On Thursday, Feb. 12, in the Performing Arts Center, State High’s Thespians will take to the stage for the opening night of their spring musical, “Legally Blonde.” This production is a high-energy show full of fun songs and dance that celebrates the perseverance, strength, and confidence of the fabulous Elle Woods, played by senior star Hannah Smith.
Ensemble member, senior Cecilia Sandoval-Strausz gave an overview of the story, “The main character is Elle Woods, [who] gets broken up with at the beginning of the show, [which] motivates her to get into Harvard and go on a journey to get her man back. And along the way, she finds herself and discovers that she’s a very good lawyer.”
The 2007 Broadway musical was adapted from the 2001 movie, which was based on the book by Amanda Brown. Each adaptation carries the themes of self-discovery and breaking stereotypes.
“It’s about female empowerment, and also being true to yourself,” Sandoval-Strausz said.
Junior Penny Geuther, who has seen the movie, plans to watch “Legally Blonde” this Sunday.
“It was a good movie, and I’m excited to see the musical version,” Geuther said. “I love going to the plays every single year because the State High Thespians put on such good productions… and they’re all so fun to watch.”
The Thespians who started this project in December have been working tirelessly to prepare for the upcoming play.
Sandoval-Strausz explained the process, “We started, I think, at the beginning of December, and the first week, we do audition workshops, and they teach you the dance, the song, and the lines that you have to learn. And then the week after that, you do the actual auditions…After that, we went right into rehearsals…We tried to learn all of the songs and dances [in December], so that when we got back from break, we would hopefully have stuff [memorized], and we could just get into staging and putting everything together.”
“This past weekend…we had our first rehearsal with the pit orchestra, who had been rehearsing on their own. And then yesterday, we had our first rehearsal, where we started incorporating stage makeup and costumes. We started using lights…all of the sets, and all of the props,” Sandoval-Strausz said. “Everything is so beautiful, and it’s very exciting to see it all kind of come together.”
“Legally Blonde” is a difficult, fast-paced production that requires performers and those behind the curtain to have stamina and focus.
“[The preparation is] really crazy. One of my friends was at tech for eight hours on Saturday,” Sandoval-Strausz said. “They go in and work during their lunches and during their study halls…This week, we have rehearsal every day until 10, and of course, it also involves practicing at home. The pit [orchestra has] only had six rehearsals together…They have to make costumes for like 60 people, and most of those people have more than one costume…They have to plan the changes, and they have to plan the lights; there are a bunch of mics in the show. It’s a lot.”
Beyond the work backstage, the cast and ensemble have to perform high-energy choreography and challenging vocals for hours.
“There are a lot of amazing big numbers,” Sandoval-Strausz said. “One of the numbers that I got to see all together for the first time this weekend was ‘What You Want.’…The instrumentation is really interesting because [of the] guitar, which I think you don’t always see.”
The intense preparation and hard work of the Thespians make their vision come alive.
“I try to go every single year because they’re just so good,” Geuther said.
It looks beautiful, and then I also think it’s really uplifting,” Sandoval-Strausz said. “‘Legally Blonde’ is really fun and encouraging and hopeful for the future.”
Tickets are available on the State High website for shows at 7 p.m. on Feb. 12-14 and 2 p.m. on Feb. 15. The Performing Arts Center doors open 30 minutes before the curtain. The show has a runtime of approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission with a cash-only concession stand and 50/50 raffle.
