Theater’s latest musical, “Legally Blonde”, took place in the auditorium from 7-9 p.m. on Jan. 18, 19, and 20. On Jan. 20, there was an additional 2-5 p.m. matinée.
The main cast members included Alyssa Serrano as Elle Woods, Andy Wu as Warner Huntington III, Jayden Buzan as Emmett Forrest, Maddie Teverovsky as Paulette, Sarah Gentle as Vivienne Kensington, Kallin Wheatley as Professor Callahan as well as numerous ensemble members who worked together to make the show run seamlessly.
“I have always been mildly surprised by the degree to which female theater students revere Elle Woods,” theater director Gavin Mundy said in his production notes. “What I failed to recognize, and what the students have always known, is that Elle’s blondeness was never literal.”
Elle Woods is portrayed as a Sanrio fan, with her bed and even a poster decked out in iconic Hello Kitty fashion. This show appealed to the modern-day audience, with Warner’s character calling Elle Wood’s character “Pookie” endearingly on multiple occasions. Her spectacularly pink costumes stood out in every scene as she balanced her “girly” personality in the field of law.
“In our culture, femininity has been traditionally under-valued and even mocked,” Mundy said in his production notes. “We joke about ‘typical blondes’ and too often employ the word ‘girly’ as a synonym for frivolous.”
Regardless of all the differences in the Clements production compared to the 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon, this show was well thought out, exploring themes of diversity and femininity. Such complex shows need a lot of effort.
“We’re here till 10 every night on show week and then other weeks, we’re normally here till around 6,” sophomore Maddie Teverovsky, the actress of Paulette, said. “And then we’re also here on the weekends, so it’s a lot of time.”
Rehearsals began in November and went through winter break as the cast and crew worked towards a strong vision.
This adaptation of “Legally Blonde” was unique in many ways. Audience members could often see crew members moving around props, giving the entirely pink Delta Nu House a “Barbie dollhouse” effect. A professional live band had been hired to play the music for the show. Audience members were pleasantly surprised when not one, but two real dogs played the roles of Bruiser and Rufus. An incredible amount of work and thought was put into this show.
“It’s very stressful beforehand, but once you’re on the stage with all your friends, it’s very fun,” Teverovsky said.
Her experience playing the hairstylist Paulette was interesting, taking the popular phrase “break a leg”to heart.
“Right before the first show, we were practicing a stunt for one of the dances,” Teverovsky said. “I was dropped and my ankle popped, so I sprained it opening night. I was freaking out!”
Another setback the cast and crew faced was the freeze that happened earlier that week. Thursday was a dress rehearsal and students were allowed to see it again on a Friday or Saturday show for free. Despite all the difficulties, crowds were large on Friday and Saturday night.
Mundy took the large crowds as an opportunity to make an impact on all the little girls in the audience.
“Over the course of the rehearsal process, I often wondered how much [young Alyssa Serrano] would have enjoyed seeing a production of ‘Legally Blonde’ that featured an Elle that looked more like her,” Mundy said. “The Elle Woods of the Clements production of ‘Legally Blonde’ was not born with blonde hair. This Elle is blonde by choice.”
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Images by Vrishni Krishnan & Shivani Sunderamoorthi
