Review: LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL at Hot Springs School District Joyce L. Littleton Craft Auditorium

Broadway World feels honored when asked to review high school shows for a few reasons. One, I love it when high school directors are confident enough for us to show up, because it tells me that they are proud of the work their students are presenting; Two, arts education is important, and we love promoting our educators and students; Three, I like to follow actors from the beginning of their careers as performers, especially when they are performing at an advanced level. This can be said about the actors in LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL at Hot Springs High School, who led the girl power revolution Thursday, April 27, through Saturday, April 29.

Omigod you guys! I loved this movie when it came out in 2001. I was the same age as Elle when Reese Witherspoon basically sealed the deal as that era's Queen of the cinema with this gem. My girlfriends and I loved having this new role model in which to mirror our lives. It was great. So, imagine my elation when I found out that they turned this girl power classic into a musical! I am seriously in love! Based on the novel "Legally Blonde" by Amanda Brown, with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, and book by Heather Hach, LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL follows Elle Woods (Danielle Rivera) as she leaves the comforts of California and takes on law school on the east coast. After being dumped by her boyfriend Warner (Josiah Rubio) because she is too much of a Marilyn and not a Jackie, Elle decides she needs to follow him to law school to win him back. With the help of her friends Serena (Mya Sanders), Margot (Mariah Sanders), Pilar (Anani Coleman), Kate (Mya Chandler) and the rest of her Delta Nu Sisters, Elle scores well on her LSATs and makes her way into Harvard. While there, she has a run in with almost everyone, including the not so unfortunate looking new girlfriend Vivienne (Brianna Burnell) and the shark Professor Callahan (Nico Martinez). With her new friends Emmett (Sloane Nutt) and Paulette (Tykira Danner), Elle survives having to make navy the new pink, winning Brooke's (Jadyn Daniels) murder trial, and graduates as valedictorian, thus proving that this Legally Blonde found her way.

It is not common for me to watch the same show back-to-back, however, since I was asked, I obliged. I was afraid that the comparisons of a touring show versus a high school show would be glaringly different, but.....be proud Hot Springs High School! There are some comparisons that are equal to your professional counterparts.

First, I want to start off with Rivera as Elle Woods. I promise I am serious when I say that Rivera did just as well as the girl who plays Elle in the touring show. In fact, I loved Rivera's accent more compared to the professional. Also, Rivera's singing was beautiful, her ability to command the stage blew me away, and she embodied Elle perfectly. I am aware that this character was double casted, and I regret that I was unable to see Mya Sanders as Elle, but according to Director Kaitlin Potts, it took three hours to conclude that both girls needed to be Elle, because they both fit the role so well.

"Mya Sanders is a Senior who has been a leader in the Trojan theatre program, and it shows in her performance! She had the crowd won over as Serena, and will no doubt be a stunning Elle Woods. Her strong belting, stellar expressions, and interactive nature on stage is unmatched!" Director Potts said.

Another similar comparison was Kyle (CorDaylan Robinson), the studly UPS delivery guy. Now, of course, Robinson may not have fully embodied the implied appeal of the character, but his confidence was equal every time he paraded around on stage. I loved the strutting and pointing fingers, and the audience members agreed with me. Robinson brought a certain excitement that lit up the auditorium with a roar of approval.

The whole cast did a stellar job. This was an exciting show, and the thespians really worked well with each other. The girls in the Greek Chorus (Mya Sanders, Mariah Sanders, and Coleman) had some great numbers to help support their heroine. The chemistry between Rivera and the three main male characters played by Nutt, Rubio, and Martinez were dynamic. Each pairing had unique energy that separated the relationships. I enjoyed the fawning that Tykira Danner's Paulette did over Kyle, and Brinna Burnell's Vivienne Kensington was extra frosty.

Choreographed by Amy Bramlett-Turner and Alexis Pritsch, this show has a lot of major group dancing. There was a lot of constant movement throughout the show, but I was really impressed with "What you Want," especially during the pom pom routine. I also thought the coupling between Danner and Robinson during "Ireland" was super cute, and "Whipped Into Shape" with Brooke and the inmates were commendable watching everyone match up their jump ropes.

This group gets extra points for having real dogs in the show. Bruiser Woods (Gidget Bryant) and Rufus Buonofuonte (Spot Moreno) were the real scene stealers. They were precious and Gidget did tricks in her tutu skirt. The cast had to pace their timing depending on how much attention the dogs received from the audience. It was great!

Broadway World understands it takes a small army to produce a show this fabulous. The LEGALLY BLONDE crew consisted of: Vocal Directors-Lynn Morgan and Lia LaFollette; Technical Director-Michael Sandlin; Stage Managers-Anna Moreno and Alicia McCray; Lighting Designer and Board Operator-Lydia Godwin; Sound Board Operator-Jaylen O'Neal; Dog Handlers-Briceyda Garcia and Noah Bryant; Running Crew-Seth Serret, Elizabeth Clutter, Amelia Miles, Jaxon Simms, Jazzy Pena, Rueben Vargas, Rayvette Thomas, Jameson Terauchi, Jacob Wright, Briceyda Garcia, Caleb Neal, and Sophie Clutter.

Broadway World would like to thank Aaron Brewer for these wonderful photos. If you are looking for a fabulous event, editorial, and portrait photographer in the Hot Springs area, check out his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/aaronbrewerphoto.