Two blondes fell down a hole. One said, “It’s dark in here isn’t it?” The other replied, “I don’t know; I can’t see.”~ Anonymous

We have all heard a good “blonde joke” once in a while. Often blonde-haired people are rudely stereotyped as “dumb blondes.”
Poking fun at blondes often leads to a mention of the comedy movie Legally Blonde. Maybe you’ve seen it, maybe not. If you haven’t, it’s a hysterical movie about self-discovery and love. The main character, Elle, does a lot of stereotypical blonde acts throughout the movie making the movie cringy, but relatable.

The PHS drama students will perform the musical Legally Blonde, written by Heather Hatch, at the Powell High School auditorium Friday-Saturday, Feb. 21-22 at 7 p.m. General admission is $6, while students are $5.

With only days to go before the big show, the actors are nervous but excited.

“[The play] is going really well,” senior cast member Taeli Hessenthaler said. “The whole cast is really excited for the show which makes rehearsal a lot of fun. It’s usually terrifying this close to a show, but I feel ready.”

Full-costume rehearsals are typical in the final week, and organizers have some final additions to do before showtime.

“We are down to the finishing touches,” senior lead Ashlyn Aguirre said. “It’s going great.”

Since Director Mr. Bob Hunt has been sick recently, the crew hasn’t been able to accomplish progress in order to finalize the production.

“We began our first month probably more ahead of schedule,” sophomore Jace Bohlman said. “However, now we’ve come back to a point where the time we spend needs to be very focused in order to produce our best possible show. We will have to be focused these last two weeks and we may need to put in some late rehearsals, but no matter what, we will get it done.”

The schedules are also affected by the sickness going around, halting advancement and making it harder on the cast to create a prepared show.

“Some things that have been a little challenging have been keeping people healthy so we can practice,” Bohlman said.

There are several other difficulties that have surfaced throughout the course of this play.

“There are also two dogs in the show,” Mr. Hunt said. “We are still working with the dog playing Bruiser Woods, and kind of crossing our fingers and hoping he will bark on cue on the night of the show.”

Other than dogs, the cast has their own matters to worry about before show time.

“There were two main challenges during this production,” Aguirre said. “First the sheer number of costumes. This is a big cast and several people have upwards of five different costumes.

“Personally, I have 13 different costumes, and more changes back and forth between them in a very small amount of time. Our second challenge was that of location changes. Finding a versatile set that we can make for more than ten different locations proved difficult, but our design turned out brilliantly.”

The bigger the show, the more work needs to be put in to get a good outcome. With a huge cast, the costumes, dances, music, acting, scripts and sets are sometimes a struggle when putting a play together.

“I think this show is one of the biggest we have done in a while,” Hessenthaler. “[This production includes] the most songs and dances, the most costumes and a huge cast. That makes it very difficult, and having such a large cast makes it difficult to coordinate that many schedules.”

This musical is going to be one of the biggest productions the PHS theater students have put on.

“The audience can expect a lot of dance and singing,” Mr. Hunt said. “This show has more singing and dancing than any of the previous shows that have been on our stage.  Our choreographer (Madisen McDonald) and vocal director (Jeff Greaham) have really worked hard with the cast to make all of the song and dance numbers exciting.”

Even though there have been difficulties throughout the production, the cast chooses to focus on the good and the fun times they’ve had.

“I have loved getting to know so many people and making a bunch of new friends,” Hessenthaler said. “It’s so cool getting to meet people that, without this show, would have never gotten to meet.”

The new lifelong friendships that are built during the play carry so many unforgettable memories. As an actor as a part in a play you get to develop and grow your character as well as make fun memories.

“My favorite part of doing the play has been the friendships I get to cultivate at rehearsal; and getting to embrace my character and see how I can play him better,” Bohlman said. “He’s kind of arrogant but we get along alright.”

Even though you might not match your character, you still get to be dramatic while playing somebody else. How cool is that?

“My favorite part has been getting to see everyone’s character grow,” Aguirre said. “Once, the scripts go down, the true theatrics come out.”

When show time rolls around, the cast will be at their best and give an outstanding performance because their “true theatrics” come out as, Aguirre puts it.

“[The final play] is going to be incredible,” Hessenthaler said. “I have wanted to be in musical since elementary school but because of other activities, I never got to. It’s my senior year and I finally get to do what I have always dreamed of.”

As the date for the production is nearing, the exhilaration and anticipation felt by the actors before the release makes it all worthwhile when the audience finally gets to view the play for the first time.

“The excitement and adrenaline that comes along with actually performing the play makes it very rewarding,” Bohlman said. “It’s also fun because you know this is what we have been working towards.”

Mr. Hunt added that the positive reputation of the work and the commitment level of the cast and crew will be evident throughout the performances.

“I think the audience will enjoy the story and be impressed by the cast’s hard work,” Mr. Hunt said. “The show is rated PG-13, so it is intended for teens and adults who can appreciate the comedy. People who are fans of the movie will enjoy the musical rendition, but those who have never seen the movie will enjoy the musical on its own merits.