BWW Interviews: Think Pink! LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL Opens at the Old Opera House, 9/5

Legally Blonde: The Musical will premiere this weekend at the Old Opera House in Charles Town, West Virginia. Directed by David Porterfield, with musical direction by CharLes Johnson and choreography by Christine Galante,Legally Blonde: The Musical is an upbeat, high energy musical with a cast featuring over twenty performers.
When Elle Woods, Malibu sorority queen, is dumped by her serious boyfriend, Warner, she follows him to Harvard Law School to win him back. Ashley Snow stars as (supposedly) "dumb blonde" Elle Woods who discovers she is equally savvy with both fashion and legal smarts. "Elle is a large role and it is a lot to piece together. She evolves so much throughout the show. It is a large challenge but a pleasure" said Snow.
Though the story focuses on Elle Wood's journey at Harvard Law School, the supporting cast and other characters feature prominently in Legally Blonde: The Musical. Elle originally journeys to Harvard to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner (played by Adam Blackstock), only to find out he has a new perfectly serious girlfriend, Vivienne (played by Alora Ray). With the help of her friends Emmett (played by Anthony Marchese) and Paulette (played by Holly Legg), Elle discovers she has a lot of legal smarts and much more to offer than just a pretty face and even has the chance to defend her former sorority sister Brooke Wnydham (played by Irina Price) in court.
"My favorite part of rehearsal is watching the cast bring their characters to life. Audience members may be familiar with the characters through the movie or the musical, but I think they'll see that each actor is adding something new to their role" said Blackstock. "Being onstage with so many people I've worked with before brings so much more fun and joy to the process" said Snow. "It's an amazing cast and a very fun show. It's great to be entertained by Elle's story" said Keith Shifflet, who plays Grandmaster Chad/Baliff and various ensemble roles. The large cast also plays many different ensemble roles throughout the show, varying from sorority girls, students and band members to prison inmates, department store salespeople and courtroom spectators. In addition, the musical also expands several minor characters from the movie to larger roles. The role of Emmett Forrest is greatly expanded. Elle's sorority friends, Margot, Serena and Pilar, are given much larger roles to sing in tight harmonies as a trio and dance throughout the show as Elle's mental "Greek Chorus" while at Harvard.
"You get to know Emmett a bit better [in the musical]. Playing the love interest is a new experience for me. Working with Ashley to show the development of their relationship through the course of the show has been a unique challenge. Emmett is in the awkward position of having feelings for Elle while he's still helping her try to win back Warner" said Marchese "I typically play the likable good guy, so I've found it a little challenging portraying a self centered jerk" added Blackstock. The musical is filled with many high-energy song and dance numbers featuring many members of the cast. The music and dancing draw from a variety of styles, including reagae, hip-hop, pop, funk and even traditional Irish music and step dance.
"Remembering all of the dances has been challenging. There are so many and they are so intense that it takes a lot of memory" said Edgar Conn, who plays Carlos and several ensemble roles throughout the show. "The music in this show is catchy, modern, and pulls from nearly every genre of music" said Blackstock. "The show features a lot of modern, highly syncopated music. It's a very peppy score" added music director CharLes Johnson.
In addition to hilarious scenes and huge musical numbers, the musical also features live animals onstage. Elle's chihuahua, Bruiser, and Paulette's bull dog, Rufus, will be played by live dogs. "A great experience has been sharing the stage with my dog Pee Wee [while playing Bruiser]. He has a lot of fun being on stage" said Conn.
"It is a fun show put together by a talented cast and crew. Fans of the movie will get to see the story they love with some great additions" said Marchese. "It was a cute movie and it makes a great musical. It's very upbeat, so if people want to just go out and have a fun evening at the theater, they should come see Legally Blonde" said Johnson. The Legally Blonde:The Musical cast also features KariLee Grossnickle as Margot, Annelyse Santos as Serena, Jeff Wine as Callahan, Ashley Hall as Enid, John Glymph as Padamadan/Kyle, Jeremy Spangler as AaRon Schultz, Johnna Leary as Kate/Court Stenographer, Shannon Spears as Elle's Mom, Alan Harner as Ell's Dad, Lanae Johnson as Pforzheimer/Judge, Kevin Tester as Winthrop/T.V. Reporter, Bruce Olsen as Dewey, Meaghan Barry as Chutney, Steven Brewer as Lowell, Alex Smith as Nikos, Jennifer George as the Store Manager/D.A. Joyce Riley and Gwen Leonard, Amanda Tamplen, Emily Tester and Patrick Bauserman as various ensemble members. Legally Blonde:The Musical will run Sept. 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14 and 15 at the Old Opera House, located at 204 N. George Street, Charles Town, WV. Thursday performances are at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday performances are at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday matinee performances are at 2:30 p.m.. Tickets are reserved. Please call 304-725-4420 or visit www.oldoperahouse.org to make reservations. Student tickets are $10 for all performances. Photo Credit: Old Opera House