The Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club presents the April 12-April 15 run of the pop musical that features an all-student cast and production team. Haley Bennett and Alex Willis co-direct and co-choreograph. Madeline Smith is musical director. Christian Ronald and Anne McGrath produce.
Legally Blonde has music and lyrics by both Laurence O'Keefe (Bat Boy: The Musical; Cam Jansen and the Curse of the Emerald Elephant; Sarah, Plain and Tall) and Nell Benjamin (Cam Jansen; Sarah, Plain and Tall; The Mice) and a book by Heather Hach (the film "Freaky Friday").
The production is one of the largest musicals to be produced at Harvard. Writing parters O'Keefe and Benjamin are also graduates of the university and worked with the students during the rehearsal process.
"Bringing the show to Harvard has been an exhilarating experience," co-director/choreographer Bennett said to Playbill.com via email. "We originally chose this musical in particular because it is so upbeat, fun, and positive. The fact that it is so intrinsically 'Harvard' has made it extra exciting... We are additionally very fortunate in that Larry O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, who wrote the music and lyrics, are Harvard graduates, so having the opportunity to bring them to campus both to rehearse with us and just to chat about the show itself was a pretty unique and incredible experience."
"This is literally a dream come true for Nell and me," O'Keefe added via e-mail. "No other word suffices as well as 'awesome': it fills us with awe, not just that Harvard students are doing a show about a girl who teaches Harvard a thing or two, but also that our first Broadway show is now being produced at the same theatre where we first did shows together. "The cast and crew are amazing. We went up there last month to meet the cast, watch rehearsals and answer questions. But they hardly needed us: they know this world really, really well. They catch all our little inside jokes and Easter eggs, and they all have very fresh, vivid and compelling takes on characters we thought we knew. We're completely honored and grateful. Thanks so much and break a leg, guys."
New York City native Lily Glimcher portrays Elle Woods, in a cast that also includes Anise Molina as Emmett Forrest, Adam Conner as Warner Huntington III, Brianne Holland-Stergar as Brooke Wyndham, Elizabeth Leimkuhler as Vivienne, Annie Mitran as Serena, MG Prezioso as Margot, Amy Sparrow as Paulette, Gillian Stein as Pilar and Eric Padilla as Professor Callahan.
The cast is completed by Ben Marek, Taylor Phillips, John Morton, Tomi Adeyem, Juliet Bailin, Elise Baranouski, Julie Barzilay, Ryan Gao, Cynthia Meng, Katherine "TakeAPicture" Moon, Erik Olsen, Eduardo Perez-Torres, Amanda Rodrigues, Elliott Rosenbaum and Lee Seligman.
The production has set design by Madelynne Hays, co-costume design by Grace Sun, Nora Tufano and Francesca Del Frate, lighting design by Jenna Clark Embrey and sound design by Sam Schoenberg.
The Broadway production of Legally Blonde opened at the Palace Theatre April 29, 2007. It ended its run Oct. 19, 2008, after 30 previews and 595 regular performances. It was also filmed for a popular MTV broadcast. Legally Blonde's seven Tony nominations included Best Book, Best Original Score, Best Choreography (Jerry Mitchell) and Best Actress (for original star Laura Bell Bundy).
For tickets, visit check out the Harvard webpage for the musical at LegallyHarvard.com.
Read about the Broadway life of Legally Blonde in the Playbill Vault.
