Legally Blonde the Musical
"Oh My God" was the tune audience members may have continued humming in their heads after leaving the upbeat musical performance of "Legally Blonde" performed at the high school's Ferrini Center. Directed and produced by the husband and wife duo of Brett and Nora Burnett, many of the actors played a variety of roles with an ensemble cast who could sing, dance, act, and workout all at the same time. The energy was palpable as actors such as Lily Wainwright, Kate Rubel, and Chris Tsouvalas belted out lyrics while dancing, jumping rope, or bopping across the stage. Laughter filled the Ferrini as the dreaming hairdresser, played by Helen Peppler, falls for the masculine saunter of UPS hunk, catwalker Jack Delorenzo. As romance blooms at the hair salon, beautiful blonde Elle, played by Olivia Brown, fights for her love of her handsome Warner, played by Broderick Kelley. Although their singing intertwined beautifully, their love lives take different paths as Elle falls for her supportive mentor, Emmett, played by Will Glovsky. Emmett capitalizes on Elle's intuition regarding who the charming pool boy's real lover is despite his claim of being the boyfriend of murder suspect, Brooke Wyndham, played by Kate Rubel. The Latino pool boy, played by Domenic Brown, did an excellent job of keeping both the audience and jury guessing as the storyline takes an enlightening turn. The ending? Let it suffice to say... "Oh My God!"
Standing ovations and applause for the multi-talented cast, crew, and directors!
Written by: Heather Ryan
Middle School Arts Night
Music echoed through the art filled halls as the MRMS Chorus and Chorale sang in the multi-purpose room to kick off an evening of art. Once the singers had taken their final bow, some families squeezed into the standing-room-only Performing Arts Room as students jammed on their guitars and ukuleles. For those who wanted more music, the MRMS Jazz Combo then played across the hall showcasing the talents of musicians on a variety of instruments. While the music played on families meandered the hallways viewing paintings of flowers in the Georgia O'Keefe style, drawings of backpacks complete with detailed lacing, and colorful masks dangling from the walls. This multi-sensory experience concluded with an abridged performance of the drama being prepared for the Mass. Educational Theater Guild's (METG) drama festival. Overall, the talents of MRMS students was well showcased for a fun evening of entertainment.
Deer Haunting
Bringing a cartoon to life was no easy task for the cast and crew of "Deer Haunting: A Farside Cartoon," a comedy written by Andrea Onstad. Antlers and hooves adorned 3 deer portrayed by Jack Delorenzo, Will Glovsky, and Chris Tsouvalis as they pranced through the woods and were eventually hit by a car. The car was driven by 3 old ladies including a timid Bones, a feisty Nursey, and a drunk Pansy. As the car hits the deer, actors splay across the stage in their slow motion descent to the road. After getting a closer look at the deer a strange resemblance to the 3 old biddys' deceased husbands becomes apparent. Could it be the three late husbands were reincarnated as deer?
As the 3 old ladies portrayed by Olivia Brown, Helen Peppler, and Katie Ryan sing horribly to pass the time in their car ride, suspicious police pull them over. Tough cop Julia Brown warns the three to abate the recklessness while amused cop, Matt Rose, chuckles at the three, entertained by their craziness.
After months of rehearsals, the performance competes at various levels in the Mass. Educational Theater Guild's (METG) competitions. At the preliminary level, the judges at the Drama Festival praised the cast's synergy as both teams of three (the deer and old ladies) were recognized for their well-coordinated acting abilities. The cast and crew advanced to the Semi-Final Festival and were again recognized with several honors. As last year's winners of the MA state level Drama Festival, the team was automatically invited to Boston once again to view the talents of their peers and be inspired for next year's creation.
