by Lawrence O'Keefe, Nell Benjamin, and Heather Hach
based on the original book by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film.
Ithaca College Theatre
Directed by Greg Bostwick
Choreography by Roy Lightner
Scenic Design by yours truly
Costumes Design by Greg Robbins
Lighting Design by Clay Harding
Sound Design by Ian
THE STORY
follows the film rather closely....
Elle Woods, the president of her UCLA Sorority, is convinced that longtime boyfriend (eastcoast blueblood Warner Huntington III) is about to pop the "question". Her sorority sisters are thrilled and preparing a celebration (Omigod You Guys), and go to meet her at the dress shop where she's shopping for the perfect "getting engaged" dress (in her signature color, pink). After finding the perfect dress, she meets Warner at a restaurant where he talks about his life plans (Serious). It turns out he's dumping her saying she's "more of a Marilyn, less of a Jackie", and that if his lifeplan (Harvard Law, US Senate by the time he's 30, essentially a 21st century JFK) is to happen he needs to find a serious partner, thus the dumping. Elle's sorority sisters try to console her with her favorite magazines, but a pic of Warner's brother's wedding give Elle a "totally brilliant idea" (What You Want). She'll follow him to Harvard Law, impress him with her brain, not just her other assets, and he'll fall back in love with him, they'll marry and have the life he wants. Simple, right? Her sorority sis (and academic task-master), Kate, warns her that this means she'll have to buckle down and study rather than party her way through her senior year (What You Want/Jamaican Party). But Elle succeeds and gets the LSAT minimum for Harvard.
Meanwhile, at the Harvard Admissions Office, they are about to throw her application out on a technicality, but she shows up (in a pink, sparkly majorette uniform, of course) backed up by UCLA cheerleaders to deliver her "personal essay". The Admissions Officers give in. The first day, on Harvard Yard, Elle meets fellow classmates including older classman, Emmet Forrest (Harvard Variations), and rushes off to her first class with the inimitable Prof. Callahan, who espouses his shark-ish philosophy (Blood in the Water), before booting Elle from class for not being prepared. Dejected she mopes about Harvard Yard only to encounter classmate, Vivienne, who happens to be Warner's new girlfriend. This news causes a psychic shock to Elle, who starts seeing visions of a greek chorus "because this is definitely a tragedy", this chorus bears an uncanny resemblance to her sorority sisters from California. The chorus suggests that she needs to keep up her spirits (Positive). Elle then decides that to APPEAR more serious she should become a brunette and seeks out a salon.
At the Hair Affair Salon, Elle is talked out of the color change by owner Paulette, who sees the parallel between Elle's story and her own sad lovelife. Paulette dreams of meeting a strong man of her own (Ireland). Vivienne comes into the shop to buy something, and Elle overhears plans for a party that evening, Viv telling her it's a costume party. At the sedate, "adult" party, Elle appears as a very pink, very sexy Playboy bunny, and causes a stir. Again dejected, she's moping around Harvard yard, when she runs into Emmet, and they share their stories of hardship (Chip on Your Shoulder), and Emmet escorts her back to her very pink dorm room, where he begins to help Elle get her head on straight, helping her study and realizing that Warner isn't the problem, Elle's attitude is.
In class a few months later, Warner has an apparent victory taken out of his hands by a resurgent Elle, impressing Callahan, in advance of his announcement of his new interns. Meanwhile, Elle helps Paulette get her dog back from her ex-boyfriend using a legitimate legal stance. This second victory empowers Elle. She heads back to school, where Callahan is posting the students who will be interns, Vivienne and Warner are two of them, Warner's so overcome with excitement that he proposes to Vivienne on the spot, depressing Elle, only to have her shocked to learn that she's one of the interns! (My Name Up on that List), ending the act on a high note, literally.
Act 2 begins with the internship in full swing as the team is trying to defend an accused homicidal fitness guru, Brooke Wyndham (Whipped Into Shape), who is accused of murdering her wealthy older husband. Callahan send the interns to get her alibi, which she won't give. Brooke confides in Elle her alibi. Callahan and the others try to pry it out of Elle, but she refuses to rat out her sorority sister.
To help Emmet feel better at being chewed out by Callahan, Elle takes him shopping for a new suit (Take It Like a Man). At the salon the next day, the hunky new UPS guy flirts with Paulette who doesn't have the confidence to talk with him which leads her to start seeing Elle's greek chorus too (Bend and Snap). Her confidence restored, Kyle comes back to find his stylus, and is knocked unconscious, by Paulette's Bend and Snap.
At the trial, the prosecution puts on the poolboy who says that Brooke was having an affair with him. Elle smells a rat, and tries to use the Bend and Snap on him realizing he doesn't react. She tells the team that she thinks he might be gay (Gay or European), and Emmet's cross-examination proves that the affair story was a lie, Both Emmet and Elle are heros of the day. Celebrating at the Law Office, Callahan makes a pass at Elle (which Warner witnesses and assumes that Elle slept her way into the internship). Callahan fires Elle. Dejected yet again, Elle decides to leave Harvard and return to California but stops at the salon to say goodbye to Paulette. Vivienne happens to be there and overhears Elle's plan. Knowing that Elle is telling the truth about Callahan, Vivienne backs up her now-former rival, saying that they should stick together and that Elle can't give up.
Re-empowered, Elle parades back to the Courtroom where Brooke fires Callahan on the spot and leaves her fate in Elle's hands. Brooke's grown former step-daughter (the person who reportedly came downstairs to find her over her husband's body) is on the witness stand, and Elle realizes that Chutney is the culprit but has to find a way to trap her in her lies. Elle suggests that the court adjourn to the scene of the crime... the Wyndham mansion bathroom, where Elle exposes Chutney's lie using her reported perm as evidence. The judge immediately dismisses the charges, Elle has won!
Warner, freshly rejected by Vivienne, tries to propose to Elle, only to be rejected himself, Elle has found her own way and realizes that she doesn't need Warner to be fulfilled.
We jump forward three years to the Harvard Law graduation, where Elle is the valedictorian, and Paulette married... to Kyle... and pregnant again, lets us know "where are they now". Emmet has become successful in his own right, and is there with Elle, and the show ends with Elle proposing to Emmet and being cheered on by their friends (Omigod, redux).
OK... here are a couple pic from the EARLY part of tech... I'll write more tomorrow from the next day of tech....
from audience right near the orchestra pit. you see the arches (the major element of the set), and the Harvard flywall (which comes in and out over several scenes) and the costume designer, Greg Robbins in the corner.
same scene under lighting.. including one of our scenic tricks... lightbulbs all over the arches.
this is offstage left... it's the computer-driven winch system that operates several of the scenic palettes that slide scenery on and offstage... more on those tomorrow.
