Maroon is the New Blonde: The Hopkins Winter Musical

The production follows the story of Elle Woods (Georgia Doolittle ’18), a Delta Nu sorority sister turned Harvard Law School student, who enrolls to reclaim the love of her ex-­boyfriend Warner (Ethan Lester ’16). As Elle becomes increasingly successful in her studies, she is offered a summer internship from her professor, Callahan (Colin Flaumenhaft ’18), to help defend fitness guru Brooke Wyndam (Liza Kottler ’17) in a murder trial. Even when no one on Callahan’s team believes in Brooke’s innocence, Elle stays true to her convictions and puts up a successful defense.

Lauren Antonelli ’16, who plays the role of Warner’s current girlfriend Vivienne, described the benefits of performing in a contemporary musical: “This show is by far the most fun musical we’ve done during my time at Hopkins. It’s a more modern show with current pop culture references that are relatable to the audience, and is very quick paced and fun to watch.  I think it’s going to be different than anything anyone has seen in awhile.” Holden Turner ’17 said, “While acting, singing, and dancing are of course center­-stage, the largest amount of action will hopefully be seen in the change from California to Harvard, from dorm to classroom, from hair salon to legal trial, executed with what we hope will be Swiss-watch precision from the stage crew.”

Lovell Auditorium has a small stage, which makes the ambitious scene changes all the more risky. “Legally Blonde is very technical behind the scenes as far as costume and scene changes. There is always a lot of stuff going on at the same time. I think that it would be amazing for the cast to be able to pull off this show, considering the limited amount of space that is provided in Lovell Auditorium,” said Kiarra Lavache ’18. 

Liza Kottler ’17 remained optimistic: “It is a really small theater, so for some of the things we want to do, it’s difficult. Of course, we have to be creative, but we always find a way to make it work.”

The added component of learning new dances and songs has increased the difficulty and complexity of the show as well. Ethan Lester ’16 said, “Probably the biggest challenge for our cast has been learning and retaining all of the dance numbers;­­ while some are used to learning and memorizing dances, others (myself included) have never danced in an organized setting before, and it is certainly an interesting experience.”

The cast has all agreed that Legally Blonde does a great job of showcasing fresh faces. “This production has brought a lot of the hidden talent Hopkins has out of the wings, so to speak,”said Meghan Podolsky ’16. 

Tim Halvorsen ’17, concurred: “There are the obvious recurring members of HDA who bring the same level of intensity, professionalism, and fun to everything they do, and I have the time of my life working with them. There are also tons of new members this year. I get to work with people who have had little to no theater experience at all. And even at this early stage, I can see that this particular cast is growing into a tightly knit group of great friends.”

 

Legally Blonde will be performed on March 3, 4, 5, and 6 in Lovell Auditorium.