John Carroll’s campus has been buzzing about Amanda Farinelli’s remarkable performance as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical and Her Campus had the privilege of a one-on-one interview with the young starlet.
“Being casted as Elle was my dream role and I loved every second of it. When I found out I got the role I felt like I was on cloud nine” beamed Farinelli.
The North Royalton native is a junior at John Carroll and is double majoring in Communications and Italian. This past summer she was lucky enough to study abroad in Italy where she met the Pope and experienced life the Italian way in her loyalty to her family’s roots.
Amanda attended Padua Franciscan High School in Parma, Ohio where she began her involvement in theatre which was heavily influenced by her older brother. She came to John Carroll after being attracted to its small and close-knit atmosphere.
During her time at John Carroll, Amanda continued to pursue her interest in theatre through her involvement with two other productions prior to her performance in Legally Blonde. She was casted as a muse in Pippin and also starred in The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 though her favorite role was playing Elle Woods.
Amanda recalls the audition process for Legally Blonde as more intense than the other shows. After a week of auditioning, she was granted the role of Elle Woods which she shared with Caitlin Salvino. Having the role double-casted served as a sense of relief for Amanda in that she was happy to have some of the pressure lifted off her shoulders.
In addition to working with Caitlin, Amanda enjoyed having her two best friends casted in the show. “It was nice to have Karen and Marie with me because we were able to goof around allowing us to get comfortable on and off stage” said Farinelli.
Comfortability was essential in that Farinelli was required to wear a Playboy bunny costume for one of her scenes though the starlet recalls having to wear a similarly racy costume in Pippin. “When I first put the bunny costume on it didn’t fit! It was also cut very European around the bikini line!” blushed Farinelli.
Amanda’s favorite number was the “Bend and Snap” in that “It was the scene with the most energy and choreography”.
Though playing Elle Woods was an enchanting experience for Amanda, it was also very time consuming and a lot of hard work. “Playing Elle was a huge time commitment but it pushed me to stay organized. It was easy to put forth my time because it was fun working with everyone while they were also supportive throughout the production.” The starlet also recalls her final performance where she endured the burden of having strep throat however, the support of her fellow cast members allowed her to put it behind her.
Overall, Amanda recalls her experience playing Elle Woods with fondness and nostalgia and was happy to have her room mates and family members attend the show which they enjoyed.
When Amanda is not on stage, she is on the radio at WJCU where she has the opportunity to pursue her interest in broadcasting communications. She is joined by her two best friends whom were also involved in Legally Blonde with her. The genre show aired by Amanda and her two co-hosts is titled “Enter Stage Left” where the three girls create a playlist consisting mostly of show tunes.
Amanda aspires to be an anchorwoman one day or perhaps get her masters in Italian where she would then teach. She now resides off campus in a house with her three good friends at John Carroll.
Amanda would like to thank her fellow cast and crew members for all of their hard work they put forth to create the show, as well as her family and friends especially her brother for always giving her the courage and advice she needs to perform on stage.
Be sure to check Amanda out on WJCU on Wednesday nights from 12-2 am!
Photo Credit: Facebook