William Allen Middle School performed its production of “Legally Blonde Jr., The Musical” for the community earlier this month.
The cast was led by seventh-grader Lena Hatcher and eighth-graders Sofia Rubcich, Jace Pippel and Felix Ding. Hatcher played the part of Elle Woods, someone she described as bubbly and kind. Rubcich played the part of hairdresser Paulette Bonafonte.
“When she meets Elle, her confidence definitely needs a little bit of a pickup,” Rubcich explained of her character, “but she ends up realizing that she has more to offer than she thinks she does.”
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the film, “Legally Blonde,” the musical follows the transformation of Woods as she tackles stereotypes, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. When Woods’ boyfriend Warner Huntington III breaks up with her and heads to Harvard, Woods takes matters into her own hands and charms her way into law school.
Along the way she befriends a classmate, Emmett Richmond, as well as Bonafonte, and discovers that books and looks are hardly incompatible.
Pippel played the part of Huntington, someone he described as a cocky, arrogant law student. Ding played Richmond.
“He is a hard worker with a ‘go get ‘em’ attitude and is very ready to support Elle,” Ding said of his character.
Hatcher, Rubcich, Pippel and Ding aren’t strangers to performing for others; they’ve been doing theater for years. Hatcher loves the rush of being on stage and playing a different person with all her friends. That, she said, adds to the whole experience. Rubcich loves playing different characters because for her, it feels like she’s meeting new people and stepping into someone else’s shoes.
“Every time you’re a different character, I feel like you can take on their persona,” Pipple pointed out, “and it’s so different from other characters that you’ve had before.”
“Getting the adrenaline rush is a great feeling, and becoming a completely different person is an interesting experience,” Ding offered. “I enjoy it.”
All four students prepare differently for individual shows. That includes running through lines and songs, using a vocal steamer and just taking a breath to revel in being the character.
“Oftentimes it’ll feel awkward,” Ding acknowledged, “and you might not be sure about yourself. But it’s to be expected. Just be ready and have your ideas planned.”
“If you’re on stage and you need to make big decisions, something that really helps is just trying to stay in the mindset of your character,” Rubcich stated.
“Whatever character you’re playing, just think, ‘What would they do? What motions would they do?’” Hatcher advised. “And start practicing early, because that will get you farther.”
“I love (performing) with all of my friends,” Pippel said, “so I feel like every time during a show we all grow more with each other and (grow with) our friendships.”
