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Stephanie Wallace, right and Jessie Hooker talk during a late night cast party for members of the ‘Legally Blonde: The Musical’ show at Wallace’s parents’ Dallas home.
S. John Wilkin/The Times Leader
DALLAS TWP. – The guest of honor was the last to arrive.
It wasn’t Jessie Hooker’s fault, though. Hooker, who is currently on a national tour as a cast member of “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” was overcome with emotions after performing her 62nd show of the tour in her hometown, and those waiting for her in the lobby of the Scranton Cultural Center on Friday night were greeted with excitement, tears and warm embraces.
Stephanie Wallace, Hooker’s best friend since the two met as sophomores in high school, was anxious to have her turn. Wallace rushed home after the 8 p.m. show without even saying hello to her best friend, and now she was getting antsy waiting for her arrival.
She and her parents, Ken and Sue Wallace, hosted an after-party at their home on Goodleigh Road in Dallas Township for the cast and crew of the musical, but they especially wanted to congratulate Hooker on a job well done – and well-deserved.
While Wallace stood in the doorway at 11:20 p.m. on Friday night, the frigid air felt cold but calm while she waited for Hooker to arrive.
The two hugged once Hooker stepped into the doorway, burying their faces in each other’s shoulders and expressing high-pitched tones only best friends could decipher.
“I haven’t seen her since mid-September,” said Wallace. The 22-year-old first-grade teacher said she was fortunate to watch Hooker’s final rehearsals on Broadway before the tour began.
Hooker plays a cashier, a judge and a sales manager in the show, based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon. She also understudies the character Pilar, one of Elle Woods’ sorority sisters.
The story is about Elle Woods, a bubbly college co-ed who follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School after he dumps her because she’s not “serious” enough. Through laughs and life lessons, she works to earn the respect she deserves.
Wallace wasn’t entirely surprised when she heard the news of Hooker’s role in a musical the two had seen together on Broadway in New York just a few years earlier.
“I always knew right out of school she would be doing a tour or be in New York,” she added.
The pair met at Wyoming Seminary while in the chorale group and have spoken nearly every day since then, even while attending colleges nearly 500 miles, or eight hours, apart.
“Honestly, I don’t think we went a day without speaking in some way,” said Wallace.
Hooker, a 22-year-old Wilkes-Barre native, said touring can be physically and emotionally draining, and the get-together hosted by “her other family” was just what she and the 25 other cast members needed.
“I feel really blessed, and I’m so grateful I can share this experience with my loved ones,” she said.
She got an early start to her long-awaited homecoming on Thursday night, after the final show in Syracuse, N.Y.
“My family picked me up and I got to spend the night at home and sleep in my bed,” said Hooker. “I even got to see my grandma.”
For cast mate Joel Ingram, of Oklahoma City, Okla., the show won’t stop in his hometown, but he said the cast party is like “one big family” while on tour.
“It’s so nice of (the Wallaces) to open up their house to us,” he said. “It’s something like this that gives us a little boost every day.”
Nikki Bohne, who plays lead character Elle Woods in the musical, said the stop in Scranton really affirmed Hooker’s excitement about the tour.
“I think she was just floored by the support,” said Bohne. “She’s been looking forward to Scranton ever since the tour started, and I think it’s invaluable to have your loved ones there – they helped you to get you there.”
The show will continue today with performances at 1 and 6 p.m. at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple, and Wallace said she doesn’t want to miss a beat.
“I’m going to see her in the show Saturday and Sunday,” she said. “I’m basically just going to be her shadow while she’s in town.”