crew of Legally Blonde: The Musical have delivered a truly spectacular performance. Getting the chance to see art like this was a wonder to behold and I would recommend any and everyone to make a trip down to Swarthmore, PA for this production! So, open your browsers now and sprint to go buy tickets for Legally Blonde: The Musical at the Players Club of Swarthmore! It is running from now until June 7;  runs Thursday (06/05) at 7:30 PM; Fridays (05/30 & 06/06) at 7:30 PM, Saturdays (05/31) at 2:00 PM, Saturdays (05/31 & 06/07) at 8:00 PM, and Sundays (06/01) at 2:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased here or at the link below! 

https://ci.green.prod.ovationtix.com/117/production/1199487