"It’s a lot of hours of hard work, but we know that it will be well worth it on opening night." Since 1997 Holyoke High has done a spring musical, and this season features the musical based on the popular movie from March 22 through March 25.
Reese Witherspoon stars in the 2001 movie version of âLegally Blonde.â Holyoke High is presenting the musical version at the school from March 22 through March 25.’Being true to yourself never goes out of style.” This is the underlying message of “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” which graced Broadway, London’s West End and numerous venues across the globe in national and international tours. This fun, modern musical based on the popular movie now makes its way to Holyoke High’s stage from March 22 through March 25.
Since 1997 Holyoke High has done a spring musical under the direction of Mark Todd, covering such classics as “Oklahoma!” and “Grease” and spanning more contemporary shows like last year’s “Hairspray.”
“Legally Blonde: The Musical” centers on Elle Woods, a blonde, Malibu sorority girl desperately in love with her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III. Convinced that he is going to propose to her, Elle is shocked and devastated when Warner instead breaks up with her, claiming that she isn’t “serious” enough.
Determined to win him back, Elle studies strenuously and is accepted into Harvard Law, where she goes in order to win back both his respect and his love. However, this she finds much more lasting things on this journey than the love of her shallow ex.
This message is conveyed through a musical exploding with fun songs, humor, and lots and lots of pink. However, before this stage of production is achieved, there is much work to be done by the cast and crew.
Five days a week, we rehearse. Right after school is an hour of singing rehearsal, some days being full cast in which we learn the large numbers, and some being lead singing rehearsals.
Both of these are an hour of singing, learning harmonies and preparing the songs of “Legally Blonde” for the stage.
Following this, some days we will have a dance rehearsal, where our choreographers choreograph and instruct us in different styles of dance, depending on the specific song we are working on for the school’s 13 musical.
In the evenings we bring it all together in rehearsals that combine our acting, singing and dancing into what will very soon become a show. It’s a lot of hours of hard work, but we know that it will be well worth it on opening night.
Of course, no show would be complete without a set.
Stage crew is run by senior Liza Hurley, and the crews works all day Saturdays painting and constructing set and props. During rehearsal, the stage crew also controls the set, moving it into position and transitioning between scenes, a challenge considering that the crew has to move large pieces of set on and off stage while avoiding collisions with the cast, crew members, and other set pieces.
Hurely say being stage manager is “stressful, but very rewarding.”
Add the costumes, make-up and orchestra, and you have a musical. And all involved cannot wait to perform.
Tickets are on sale at the school and at The Cottage, 1615 Northampton St., Holyoke. Golden Circle tickets for seats in the front three rows are $15. All other tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. The show is being presented March 22, 23 and 24 at 7 p.m. and March 25 at 2 p.m. in the school auditorium. Please come and see Holyoke High be “Legally Blonde.”
Erin K. Hebert was a winner in the 2009 Kids in Print contest when she was a seventh-grade student of Margaret M. Miller at Lt. Clayre P. Sullivan School in Holyoke. Her essay on the Great Depression and World War II era memoirs of Harriette N. Michaels, the late Springfield resident and longtime columnist for the The Republican’s Plus Papers, took first place in the grades sixth through eighth.