Cast met with standing ovation on opening night
On Wednesday, Jan. 10, the University of Ottawa’s Musical Theatre Society (UOMTS) opened their first show of the 2017-18 season, Legally Blonde.
The show ran from Jan. 10 to Jan. 14, and was nothing short of a success, with a full house on opening night.
This was no theatre department performance, but a wonderful show by a campus club open to students of all faculties. The cast included 14 members, two of whom were dogs (omigod you guys!), and delivered a stellar performance that lived up to the musical’s Hollywood namesake.
Starring the talented Keegan Carr as Elle Woods, the play followed the basic premise of the film—a UCLA fashion student finds herself at Harvard Law after being dumped by her boyfriend for not being ‘serious enough’ in an effort to win him back—with some quirky edits of its own, allowing the adaptation to truly stand out.
The production’s entire vibe is best described by one of its own lines: “it looks like someone had their morning coffee.” The performance was as lively and spirited as the main character herself, making it fun for audience members to lose themselves in the drama. Audible gasps, loud laughs, and cheering were not uncommon throughout the duration of Legally Blonde.
The modern script and offbeat jokes (“she has a letter of recommendation from Melania Trump’s immigration attorney’’) kept the play fresh, and with a live orchestra providing the soundtrack, and well placed tableaus, it was easy to forget that audience members weren’t actually watching a movie.
For a small scale production put on by a campus club, the musical was beyond impressive, and took advantage of its talented cast members by giving them well deserved solos. It was no wonder every scene was met with applause. The cast and crew also made excellent use of staging with minimal props to accommodate for the energetic and vibrant choreography.
Aside from the main characters, the chorus also deserves praise, as their dream sequences, amusing accents, and commitment to their roles left little to be desired. It’s hard to tell that these students don’t all come from a drama background.
Overall, Legally Blonde was as light and fun as you would expect it to be, providing a wholesome message of self acceptance and well timed comedy.
UOMTS is known for their feature length yearly productions, followed by smaller scale projects throughout the season, and this one started off on the right Prada-fitted foot. Legally Blonde, which was met with a standing ovation on opening night, set the bar high for upcoming pieces like Assassins, and Dogfight, running in March and July of 2018 respectively.
For more information about upcoming projects, or to find out how you can be a part of UOMTS, you can find them on Facebook or visit their website.
