Kaelyn Benoit
Southern Editor
What do you get when you mix sorority girls, law school and big musical numbers? “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” closing Sunday, Dec. 7 at FSC’s Buckner Theatre.
Originally based on the 2001 book and movie of the same name, “Legally Blonde” centers on energetic UCLA sorority girl Elle Woods. After she is dumped by her Harvard-law-school-bound boyfriend Warner in favor of someone more “serious,” she comes up with a “completely brilliant plan” to get into Harvard as well as to win him back. Faced with new challenges, peers, professors and more, Elle begins to realize that perhaps her own potential lies outside of what she initially thought and what the world originally believed.
“Elle Woods is the perfect example of you doubting yourself so much and so many times,” Musical Theatre BFA Careagan Williams said. “But if you are willing to try hard enough and really lock in and work hard, you can achieve the things that you didn’t even think were possible for you.”
Currently a junior at FSC, Williams plays the bubbly and excitable Elle Woods, bringing warmth and a “can-do” attitude to the role. When reflecting upon the part, Williams notes that she has never really played a character like Elle before and never thought the role would be one she’d have the opportunity to take on.
“When the cast list came out, I was like ‘Okay, this is going to be a big challenge for me,’” Williams said. “But I’ve been reminded many times by my vocal teachers and by the staff as a whole that I’m very trusted in this role, and also that we are in college, this is a learning experience, and I have to take on this role as an assignment.”
Junior Liam Parke embodies this learning approach as well, taking on not only his main role as the arrogant Harvard student Aaron Schulz but also serving as the understudy for Professor Callahan.
“It has presented a nice challenge for me because I’m going to rehearsals and I’m learning my own blocking, my own dancing and my own songs, and then once they start doing something else, if Callahan is in that, I have to go sit and write all of his stuff down, and then make sure I know what he is doing in this scene as well as what I am doing,” Parke said.
This challenge does not end after rehearsals for the understudies of the production. Even during an actual show run in front of audiences, an understudy could be needed, depending on how the main actor is doing at any point. In the event that the need does arise, Parke stays prepared.
“I keep mind of where we are in the show and what we’re doing,” Parke said. “I keep my script near just checking the lines, and I’ll play his songs in my ears just so that I’m constantly staying updated with that.”
While remaining studious is a great state of mind for their Harvard-dwelling characters, the actors still leave room for fun – both on and off the stage. This energy is what the cast hopes to bring to the performance space, which was evident when their first weekend’s tickets sold out entirely. But for those who think they may already know the story that Legally Blonde has to tell and don’t need to come see it for themselves, think again.
“This is a super well known show compared to something else we might do. It makes it a little nerve-wracking, but it’s also exciting,” Parke said.
“It’s not exactly the movie,” Williams added. “You haven’t heard these songs and seen all of these amazing acting moments. We’ve just been working so hard, so people should definitely come see this work.”
There are a few remaining performances, on Dec. 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m., as well as the closing show on Dec. 7 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are free for FSC students and can be purchased at the box office or at fsc.universitytickets.com.
