‘Legally Blonde’ at Westminster Community Playhouse

OC Theatre Guild
13 hours ago
3 min read

A Close-Up, Heartfelt Production About Defying Expectations.

Sammy Spiegler. Photo courtesy of Laura Lejuwaan

By Shannon Cudd

Omigod you guys! Westminster Community Playhouse looks good in pink, a make-over courtesy of its latest production, “Legally Blonde.” This high-energy musical is based on the 2001 hit film of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon as the charismatic and intelligent ingénue Elle Woods. After her college boyfriend, Warner, dumps her because she isn’t serious enough, she follows him to law school to prove him wrong. Along the way, she discovers what she is made of. Director Dan Blackley and producer Sarah Hoeven are ecstatic to be tackling frat parties, Harvard and stereotypes on stage.

Hoeven, who also serves on the board, explained that Westminster chooses its season with the help of a committee composed of board members and community members. They aim to select works that appeal “to a wide range, a wide demographic and would offer a lot of opportunity to the actors in the community.” They also take into account practical production matters.

From left, Erin Tierney, Elizabeth Gimple, Zoe Nauman, Taya Fosmire. Photo courtesy of Laura Lejuwaan

Blackley has long wanted to direct this show and is excited to be doing so for the first time. Westminster’s unique thrust space has inspired his creative vision. “A typical proscenium stage, you have that safety barrier,” he explained. That is not the case at Westminster. “The actors are very close to the audience, coming through the audience,” he said. “The audience gets to be more intimate with the show.”Hoeven agreed. “You are able to really immerse the audience in this world because you're just putting it right out in the middle of them and they are surrounding it,” she stated.

This enveloping space does come with challenges. “You really need to be mindful of your sightlines and make sure everybody can see what's going on,” Hoeven explained. Blackley agreed but thinks the benefits outweigh the obstacles.

From left, Sarah Ledesma, Sammy Spiegler, Jennifer Marks, Erin Tierney. Photo courtesy of Laura Lejuwaan

Audiences will really get to feel Elle’s self-discovery. Blackley feels this message is more important now than ever. “You have to believe in yourself,” he mused. “And I think that too many times people are not doing that, especially young women in our society. As a former teacher, I saw that a lot at the high school level. That's an unfortunate thing.” He went on to say that this message is for everybody.

Through Elle, the audience learns to not judge a book by its cover. “She takes the stereotype and turns it upside down because we're all expecting her to be the dumb blonde. And the fact is she's never dumb. She's smart. She has ambition,” Blackley explained.

Elle’s journey also resonates with Hoeven. “Don't allow society to typecast you into a role and tell you what you can and cannot do. Break the mold and create your own reality,” she advised.

Blackley pointed out that Elle’s internal transformation also helps those around her. She becomes friends with Vivian, the woman engaged to her ex-boyfriend. She gives Paulette the courage to speak to the cute delivery guy and get her dog back.

Speaking of dogs, Elle’s pup Bruiser is being played by a real-life dog named Holly Golightly. This experienced four-legged actor has done the role before.

From left: Josie Larkin, Garrett Claud, Sam Murie, Chase Slovak, Sammy Spiegler, Taya Fosmire, Rachel Girardet, Tom Proprofsky, Ramy Alhawari, Zoe Nauman, Fin Miles Reid, Elizabeth Gimple, Rachel Chapman. Photo courtesy of Laura Lejuwaan

Both Blackey and Hoeven are so proud of the talented cast and creative team they have assembled. “This group of people is there just for the sheer joy of it and the sheer giving of this artistic energy that will allow someone to be in the moment for two hours. There's nothing more stress-reducing and relaxing,” Hoeven stated.

Blackey promises a wonderful show and wants the audience to internalize its larger message.“I hope that they take a second glance at people before just judging them on their looks. That would be wonderful. Just because someone looks a certain way or dresses a certain way, doesn't mean you really know who they are. As Will Rogers said: ‘Until you've walked a mile in another man's shoes, you really don't know who they are.’”

There’s no doubt that Elle Woods’ shoes are designer and that the world needs to hear this proverb live on stage.