During a recent March weekend, the Fieldston Theatre and Dance Department performed “Legally Blonde,” the electric Broadway musical based on the hit 2001 film. The cast, crew, and featured musicians comprised nearly 60 students from 9th–12th Grade who brought the uplifting yet complicated story of Harvard Law student Elle Woods to life in the Fieldston auditorium.
“Legally Blonde” follows the fashionable sorority girl Elle as she decides to attend Harvard Law School to win back her aspiring lawyer boyfriend. Tackling the “dumb blonde” stereotype, the multilayered story allowed the cast and crew to reevaluate its sexist themes through a modern and satirical lens. “On the first day of auditions, a wise student in the room began to openly critique the systems surrounding Elle Woods and her positive outlook,” Theatre and Dance Department Chair Clare Mottola, who directed the spring musical, shares. “What followed from that day forward has been a regular rebuke and interrogation of the society and norms that make Elle.”
Starring a robust ensemble and Jane M. ’23 as the sunnily optimistic Elle, “Legally Blonde” showcased the cast’s musical talents through crowd-pleasing songs such as “Omigod You Guys,” “So Much Better,” and “Bend and Snap.” Having rehearsed the show since December, the students found time between memorizing dance steps and solo numbers to reexamine this plot of identity, perseverance, and society’s treatment of young women.
“Looking beneath the surface of any plot, portrayal, language, and embodiment is always more productive and bountiful when we let the minds and hearts of these young artists lead the way,” says Mottola. “Most importantly, interrogation, especially when uncomfortable, is always better when we do it together.”
““Legally Blonde” is full of satire and moments that are at best problematic, so there was a lot of work to be done figuring out what should be overemphasized and comical and what needed to be challenged,” explains cast member Bernie W. ’23. “All of this was a challenge, but it made our production of “Legally Blonde” incredibly unique.”
Questioning a beloved story didn’t stop students from experiencing the wonder of performing live theater. “It was an absolute joy to work on “Legally Blonde” for these past few months!” exclaims Ari S. ’23. “This was my first time acting onstage in a Fieldston production. The resulting experience has been one of the highlights of my time at Fieldston.”
“The show is so bombastic and energetic, and I always left rehearsal full of energy,” says Hannah M. ’23. “There was a real sense of kinship and community among the cast that I’m sad to leave behind.”
Following their “Legally Blonde” curtain call, many of these students will perform in solo performance pieces as well as the next Studio Theatre production later this spring. Break a leg!
