In February 2023, Hewitt put on the pilot production of the show Legally Blonde Jr, making Hewitt theater history with one of the strongest casts and a musical score involving close to 40 contemporary, high-energy songs with underscores featuring 12 main numbers.
It is the play’s pilot production since the writers, Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe, happen to be Hewitt School parents and were generous enough to collaborate with us. Legally Blonde Jr. is one of Hewitt’s most ambitious, lively, and well-received musicals to date. The production follows the journey of Elle Woods, a lively and animated UCLA graduate who follows her ex-boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, to Harvard Law School and navigates love, school, close friendships, and the power of law to change the world, all while staying true to herself.
Over the course of three months, the cast developed their characters through improv exercises and character analysis. To better understand the singing and acting that swept through the St. Jean’s stage this past February, Emma Ivanov gives her perspective on her leading role in the musical: “In my experience, although my character was a man, I found ways to relate to him by developing his motives and looking at his relationships with the other characters,” she begins. “My scene partners supported my efforts by reacting to the choices I made onstage.”
When singing the intricate score, the cast belted both onstage and in the wings as a way of supporting each other vocally. The most meaningful aspect of the show, however, was the community that formed behind the curtain. As an ensemble, we explored and told the empowering story of the show, and with it, became a tight-knit family.”
Ms. Britt, the musical’s director, says she chose Legally Blonde because she “really wanted to find something that our community, our school, would connect with. It’s a great musical, and it’s silly and quirky, and I thought we needed to do something like that.”
“The best experience was getting to know everyone in the cast and crew,” says stage manager Olivia L Gee. Ms. Britt adds that the most memorable moment of putting on the musical for her was standing on the stage, “looking at all the [cast and crew members] in the audience and everyone was just sprawled on each other and it didn’t matter what grade they were in, what group they hung out with but it was just like, ‘yes!’ It reminded me that this is the arts, this is the theater. Where we can all find common ground by doing something that we love and by being passionate storytellers. And it was a very memorable and beautiful moment.”
To get an inside scoop on the orchestra pit, Nina Becket, who played the saxophone, flute, and clarinet for the production, gives us insight into what the show was like beneath the stage. “The orchestra pit for Legally Blonde was one of Hewitt’s largest and most experienced orchestra pits.
It had 12 musicians, including Dave Klodowski, the production’s musical director, two Hewitt students, and two Hewitt faculty members. The music was complicated, yet all of the parts in the score complemented each other so well.” Instruments represented included three reed players, two brass players, two keyboards, one percussionist, and four strings players. Math teacher Dr. Elizabeth Brennan describes her experience playing the clarinet in the orchestra pit as her “favorite type of performance because I feel like you’re helping support a story, so it is a much more emotional type of playing.”
The cast and crew executed the musical with great expertise. From the audience’s perspective, not only was the acting and singing on point but the sets and costumes were also beautifully designed. One Hewitt student in the audience explains, “I never got tired of looking at the stage. The rolling wooden frames were super innovative and totally helped to tell the story.” With bright projections and traveling sets, the lively production provided terrific entertainment to the entire theater. Pop culture references ranging from Timothée Chalamet to Bad Girls Club kept the audience for each performance laughing and captivated.
Jenae Morris ‘25 performed as the lead, Elle Woods, for the production’s six performances. She says some of her fondest memories of the musical were the tech rehearsals, and overall, she took away “better acting skills” from the experience.
The message of Legally Blonde was an important one for Hewitt students, faculty, and other audience members to hear. “There are some good messages about women supporting other women and not criticizing or knocking down,” says Brennan.“There are good themes of friendship and showing up for your friends when they need you.” Britt explained that the most important message to her was that “life’s too short to not take risks…and trust your instincts and yourself. Don’t let fear get in the way. Don’t let others stop you from doing what you want to do, even if it is as crazy as following a man to Harvard!,” she continued.
As the Stage Manager, Olivia L Gee, says, “With love, joy, determination, and a little pink, anything is possible!”
Although Ms. Britt would not disclose next year’s musical, whatever it is, it will be a difficult job beating this year’s production of Legally Blonde.