In what is probably the most infamous scene in the hit 2001 film Legally Blonde—the “Bend and Snap” sequence in a hair salon, where hero lawyer Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) teaches aesthetician Paulette Bonafonté (Jennifer Coolidge) how to use exaggerated femininity to win the attention of a man—viewers witness the sometimes uncomfortable, yet somehow empowering, motif that makes the film, and now the musical version, so beloved: A driven woman is determined to buck sexist stereotypes and succeed, while knowing all too well that those stereotypes can just as powerfully work to her advantage in a world that still seems, in many ways, controlled by men.
“It’s critically important that the audience understand the sexism and misogyny that fuel Elle’s journey,” says director and Colorado Academy Theater Tech Instructor James Meehan, “while at the same time suspending their outrage to follow along, as the story pushes through all those negatives to deliver a wholesome, positive message about resilience, individuality, and self-discovery.”
Set in the years before widespread access to the modern internet made debates about gender and identity seem commonplace, Legally Blonde: The Musical closely replicates the themes—not to mention energy, humor, and continuing relevance—of the film and book on which it is based. As a review in the New York Times put it, Legally Blonde is a “hymn to the glories of girlishness.”
Elle appears to have it “all”: With money, beauty, and popularity to spare, she seems the epitome of the “Delta Nu girl” of her college sorority. But her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend, Warner, dumps her so he can attend Harvard University’s Law School, headed for a respectable career and marriage to a more “suitable” kind of woman. Determined to get him back, Elle taps her vast reserves of intelligence and charm to gain acceptance to Harvard, where she thinks she will easily win over Warner. In the process, however, she discovers abilities she never realized she had, and she finds a whole new group of supporters who appreciate her for her determination and generosity.
The musical, Meehan explains, asks the audience to hold two seemingly opposing ideas at the same time: that a woman can be strong and accomplished and also beautiful and popular. “She’s very pink, very upbeat,” he observes of the perfectly coiffed and styled Elle. But her outward appearances, including her most important accessory, a purse-sized Chihuahua, turn out to be a lesson in not judging a book solely by its cover. Elle is unapologetically herself inside and out, from her fashion sense and her winning ways with men, to her ability to pass the LSAT and bring unique insights to her role as an intern for a prestigious law firm.
The ideological push and pull that Elle so powerfully embodies make for excellent drama, according to Meehan; they also require sensitivity from all involved, which became clear at the very beginning of the production process.
“Before we even began, I sat down with the members of the Theater and Dance Department to talk about the challenges of the material—the musical satirizes norms and stereotypes of gender, beauty, class, and culture in ways that we knew could upset some.” Next, Meehan led interested performers and crew members through discussions about these themes, asking all to acknowledge that they understood they might encounter offensive ideas.
Still, student concerns were welcomed throughout casting and rehearsals, and Meehan offered wholehearted support to those who felt too uncomfortable to participate. Nonetheless, he and his colleagues were overwhelmed with the number of Upper Schoolers eager to be part of the show, and, he says, Legally Blonde grew into a sort of flagship for CA theater. “The cast and crew we have are amazing; my colleagues are incredible. This is an example of how a high school theater community should work.”
A dream show
As Meehan makes clear, student engagement with this particular production was notably high, despite (or perhaps because of) the sometimes controversial subject matter.
Early on, he relates, it became apparent that the opportunity to assume the role of sorority sister, cheerleader, or fashion maven was appealing to many—so much so that one Sophomore, Nina Oren, volunteered to help create the costumes for a trio of Delta Nu sisters. “A few days later, I asked her, ‘How would you like to help me with the rest of the costumes, too?’” Meehan recounts. “She said, ‘I would love that,’ and since then Nina has been instrumental in this production.”
“Elle has always been one of my favorite characters—I’m a huge ‘chick flick’ person, so I love the pink and the blonde,” Oren enthuses. “I knew I wanted to take on a bigger role in the CA theater community, and I was sure Mr. Meehan was going to need help with costumes for this show: Elle is all about fashion. She has 10 costume changes alone! It’s truly a beast for wardrobe.”
Dance Instructor and choreographer Melissa Zaremba notes that another student contributor, Junior Caroline Haley, made her own mark on the musical. An accomplished dancer and a member of CA’s Dance Company, Haley took on choreographing one of Legally Blonde’s signature numbers, the opener “Omigod You Guys,” in which Elle’s Delta Nu sisters help her pick the perfect dress for the wedding proposal she expects to receive from Warner. “Caroline came to me even before auditions to ask if she could be involved,” Zaremba explains. “This is the first time we’ve had a student work on the choreography for a musical here.”
Many other students brought their unique talents to the production. Senior Gia Lish, who plays the part of Elle, called on her years of experience in CA’s theater program to personify the enthusiasm, kindness, and drive that elevated a sorority-girl-turned-lawyer into Witherspoon’s signature role.
“I’m definitely not the ‘sorority girl’ type; that’s not typically my vibe,” says the Senior, who’s a standout in the English Department as well as on the Ultimate Frisbee field. “But Elle Woods is actually my dream role in my dream show.”
“I feel like all of us kind of have that inner excitement,” Lish goes on. “Like Elle, we just have to tap into it. At least for a lot of us girls, there’s always that love for the color pink. It might be hidden away deep inside, but it’s kind of a superpower we all possess, being unabashedly proud to be a woman.”
Meehan states, “In my years here at CA, we’ve been lucky to have a student every so often who can carry a complete show. And Gia is one of those people. Thoughtful and communicative with her fellow actors, she has the talent, intelligence, and presence to push through a huge role that can make or break a show.”
Behind the scenes, too, CA students have made invaluable contributions to this vibrant production. Senior Clark Akuthota, stepping in as stage manager for the first time, is also the jack-of-all-trades who helped construct the bright pink Delta Nu sorority house and the rest of Legally Blonde’s sets. It’s a role he has eagerly taken on through his entire Upper School career.
“For me, the fun part of theater is fixing stuff,” explains Akuthota, who worked with technical director Ian Marzonie on the musical’s flats and scenery, including the towering Delta Nu sorority house, whose operable windows frame singing sisters in the opening scene.
“I’ve been involved in Tech Theater at CA since Middle School,” he continues. “I counted, and I think I’ve now done 10 trimesters of Tech Theater, and I’ve run crew for almost all of the shows I’ve worked on, too.”
Akuthota, who has also loaded up his Upper School schedule with math and science courses, plans to pursue engineering next fall in college, but with one foot still firmly planted in the world of set construction. “Hopefully, I can combine the two,” he says.
Lish will also continue with theater next year at Cornell University, where she plans to study English as well as pursue a Performance and Media Arts major. “I think I’ll always do musical theater,” she says. In the same way that Elle uses her charisma and kindness to help people be their best selves, “Theater reminds us of the importance of building community and lifting up the people around us.”
Bringing the literal fun
With amazing students both on stage and off, says Meehan, “The amount of talent that’s in the theater for this show is just second to none.” Unfortunately, he adds, there are two performers CA was unable to bring to the Leach Center for the Performing Arts: Elle’s Chihuahua, Bruiser, and Paulette’s bulldog, Rufus, whom Elle helps rescue from Paulette’s cruel ex-husband’s trailer.
The Broadway and traveling versions of Legally Blonde have featured real dogs specially trained for their musical roles, but putting live animals on stage proved a bridge too far for Meehan and his team. “There’s an old saying in the theater,” he notes. “‘Never work with children or animals,’ because they are just too unpredictable for the stage.” Meehan, of course, only pays attention to half of the adage.
Still, explains Lish, “We fought for the dogs; we really tried.” The on-stage canines may be plush, but Lish inspired her fellow cast and crew members to bring their favorite stuffed animals to rehearsals, and by the final runthrough before opening night, an audience of a couple dozen fluffy creatures, both big and small, occupied the first few rows of theater seats. During the actual run of the show, they moved to the dressing rooms to help calm pre-performance jitters.
In a high-energy show with a huge list of song-and-dance numbers, the stuffies might be just what was needed to keep Legally Blonde grounded, instead of flying away in an explosion of pink fabric, pom-poms, and blonde hair. Indeed, they’re made of the same sweet silliness that pulses through “Bend and Snap,” whose hilarious lyrics include this verse:
Girl, if you wanna make the team
Then, fake some self-esteem
The more you jump around and scream
Yeah, the sexier you seem
Or there’s the song “Whipped Into Shape,” which Elle’s legal client, a workout guru, delivers while performing a choreographed jump-rope routine with a stageful of exercise acolytes.
“It’s like nothing you’re going to see in any other musical,” underscores Zaremba. “They’re not just jump-roping: They’re doing tricks and jumping and spinning for at least eight minutes, singing the whole time.”
What it is most of all, in fact, is fun—a perfect fit for the joyful and celebratory spirit that CA’s Upper School musical brings to the stage year after year.