Guild to stage ‘Legally Blonde The Musical’
The 2007-08 run of “Legally Blonde” on Broadway led director, educator and dramaturge Lauren Katz to her career.
“It’s been a favorite musical of mine for years,” said Katz, director of The Beverly Theatre Guild’s “Legally Blonde The Musical” from Friday to Sunday at Morgan Park Academy Arts Center in Chicago.
Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“Actually, when I saw that musical on Broadway, that was what made me want to go into theater professionally. Funny enough, that was back when I wanted to be an actor so I thought I would act in it. Now that I’m a director, I wanted to direct it.
“It’s a wonderful show about how to find your voice and your community and how to lift everyone up around you and how, in turn, they’ll lift you up. As we come out of the pandemic we need stories about hope and that is very much at the heart of ‘Legally Blonde The Musical.’ ”
“Legally Blonde The Musical” is based on the 2001 novel “Legally Blonde” by Amanda Brown and the 2001 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie of the same name, which stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber and Jennifer Coolidge.
“I am a fan of the movie. I love the movie but I love the musical more. Reese Witherspoon is amazing, of course, and yes, I think it’s a great movie. If you love the movie, you’ll love the musical,” said Katz of Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood.
“It follows the same basic story line but there are definitely a lot of new elements that come out in it. Her relationship with Emmett, the teaching assistant who becomes a mentor to her, is a little more fully realized in the musical than it is in the movie.
“Her relationship with the Delta Nu sorority sisters is quite different in the musical. You can see all the ways in which Elle learns to believe in herself manifest differently in the musical and in a much more theatrical way.”
The show for the stage features book by Heather Hach, who was nominated for a Tony Award for best book of a musical, and music and lyrics by husband and wife Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, who were nominated for a Tony for best original score.
“‘Legally Blonde The Musical’ is about Elle Woods, a woman who is unfortunately dumped by her college boyfriend, Warner,” said Katz, who also is an education programs assistant for Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.
“She follows him to Harvard Law School to try and win him back and in the process realizes that she can do so much more. In the process of trying to find the love of her life she realizes the important thing is to love herself.”
Produced by Glenn Hering and Gail Lauryn, “Legally Blonde The Musical” stars Alsip, Berwyn, Bolingbrook, Burbank, Calumet City, Chicago Ridge, Darien, Evergreen Park, Frankfort, La Grange, Northlake, Oak Lawn, Oak Park, Park Forest, Westmont and Willowbrook residents.
Actors from Chicago’s Austin, Beverly, Edgewater, Humboldt Park, Lincoln Park, Mount Greenwood and West Rogers Park (aka West Ridge) communities and Lakeview and Wicker Park neighborhoods are also in the cast.
“I feel so lucky to have found all of these talented people. This is the kind of show that brings out a lot of people who have a connection to the movie or a connection to the musical,” Katz said.
“We have folks who have been longtime members of The Beverly Theatre Guild and also folks who have never been involved in a Beverly Theatre Guild show, much like me. I had never participated in The Beverly Theatre Guild until this show.
“It’s an incredible cast. They’re so fun. They’re so creative. I could not have done this without them.”
“Legally Blonde The Musical” even features canines with a pair of fur brothers playing dogs Bruiser and Rufus.
The artistic staff also includes music director Sharon Mason, choreographer Nikki Dizon, assistant choreographer Christina Pacini and assistant director Sadé May.
“It was important to have an all-female artistic team because the show is about how to believe in yourself and also female empowerment,” Katz said.
“It’s a very vulnerable and intimate story. Having an all-female artistic team has helped to bring that to life.”