The themes may vary in nature, but the beliefs of the three directors and one student are identical.
The three dedicated directors are Olivia Matko, Francesca DiFazio, and Julia Meisterich, and the gifted student is Emma Brown, who is playing the role of the leading character.
They are joined by an enthusiastic group of students who are rehearsing for the production of the Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School’s Spring Musical, Legally Blonde Jr.
The Middle School’s annual spring show, sponsored by the Drama Club, will be presented on Friday, May 2, in the school’s auditorium. The curtain will rise at 7 p.m.
According to Wikipedia, Legally Blonde is a 2007 musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Neil Benjamin and a book by Heather Hach. It is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2011 film of the same name.
The show tells the story of Elle Wood, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend, Warner. She discovers how her knowledge of the law can help others, and she successfully defends exercise queen Brooke Wyndham in a murder trial. Throughout the show, very few characters have faith in Elle, with the exception of her aesthetician Paulette, but she manages to surprise them when she defies expectations while staying true to herself.
Ms. Matko, Ms. DiFazio, Ms. Meisterich, and Emma all applaud the entire team's wonderful attitude and work effort.
This popular musical has always attracted Ms. Matko, the Middle School Grade 7 Theater Arts Teacher and the Drama Club and Musical Advisor.
“Working on this show has been such a blast,” Ms. Matko claimed.
“Legally Blonde is one of my favorite musicals and I have always dreamed of working on this show in some capacity,” she revealed. “The cast has done such an amazing job bringing these lovable characters to life and I could not have asked for a better group. I can not wait to see all of their hard work pay off on May 2!”
Ms. DiFazio, a Middle School 8th Grade Science Teacher, is a veteran of the stage. She, too, clapped at the students' efforts in front and behind the curtain.
“This is the 29th show I’ve directed at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School,” Ms. DiFazio shared. “Every single show is a new and different experience. We are blessed to have so many amazing and talented students involved in the cast and crew and I am super proud of the work they have done on this show!”
Unlike Ms. DiFazio, Ms. Meisterich is a rookie in the theater setting.
“I have loved working on this show! This is my first time ever working on a musical and doing stage crew,’ said Ms. Meisterich, a Middle School Counselor.
She also praised the attitudes of the students.
“I have learned so much from the student,s and I am so excited to see everything come together. We can't wait to show you what our students have been working on!”
Emma, an 8th Grade student, spoke one day during an after-school practice in the auditorium on how much she adores playing Elle Wood.
“This is great; I love it,” Emma said. “Playing Elle was my dream role. “She is a typical dumb blond who becomes a powerful woman.”
But Emma also touched on the same theme that the three directors alluded to.
All of us (cast and stage crew) are a big family that I love,” Emma declared. “Theater offers a different pool of people who come from all parts. This is a great chance to make new friends.”
Visit the Middle School on May 2 and experience how these friends will team up to produce a splendid musical.
Here are the Middle School students who make up the cast and crew.
CHARACTER, CAST
Elle Woods: Emma Brown
Warner Huntington III: Jacob Rizkalla
Emmett Forrest: Shaant Sachdeva
Vivienne Kensington: Anushka Khedlekar
Paulette: Jamie Byun
Professor Callahan: Derek Ebner
Margot: Biel Rosales
Serena: Grace Ricart
Pilar: Madison Mattis
Gaelen: Daphne Tang
Kate: Emmanuelle Sapp
Grandmaster Chad: Holden Fechter
Brooke Wyndham: Dara Wolff
Aaron Schultz: Jack Goodrich
Enid Hoops: Katalina Orozco
Sundeep Panamadan: Shuban Manjrekar
Saleswoman/Ensemble B: Lucianne Raviwong
Store Manager/Ensemble B: Adhya Balaji
Chutney Wyndham/Ensemble A: Cassidy Caruthers
Winthrop/Juror: Ananya Iyer
Lowell/Juror: Sara Polo
Pforzheimer/Juror: Chelsea Mattis
Jet Blue Pilot: Agil Dinesh
Whitney/Ensemble C: Riley Romanak
Dewey/Ensemble A: Nathan Weinstein
Sabrina/Ensemble B: Cassidy Caruthers
Prison Guard/Ensemble A: Aarush Bhatnagar
Kyle/Ensemble A: Kyle Johnson
Kiki the colorist: Tanvi Tangirala
Cashier: Aubrey Lucid
Stylist: Dillon Lu
Bookish Client/Ensemble B: Sharanya Bhiwapurkar
Judge/Ensemble A: Aaron Zuniga
Bailiff/Ensemble C
Whitney Guelich ,Ashvath Choudhary, Brielle Aragon,Gianna Fabrizio, MacKenzie Csontos, Nora Wang, Nathan Birgfeld, Kirtana Iyer, Aarushi Veera, Shanaya Malhotra, Adhvika Chandrasekhar, Gianna Zuniga, Gabriella Boardman, Medha Chingacham, Karina C Flores, Sharon Javadala, Radissa Wibawa, Alice Fan
CREW
Eva Greulich - STAGE MANAGER
Zalina Pellegrini - STAGE MANAGER
Olivia Tang - STUDENT DIRECTOR
Gavin Ng - STUDENT DIRECTOR
Hailey Baron - STUDENT DIRECTOR
Violet Acker
Saivi Ahuja
Gabriella Capici
Evan Cobucci
Bella Corona
Nova Dello Russo
Khristian Duenas
Hana Dymleku
Julia Lesniak
Sebastian Perez
Nora Psak
Hayley Reese
Sofia Regala
Ishaan Singh
Sai Sumant
Caleb Tiner
Jordan Woodley
Hannah Zimmerman
Isabella Zimmerman
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