Colgate University’s student theater group, Masque and Triangle, performed the musical “Legally Blonde” Feb. 6-9 to a lively and enthusiastic audience. A significant number of tickets were sold, making the production a successful and well-received operation. Preparation for the show had been going on since early in the fall semester, and a bigger-than-ever crew and cast meant that there was lots of support and effort that went into the performance.
The musical opened with the character Professor Callahan, played by senior Alex Tauber, stepping out from behind the curtain to introduce his students to a class at Harvard Law, setting the stage for the competitive world of Harvard Law School. But it’s a different scene as the curtains open to the Delta Nu sorority with the first song “Omigod You Guys.” The audience is introduced to Elle Woods, a fashionable and bubbly college student played by sophomore Kate Slone, who believes that her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III played by junior Corrigan Peters, will propose to her soon. It’s revealed in the second song “Serious,” though, that he is instead abandoning her in the face of family pressure to find someone more suitable for his upcoming year at Harvard Law School. As Elle successfully follows Warner to Harvard to get him back, she finds herself having to overcome increasingly large hurdles to impress Warner and to distance herself from others’ assumptions about her ability to succeed.
The cast and crew put on a lighthearted performance that didn’t take itself too seriously and yet still managed to create emotion-filled moments due to smooth acting. While several moments were perhaps overly comical, such as the scene where showering is used as evidence of lying in court, the cast achieved many touching moments between characters. Several moments also had the entire audience laughing along, such as the performance of “Ireland” by Paulette, played by sophomore Mary Kate Blum, where Paulette reveals her lifelong desire to have an Irish wedding, or “Bend and Snap,” when Paulette manages to knock out a man she is trying to impress.
The support of the Masque and Triangle community helped senior Katherine McClellan, playing Serena, to gain confidence in a new art field.
“I’m a senior and I never had been part of a Masque and Triangle production,” McClellan said. “In a play everything feels more natural, but in a musical all of a sudden we’ll be in a big dance number that we want the audience to find entertaining. It was interesting having to shift my brain into a musical mindset rather than making my actions as realistic as possible.”
“Legally Blonde” is this year’s edition of the group’s spring musical performance, while previous years have included musicals such as “Be More Chill” in 2024 and “The Addams Family” in Spring 2022. In the fall, the group also puts on smaller musical performances.
Stage manager and producer of the show junior Lara Blanton worked to create budgets, organize props and coordinate among helpers — all while being abroad in the fall.
“The specific challenge for this musical was the sheer scale,” Blanton said. “This is the largest musical we have ever put on cast-wise, but more formidably, set-wise and technically. Getting and organizing all the props and set was a huge task that required a bigger stage crew than we’ve ever had.”
The group worked to encourage all to join by offering support for those who haven’t had as much experience with musicals.
“I met so many amazing friends through working on the show, and I believe that shows how inclusive and supportive the Masque and Triangle community is,” McClellan said. “I was nervous to join the group just for my senior year, but it was so worth it!”
First-year Sophia Luzietti played Pilar, a Delta Nu sister, in the musical and appreciated the enthusiastic audience.
“It was incredible to see the level of student support for this production! Having a packed house every night and a sold out theater on Friday made the energy of the performance even more palpable!” Luzietti said. “Preparing for the show took hours of rehearsals ranging from singing and dancing to marking out light cues. Although it was intense at times, I wouldn’t have wanted to do all that work with anyone other than our amazing cast.”
