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OMG! Jessica Caracciolo stars as Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde The Musical" for In The Wings Productions at Snug Harbor Music Hall August 7-16. (Photo by Nicholas Buchholz)
Jessica Caracciolo (center) and the Delta Nu Sorority are ready to take the Island by storm in "Legally Blonde The Musical" for In The Wings Productions at Snug Harbor Music Hall August 7-16. (Photo by Nicholas Buchholz)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The tickled pink plot: Elle Woods is a seemingly shallow sorority gal who doesn't take no for an answer.
So, when her boyfriend dumps her for a "serious" girl, Elle pulls out Daddy's credit cards, hits the books, and heads for Harvard Law School with her lapdog, Bruiser.
Along the way, Elle learns two life lessons: Being true to yourself never goes out of style -- and "dumb" is not a requirement for blondes.
Wait, why are we rehashing the concept of Reese Witherspoon's hit 2001 rom-com?
Because Staten Island's In The Wings theater company is bringing "Legally Blonde The Musical" to the Music Hall for a two-week engagement, opening Friday, Aug. 7, and playing through Sunday, Aug. 16.
"This hysterical and sweet musical has all the charm of the original movie, and then injects it with non-stop, thrilling musical numbers," says Adam Glassman, executive director of In the Wings. "Our talented director, Joey Lento, is ready to infuse his own vision to give In The Wings audiences a fresh new production unlike any they have seen before."
The musical bowed on Broadway in 2007, garnering seven Tony nominations and ten Drama Desk nominations but failing to win any. The West End production was nominated for five Olivier Awards and won three, including Best New Musical.
The S.I. production also features the musical direction of Andrew Monteleone.
'Legally Blonde' is such a high energy musical -- it's the perfect match for the talents of the 42 Islanders in the cast," says In the Wings artistic director Tanya Glassman, who doubles as the production's choreographer.
The leading lady: Jessica Caracciolo stars as Elle Woods.
The ensemble: Michael Sekzer (Emmett), Emily Bodkin (Paulette), George Tsalikis (Professor Callahan), James McKeon (Warner), Rebecca Sciannameo (Vivienne), Emma Pittman (Brooke), Charlianne Meli (Kate), Craig Kwasnicki (Kyle), Marissa Terzino (Serena), Kristen Dalto (Pilar), Fiona Gannon (Margot), and Taylor Del Priore (Enid).
The Delta Nu sorority girls: Jackie Concepcion, Jessica DiForte, Samanatha Hermansen, Gabriella Manzella, Victoria Navarino, and Nicole Romeo. The ensemble features Amanda Benjamin, Gary Bradley, Caitlin Branen, Philip Buccigrossi, Eden Casalino, Dana Frisher, Kieran Graulich, Elizabeth Harding, Nicole Hermansen, John Herron, Melissa Kane, Jessica Lucchesi, Ariel Marcus, Anthony Massa, Tyler Musante, Danielle Oliveira, Michael Peruggia, Sebastian Rametta, Melanie Randall, Andrew Rodriguez, Rina Sklar, Nathan Ullrich, and Michael Whelan.
The dogs: Blu stars as Bruiser Woods. Rufus is played by Meatloaf.
The creative team: Andre Boulay (Scenic Designer), Robert Santimauro and Scaramouche (Costume Designer), Tiffany Rau (Lighting Designer), Shawn Rau (Sound Designer), Lisa Migliorisi and Victoria Rametta (Production Stage Manager).
-- The Snug Harbor Music Hall is located on the historical grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terr. in Livingston. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets: $20-$30. For single tickets call 718-916-9011 or online at www.sishows.com