Independence Awards Reviews

Reviews from the Independence Awards Adjudicators

General Comments:

• Yusra Ali, Charles Mangan, Mattie McNamara, and Emily Dubin were a delight to watch and brought such a light to their scenes.
• Notable performances in the ensemble were by Marielle Zakrazwski (who I'd wished to see more of) Chris Higham, and Will Carter II.
• Don't forget to have fun!
• This was overall a strong production that the cast, crew, and creative team should all be extremely proud of.
• The levels of professionalism were definitely not where expected in terms of a high school show for Legally Blonde.
• My favorite number from the show was "Chip on My Shoulder". Both Mr. Mangan and Miss Farr played off of each other well and brought the energy level up.
• it is said that "acting is reacting." Keep it up, and break a leg on future performances!
• you NEED to breathe. Taking strong breaths will help support your voice so that you stay on pitch and so that the audience can hear you, even if your mics go out.
• From the Jamaican breakdown in "What You Want" to the adorable pups stealing their moment in the spotlight, Legally Blonde was a memorable performance in Jenkintown!
• A suggestion for future productions is to SMILE. When confident, SMILE, when in doubt SMILE, when happy SMILE, when running out of energy SMILE! An audience rarely looks at a dancer's feet and even less so if they nice big smiles on the faces of those dancing.
• Though there was a large range of ages on stage, it was not noticeable and all students from all grades seemed invested in the production equally. Execution of choreography across the board was very good, with dances scaled to the level of talent available. One thing that will help "sell" the dances even more is smiling faces and students being invested in the scene more with appropriate acting and reacting.
• Two quick shout-outs for some outstanding cameo roles go to Jeremy Todaro as Carlos and Marielle Zakrzwski as the Court Stenographer. They each took those one-line roles and turned them into moments that added so much life to those court scenes.

Make Up:

• The makeup for Legally Blonde was excellent, with the designs used being appropriate for each character and adding to the narrative.
• Make up did a good job with appropriate colors and make up for the show
• Overall the designer showed not only a good understanding of make-up technique but of each character, and the narrative of the show, and used designs that aided the development of those characters and the audience's understanding of those characters.

Set Design:

• The set design was both fun and practical. The way the doors opened was versatile and the students should be proud of designing a smart set.
• The scenic design was at a professional level.

Charlie:

• Charles Mangan, for capturing Emmett's sort of goofy, uncomfortable nature as he goes from thinking of Elle as a joke to respecting her to loving her
• His acting and vocal work seemed effortless and he was always a welcome sight on stage.
• The actor playing Emmett is very comfortable on stage and in his body and had the strongest stage presence.
• He is clearly ready for the next step, if he so chooses, to pursue acting in college

Tech:

• On the Technical side it seems the students have a basic understanding of scenic design, shifts, light, and sound, but there is great room for improvement in execution.
• Technical crew: be mindful of the little things--little things like the placement of mics, the timing of light cues, and whether or not the audience can see you in the wings handing a prop to an onstage actor, can all add up when done well--these things can take a production from good to great.
• I did appreciate the efforts by the students working the soundboard to increase or decrease the volume of the sound system based on how loud or quiet the actor was being in a given moment. Keep it up, and good luck with future productions!
• The lighting cues that you executed were largely successful
• The spot op did a great job on keeping the spot in focus and on the actors during the specific moments it was utilized. Many of the light cues seemed delayed and I am not sure of that was the stage manager or the lighting operator
• I was proud to see so many students at the helm in the technical elements of this show
• Though sound did a good job with on stage cues, there were times that mics were left on backstage and the audience could hear the performers not on stage.

Featured Delta Nus (Laura, Mattie, Yusra):

• All three ladies were suited for their parts. A stand-out among the three was Mattie McNamara who always brought the appropriate energy to the scene and was always engaged with the action on the stage, staying in character throughout, and reacting appropriately to the action.
• The Delta Nu small ensemble brought great energy to the stage they were connected throughout the piece; their character and why they were on stage at any given moment. I enjoyed their performances.
• The featured Delta Nus were very cute and full of energy
• The Delta Nu trio of Margaret, Pilar, and Serena added three distinct personalities to Elle's real-life and subconscious thoughts, and they brought sass and sweetness both

Ari/Stage Crew:

• The technical aspects of the show were overall very impressive. I nod my hat to Ari Ellison for stage managing transitions with a complex, but fragile set.
• I want to once again give a nod to your Stage Manager, Ari, for showing great leadership to the crew.
• The technical crew of Legally Blonde at Jenkintown High School had an impressive amount of responsibility and handled it well.
• Good job tech crew. This production showed a lot of care and organization. Most of the dollhouse set movements were smooth and concise, and they were definitely done in a very safe way, with the stage manager directing everyone's movement, which I appreciated. I also thought the teamwork of setting up the platform and the stairs (unfolding the set piece and locking it into place) was effective.

Maggie:

• Miss Farr not only looked the part but carried herself well and understood the part well. Her acting was appropriate for the role and she easily charmed the audience through that aspect of her performance.
• Kudos to Maggie for her efforts in bringing Elle Woods to life. It's a character that's in every scene of the show and she exemplified admirable poise throughout.
• I was impressed with Miss Farr's ability to project her dialogue when confronted with a non-functioning microphone in Act II

Caitlin:

• Caitlin Frazee, for not making us completely hate Vivienne so that we can come to respect her and like her in the end;
• Ms. Frazee also contributed a solid performance in the role of Vivienne.
• Caitlin Frazee and Emily Dubin I thought were both lovely in their roles, giving two very different foils for Margaret to play off of: Caitlin making a graceful transition from enemy to ally, and Emily being the supportive, sassy friend that Elle needed in her home away from home.

Danny:

• Mr. Wescott made some good acting choices and seemed at home in the role.
• Wescott possessed a natural stage presence and fine singing voice as Warner.

Bend and Snap Dancers:

• "Bend and Snap" was an enjoyable number and many of the dancers brought great enthusiasm to the choreography. Especially Serena, Margot, Pilar, and Paulette.

Henry:

• Gifford has a fine singing voice and lots of potential
• Henry Gifford as Callahan was closer to hitting the mark, especially during "Blood in the Water" where he gave a sort of cunning smile that added another level to that number.

Emily:

• Emily Dubin, for making Paulette so gosh darned loveable and worldly wise.
• Paulette was a breath of fresh air when she same in. Her comedic timing was on point and she used every tactic to get what she needed. She really was a standout.
• Miss Dubin's accent and comedic timing was hilarious during "Ireland".
• Caitlin Frazee and Emily Dubin I thought were both lovely in their roles, giving two very different foils for Margaret to play off of: Caitlin making a graceful transition from enemy to ally, and Emily being the supportive, sassy friend that Elle needed in her home away from home.