Wilson High senior Joey Schulman plays Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” (photos courtesy Judy Licht Photography)
by Fran Brennan
Legally Blonde: The Musical’s final performances are this Friday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 18 at at 2:30 (ASL-interpreted performance) and 7:30 p.m. See ticket information below.
Follow sorority girl Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, snobbery, and scandal in pursuit of her man – and ultimately much more. Elle, played by senior Joey Schulman, heads to Harvard to win back her love, Warner (senior Elliott Diner). With the help of teaching assistant Emmett (junior William Wright) and beautician Paulette (senior Sarah Desta), Elle learns just how capable she is.
Based on the popular movie, Wilson’s production of this award-winning Broadway show boasts a cast and crew of more than 100 students singing and dancing their way from UCLA to Harvard. Watch as Elle, with help from her Greek chorus of Delta Nu Girls (senior Franny Sewell, senior Zoe Roberts, and sophomore Lily Peres), deals with bullying law professor Callahan (senior Ernesto Fritts) and Warner’s new girlfriend, Vivienne (senior Sophie Thurschwell), as they try – and fail – to derail her future law career.
Harriet Bronstein is directing her 18th musical for Wilson, and says this one has been particularly challenging.
“This is a huge show in a cinematic style – the scenes and songs transition from one into the next one without a break,” Bronstein said. “While Broadway has wonderful robotic equipment to do that, we just have humans!”
Those humans have risen to the occasion, though, and with help from choreographer Nikki Gambhir learned plenty of moves for the many, many dance scenes. Marika Countouris (on keyboard) designed music for the show and directed 12 instrumentalists, and Dan Iwaniec designed costumes and sets. More than 40 parent volunteers kept the kids fed at rehearsals, and have managed everything from ticket sales to concessions to set decoration.
Bronstein said despite the many hurdles, the production has been both good fun and a great show.
“The biggest surprise to me is how relevant the themes in the show seem and how much the kids love everything about the show,” Bronstein said.
Tickets: Student/child/Wilson Teachers and Staff – $5 all performances | Adult – $15 ($10 for the Saturday matinee)
Tickets may be purchased at the door, cash and personal checks only. You can also email [email protected] to reserve tickets in advance. Include your full name, the date and time of the performances you wish to attend and the number of tickets you’d like to reserve.
The student orchestra.
The cast and crew.