Image from Ithaca College Theatre
Oh my god, oh my god you guys! Looks like the Ithaca College’s Theatre has won the prize with their fall musical rendition of Legally Blonde. The show, directed by Greg Bostwick, is about a sorority girl, Elle Woods, who follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School to show him she is more than a dumb blonde and to win him back. It is a heart-warming and fun show about being true to oneself. The amazingly talented and high energy cast carried this show to amazing heights, leaving me with a smile I couldn’t refuse and songs I couldn’t get out of my head.
The entire cast and ensemble had incredible energy, do not even get me started about Senior Chloe Tiso who played Elle because I could rave about her performance for days. I know the show is double cast, but they could not have found a more perfect Elle from her appearance to her energy to her likeability to her voice. Tiso did not sing even one sour note for the entire show, every song perfect and every movement giving 110 percent. I would have been thrilled to pay to see her perform that very role on Broadway — she was that good. Senior Joseph DePietro played the loveable Emmett Forrest, stealing every girl’s heart with his genuine charm and fantastic voice. His chemistry with Tiso was so moving, especially in the duet Legally Blonde in Act Two.
Though Tiso in my mind was the show stealer, there were very close contenders for the top favorites. Juniors Roger Reed, playing Professor Callahan, and Katie Drinkard, playing Vivienne, were both fantastic in the roles of the characters we love to hate. Drinkard’s voice is like no other; she is without a doubt going to go far in this industry. Another powerhouse voice and performance came from Junior Grace Stockdale in the role of fitness superstar Brooke Wyndham. She was stellar and fierce, but the one scene that stuck with me the most was in the jail when she is doing a fitness routine with the inmates. Stockdale is jumping rope and belting incredible notes, making it look like a piece of cake. Gracie may not have killed her husband in the play, but she killed this role.
Other notable performances include Senior DeAnne Stewart as Paulette and Seior Doug Hansen as Kyle O’Boyle. Both provided comic relief and were just plain adorable. And we cannot forget the dogs. Yes, the show does use real dogs for Bruiser and Rufus. And the audience was right on cue with the oo’s and ahh’s when they made their debuts.
Unfortunately not everyone made my A-list. Though the ensemble had tons of energy, I felt the other sorority girls were lacking when it came to dance numbers. They were sometimes out of time with each other during the dance scenes, making them look a little sloppy. Which was unfortunate because the actual choreography was delightful and so fitting for the play.
But it is not all about the actors! The costumes for every character were spot on. I commend the costume crew for all their time and effort because it clearly shows. However, I was not as thrilled with the sound crew. Microphones throughout the entire show were either too loud or too soft, which took away from the overall experience. Yet, I do think a great portion of those difficulties always go hand and hand with opening night so it was a concern I was almost expecting.
I may be a little biased in my review. You see, I love the color pink. I love glitter. I love shoes and shopping. I love a good love story combined with a message of female empowerment. And I love catchy music with a pop flare. This show was basically meant for girly girls like me to enjoy, but the cast and crew made this a show one I not only enjoyed, but also adored. Oh my god you guys, like, well done.
Performances will be held in the Hoerner Theatre in Dillingham Center on Nov. 7, 9, 10 at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinee performances offered Nov. 4 and 10. Ticket prices range from $5.50 to $11.