The energy in the air is electric, the audience buzzing with anticipation as the lights dim and the music starts for Casa Grande High School’s production of “Legally Blonde the Musical”. Guests filled rows and rows of seats for the debut of the show on March 22nd. What we didn’t know was just how incredible the show we were about to watch would be. As I sat in my seat, the night’s program in hand, I anticipated a fun, pink, and sparkly night. But the moment the show began I knew this wasn’t going to be just any high school musical production—simply put: it was spectacular.
From beginning to end, a smile was plastered on my face as I watched the story of Elle Woods, a picture-perfect Valley Girl blonde who gets into Harvard law to win her ex-boyfriend back. Molly Belle Hart who played Elle captured her confident and bubbly personality flawlessly. Watching the actress play such an over-the-top character so effortlessly made me realize just how well cast the show was. Numerous members of the cast performed their parts perfectly, with highlights being Professor Callahan played by Abbey Sawyer, Emmet Forrest played by Shane Auerbach, Paulette Buonafonte by Ava Haghighi, and Vivienne Kensington by Samara Castro. I was blown away by just how real the characters felt all while still being dramatic and hilarious.
Behind the scenes, months of work went into perfecting the show. Rehearsing lines, staging each scene, vocal training, programming lighting, building the set, procuring props, and learning choreography are just a few of the things that the cast and crew needed to do to bring the show to the stage. The students and adults who put hours and hours of hard work and blood, sweat, and tears into the musical are what truly made it a marvel.
Of course, it is still a high school production, so a few mistakes are bound to happen. But a forgotten line or two, a missed cue, a misbehaving prop, and a wardrobe malfunction aren’t enough for me to give the show a bad review. The quality of the performances and each and every student giving it their all is more than enough to make a viewer forget about a small mishap.
After an almost two and a half hour run time, “Legally Blonde The Musical” concluded with a long and rapturous applause from the audience. The energy in the room was undeniable as the excited chatter of the audience began. Parents, high school students, family members, and theater-goers alike exclaimed how blown away they were by the show. As bouquets of flowers were given to the actors and people started to filter through the doors, the night was coming to a close after a successful premiere. “Legally Blonde The Musical” was truly an amazing show. This was the Casa Grande drama department’s biggest musical in over 25 years and I can’t wait to see what they do next year.
