It should be illegal not to attend Bear River’s musical productions, such as the recent showing of “Legally Blonde.”
Opening night for this performance was on Thursday, November 8, at 7 p.m., and it was also performed on the 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17 of November.
Bruins like Senior Mackenzie Martin, playing Elle Woods, Freshman Griffen Dresbach-Hill, playing Emmett Forrest, and Sophomore Shane Preis, playing Warner Huntington III, have been rehearsing since September to perfect their play — and with the final bows complete, all their hard work has payed off at last.
“Legally Blonde” is the story of Elle, a girl who follows love (in the form of Warner Huntington III) to Harvard, and then quickly discovers that she’s in over her head at law school. Determined to prove to Warner that she’s a serious girl, she dives into her studies, accepting help from the sympathetic Emmett. Slowly, as Warner and Elle drift further apart, Elle and Emmett drift closer together — and Elle learns quite a lot about law along the way.
Due to the fact that this play is based on a popular movie, most who came to the show likely knew the story coming in. However, even for those who have not yet seen “Legally Blonde” on the big screen, the plot line was clear. The 21 musical numbers in the production advanced the tale, but also allowed time for confused audience members to catch up with what was happening.
One aspect of the excess amount of singing and dancing that some might find negative was the length of the performance. This show was longer than some previous productions, running almost two and a half hours long. However, the stage was never dull, and the next joke was always only a second away, so the high-energy performance kept its audience engaged and excited for what was next.
Part of what created this level of energy was how large the cast was — there were 25 Bruins acting in this production, including four guys. Bear River drama performances have had issues in the past with convincing male students to audition for roles, which can limit, to a certain extent, what plays and musicals are chosen. A general growing student interest in theater in the past few years has improved the quality of Bear River’s productions. From actors, to singers, to lighting and set design, the number of students trying out for parts has gone up substantially.
The set design was rather simplistic, primarily comprised of two rotating “rooms.” However, this simple plan allowed for very quick pauses in between scenes, and a focus on the characters, costumes, and choreography in contrast to the backdrop.
Some of the choreography for the show was done by Senior Alyssa Harroun, and fellow Senior Bella Christmon acted as Stage Manager, both of them including the show as part of their Senior Projects. This led to a varied and creative approach to the production.
All in all, “Legally Blonde” was exciting, creative, colorful, fun, and hilarious — hopefully you took the time to enjoy it during one of the past two weekends, and, if you didn’t, at least you can go watch the movie.
