Subject of Rehearsal
As mentioned in the Mood Tracker, this session for me began with the ensemble learning the beginning harmonies to Legally Blonde (Remix) whilst I sang Vivienne's lines over the top. Following this, I was moved over to an Acting session, blocking Act 1 Scene 9 and setting the subsequent song 'So Much Better'.
Vocal Session
I was given an opportunity in this aspect of the rehearsal to run my portion of the song with backing before the chorus broke off and began to learn the harmonies underneath; I found this very beneficial to do, as this is the first time we had covered the song in timetabled rehearsals (when I was not practising independently.) Moreover, the presence of a minor audience (ensemble), had its own impact, in that I was able to begin considering how my artistic decisions would create the most effective intended atmosphere.
During this scene/song, Vivienne has undergone practically the full extent of her development as a character, something which I have not explored in a group setting before. For these reasons, my alteration (between the seemingly malevolent character I was portraying previously and the more compassionate and soft one I later become) became all the more relevant and necessary. With this revelation in mind, I can begin to framework the changes in my demeanour.
When Elle is about to leave Harvard and return home following circumstances that made her believe she was not fit to remain where she was, Vivienne is the (albeit surprising) driving force that encourages her to return, with her lyrics explaining her gradual change of heart. In the context of my interpretation, this is a gargantuan step for Vivienne to take alone, let alone in a public setting; she has given herself time to assess her priorities, and has achieved a sense of piece in terms of her academic jealousy towards Elle.
Therefore, there needs to be a considerable change in my body language first of all. While I spend the majority of the show closed off posture-wise and looking at other characters (Elle especially) down my nose, this is a pivotal moment where my stature can loosen and my language open up (while still staying true to the character's elegance). More notably, this implies a slight sense of relaxation of the character; uptight would be an understatement in terms of her rigorous approach to her academics and her appearance in the public eye, and she constantly fears the guise slipping before this revelation.
Vocally, also, changes will be significant. Vivienne's voice before this scene is clipped and condescending at times, always perfectly eloquent in her speech and minimising pauses in her speech to prevent suspicion of hesitation (as well as removing her subconscious fears that silence in conversations equates to a lack of interest or a presence of judgement from who she is speaking with). However, her harsh tones soften out here, with even a smile in the tone as the song progresses. She allows her more colloquial drawls to seep out in this scene, abandoning the full guise of porcelain, in favour of a much more healthy balance of demure and fiery!
Acting Session
In contrast, the section covered here seems to be the height of Vivienne's scorn. As mentioned prior, my interpretation of the character comes with a heavy sense of academic duty and an immense pressure for success; first place at anything she sets her mind towards. Her distaste towards Elle spawns from - in my opinion - her fear. Elle at the start of the show is the embodiment of everything she fears of becoming: unintelligent, subservient, overemotional, not taken seriously.
Her hatred only intensifies as Elle becomes her unknowing academic rival. Every success of Elle's is a failure for Vivienne, and this is only further drilled by the fact that Vivienne never actually speaks in the scenes from Callahan's classroom! I see this in a certain way: while her academic prowess is still completely intact, hence why her assignments remain perfect and she gets the internship, she becomes cold and quiet in class because she cannot admit she is afraid of being contested and beaten by Elle.
By the time we reach the end of Act 1, this has reached a boiling point... but at the start she is not yet aware that Elle has the internship; only she, Warner and Enid have found out. This is crucial to the events that then play out...
Not only does she presume that Elle has lucked out on the internship, but Vivienne is then proposed to by Warner, something that she knows Elle has been vying for since she arrived. This gives her an immense sense of power over the scene, when she is put in the position of making her choice.
This is why, similarly to in the MTV production, I made the artistic decision to begin pensive once Warner pops the question, but only confirm when having assessed Elle! This, leading into So Much Better, is the moment in the show (even over Legally Blonde (remix)), when I believe Vivienne has the most power over other characters, and this will be displayed in my physicality as the song progresses. Moreover, as I am an ensemble singer for this song, I have begun my integration of these contextual features into my approach; a lot of the lyrics are sung supportively by other cast members, but they become patronising and smug when coming from Vivienne.
