Welcome to Princeton High School and Spectacle Theatre’s Production of Legally Blonde the Musical!
I am absolutely thrilled to welcome you to Elle’s world: a place filled with positivity, sisterhood, and of course, a whole lot of pink! This show was a joyful explosion of musical theatre energy, community and creative collaboration. From day one, our students embraced this story, their roles, showed up and worked hard at every rehearsal, and always let the joy of performing musical theatre shine.
In so many ways, our students truly embodied the spirit of Elle Woods throughout the entire process. During our character development process, the actors described her as genuine, spunky, big-hearted, kind, joyful, funny, and alive, and those same qualities lived in the rehearsal room every single day. Elle’s journey, first brought to the big screen starring Reese Witherspoon and later reimagined for the Broadway stage starring Laura Bell Bundy, is theatrical and delightfully over the top. At its heart, though, it is a deeply human story about lifting up others, believing in yourself, and pursuing something bigger than yourself.
Elle is mocked, underestimated, and excluded. She is judged by her gender, appearance and outward interests, as if loving fashion, sparkle, and the color pink somehow disqualifies her from being intelligent, talented, capable, or worthy of leadership and respect. And yet, Elle defies every stereotype. She stands up not only for herself, but for those around her. She leads with kindness, fights for justice, challenges gender expectations, and perseveres through life’s toughest moments with grace and optimism. Elle reminds us that authenticity is your superpower, and that being true to yourself never goes out of style.
In choosing this show, I was excited to present something drastically different from our previous productions in every way, from the music and movement to the characters, costumes and design. But even more than that, I believe in its message and I believe that message is especially important right now. While Legally Blonde is theatricalized for entertainment, the heart of its story is clear and deeply relatable. It asks us to reflect on our own judgements and assumptions, and to recognize that someone can be intelligent and deserving of respect without fitting into a narrow mold.
Congratulations to the cast, crew, orchestra and creative team of Legally Blonde on an extraordinary process and performance. Thank you for taking this journey with me and for showing up each day with positivity, commitment, and perseverance. A heartfelt thank you, as well, to our administrators, staff, school community, and parents for your constant support along the way. It truly takes a village and we couldn’t do it without all of you on our side!
I hope some part of Elle’s story resonates with you tonight and inspires you to believe in yourself, support your community, show up for your friends, and maybe even wear a little pink.
Enjoy the show! Snaps!!
-Julianna Krawiecki, Director
