LM Players Presenting 'Legally Blonde' Musical Nov 20 to Nov 23

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — The LM Players are in the thick of rehearsals and production design for their upcoming musical.

The student theater group will present their production of the "Legally Blonde" musical Nov. 20, Nov. 21, Nov. 22, and Nov. 23 in the Lower Merion High School auditorium. The first three shows will be held at 7 p.m., while the final show will be a matinée at 1 p.m.

Tickets are available online here and cost $11 for senior citizens and students, and $16 for adults.

The theater company — Lower Merion High School's second-largest club — is especially thrilled for this production, according to LM Players Marketing Director Gabe Newsome and Assistant Marketing Director Maddie Tsarnas.

"We wanted 'Legally Blonde' to be the musical last year," Newsome told Patch. "But we didn't get the rights for it."

Now, in a full circle moment, the LM Players are gearing up to host their production of the musical stage adaptation of the hit 2001 film of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon after finally obtaining the rights.

The 28-person cast is led by freshman Grace Feeney, who stars as Elle Woods. Starring alongside her as Elle's love interest Emmett Forrest is senior Adrien Hillis, who is a veteran of LM Players and has even directed some of its productions in the past.

Tsarnas said casting a freshman in a lead role is atypical for LM Players, but Feeny has been a joy to work with, according to director Eden Charlson and assistant director Gillian Steinhart.

"It's very exciting to have a freshman in the lead role," Tsarnas said of Feeny.

Casting started in early September and moved quickly, Tsarnas said. Auditions took place on a Monday, then callbacks were Wednesday, and the final cast list was announced that Friday.

Newsome said no one who auditioned was cut from the production, and said LM Players puts a strong focus on inclusivity in its productions.

The cast includes students with special needs and actors who have been in more than half a dozen LM Players productions.

A full cast and crew list is included below.

The production staff has about 50 people on it, working on stage design, props, lighting, costumes, and more.

Tsarnas said the production design teams have been having a great time working on a production that calls for so much visual flair (for those unaware, the lead character Elle Woods is often draped in flashy, pink attire and accessories and carries around a small Chihuahua).

"The production designers are very excited about this show," she said. "Specifically, it's very fun for costuming."

She said the costumers are heavily inspired by Witherspoon's outfits in the movie.

Additionally, the troupe's graphic designers too cues from the iconic romcom in creating their poster.

One challenger the prop design team had to overcome was the inclusion of a dog.

"We can't get two real life dogs on stage," Tsarnas said. "[The props team] put a lot of effort into figuring out what they're going to do about Elle's dog."

They landed on some "pretty cute stuffed animals," she said.

"It's been fun to see how they work around that."

This production will not feature a show orchestra due to some complications, Newsome said. Instead, the cast will be singing along with recordings of the Broadway show's score. LM Players hopes to bring back an orchestra for its future productions.

Elle's character faces an identity crisis as the plot moves along. She works to balance her bright, bubble personality with the seriousness of becoming a lawyer.

Tsarnas said lighting designer Lucy Thoen and assistant lighting designer Amit Brenner are using their skills to help focus on that internal conflict by coloring scenes differently. For example, when Elle is in the drudgery of the legal system, audiences will see that reflected in more dulled and muted lighting, contrasting with Elle's effervescent extroversion.

LM Players want their audiences to learn from this show that you can be true to yourself while also pursuing loftier goals.

"We hope they are able to get a very nice, rewarding experience out of it," Tsarnas said. "For someone who may be struggling with accepting themselves or with self discovery, the show might help them understand it's ok to have passions for things you enjoy and being committed to something more serious. It's ok to do both, and it can lead to beautiful things."

Also, she said the songs are simply "bangers" that will keep their audiences excited throughout the show.

Newsome said audiences will be treated to nights (and one afternoon) of pure fun at the upcoming productions.

Audiences will have the chance to support LM Players at the shows by participating in a basket raffle and buying merchandise. Direct donations can also be made to LM Players online here.

All funds go right back into the LM Players' goal of producing more student-created art, Newsome said.

Below is the "Legally Blonde" cast list:

• Elle Woods — Grace Feeney
• Emmett Forrest — Adrien Hillis
• Paulette Buonufonte — Zoe Halpern
• Professor Callahan — Owen Shapiro
• Warner Huntington III — Lou Sasson
• Vivienne Kensington — Claire Evans
• Brooke Wyndham — Sophie Rey
• Enid Hoops — Iris Krom
• Serena — Claire Johnson
• Margot — Giselle Buella
• Pilar — Kate Puffer
• Kyle/Nikos/Sundeep Padamadan — John Bellaria
• Kate/Featured Dancer — August Hachadoorian
• Leilani/Featured Dancer/Ensemble — Cat Taillandier
• Gaelen/Featured Dancer/Ensemble — Sora Gagliano
• Store Manager/Violinist/TV Reporter/Dana/Cashier/Ensemble — Lily Hinze
• Grand Master Chad/Bookish Client — Yanna Oler
• Winthrop/Judge/Ensemble — Audrey Gardner
• Elle's Dad/Dewey/Aaron Schultz/Carlos/Ensemble — Daniel Ackerman
• Elle's Mom/Pforzheimer/Ensemble — Mia Tatar
• Chutney Wyndham/Lowell/Harvard Student/Ensemble — Sadie Cohen
• Saleswoman/Kiki the Colorist/Court Stenographer/Ensemble — Alex Cronin
• Whitney/District Attorney/Ensemble — Mimi Mathews
• Guard/Ensemble — Riley Tomlinson
• H&M Salesperson/Ensemble — Mason Cohen
• H&M Salesperson/Ensemble — Jonah Danneman
• Ensemble — Jayden Pappa

The "Legally Blonde" production design staff consists of:

Acting

• Director — Eden Charlson
• Assistant Director — Gillian Steinhart
• Choreographer — Elliott Boldin
• Co-Assistant Choreographers — Guia Betancourt & Izzy Candeub
• Stage Manager — Matty De Jesus
• Assistant Stage Manager — Kay Gould
• Student Vocal Director — Caleb Rosenfeld

Production

• Production Manager — AJ Higgins
• Production Assistant — Artemis Snyder

Show Orchestra

• Co-Student Instrumental Director — Isabella Gilligan & Yimeng Du
• Assistant Student Instrumental Director — Valerie Whang

Scenery

• Set Designer — Shira Dorff
• Assistant Set Designer — Leo Reid
• Co-Master Carpenters — Ollie De Hennis and Isaac Polsky
• Props Designer — Leila Drain
• Assistant Props Designer — Miriya Vargas

Electrics

• Lighting Designer — Lucy Thoen
• Assistant Lighting Designer — Amit Brenner
• Master Electrician — Peter Higgins
• Assistant Master Electrician — Jose Martinez-Moncion
• Sound Designer — Lila Anderson
• Assistant Sound Designer — Kaitlyn Fitz Simmons

Costumes

• Costumes Designer — Audrey Smith
• Assistant Costumes Designer — Dylan Knight
• Head of Wardrobe — Suravi Banka
• Assistant Head of Wardrobe —
• Hair & Makeup Designer — Jordan Chestnut
• Assistant Hair & Makeup Designer — Amelia Candeub

Publicity

• Marketing Director — Gabe Newsome
• Assistant Marketing Director — Maddie Tsarnas
• Graphic Designer — Aerynne Cannan
• Front of House Manager — Elliot Campbell
• Media Manager — Derek Thu

Learn more about LM Players online here.