Huntsville High School presents Legally Blonde: The Musical at the Algonquin Theatre in November

Blonde stereotypes get cross-examined in Huntsville High School’s latest high-energy production, Legally Blonde: The Musical, which graces the Algonquin Theatre stage from November 18 to 23. Based on the 2001 novel by Amanda Brown and the subsequent film of the same name, the HHS production of Legally Blonde tells the story of Elle Woods (played by Paige Meunier), a young woman who follows her ex-boyfriend Warner Huntington III (played by Tyler Pearse) to Harvard in hopes of winning him back. On the surface, it may seem like superficial, Hollywood fare but the script deals with deeper issues.

“While Elle is at Harvard, she deals with being stereotyped as this caricature of a ‘dumb blonde’ and realizes she can succeed and be very smart,” explains HHS teacher Ian McTavish. “It’s a really fun, exciting show but we tackle a lot of stereotypes and address them head on. I’m bringing my 8-year-old daughter to see the show but I’ll be talking with her about the stereotypes it portrays – it’s important to have that conversation with young children. And it’s been great for the cast because we’ve been talking about it during the entire process.”

The teachers at HHS look for shows that will highlight the talents of the students. Legally Blonde was chosen because it has many female roles. “We have a lot of strong girls right now – they have a lot of opportunity to shine in this show,” said McTavish. “We spend a lot of time researching different shows and traveling to different productions to see what’s out there. This one has a lot of high energy. After I saw it, I was humming the songs and I knew it was a keeper.”

Hailey Scott (left, as Margot) comforts Paige Meunier (as Elle Woods) in rehearsals for Legally Blonde: The Musical. In background: Nicola de Roode, Tayler Horton and Katia Inwood.

The cast has 60 students with another 40 or so rounding out the production back stage, in the orchestra, and in pre-performance set building. Many of them were hard at work preparing before the last school year even ended. “We held auditions in May and the cast was set in June,” said McTavish. “They left the school year with their scripts and had to have all of their lines memorized by the beginning of September so that we could make good use of our time (in rehearsals).”

Members of the community also get involved – Lynn Hill from the Muskoka Dance Academy is the show’s choreographer and is working with dance captain Katia Inwood and the rest of the cast; Lynn Jackson is working with student stage manager Pamela Terreberry in advance of the show, though Terreberry will be calling the shots during performances; Elizabeth Celentano, who has a background in musical theatre, is sharing her musical talents on piano; and others are helping with set design and building.

It’s fun, of course, but McTavish sees the deeper effect these productions have on students. “The program sets the stage for kids who are interested in theatre. Ryan Burda, one of our former students, dropped in to see how rehearsals are going – he graduated from Sheridan College in Theatre Arts and is now working professionally in theatre. But this experience also builds confidence and public speaking skills and even the choreography helps with the way they carry themselves. They are able to approach situations with more confidence.”

Legally Blonde is the fifth musical production for Huntsville High School, and promises to live up to the standard set by their previous sold-out shows: Grease, Footloose, The Boyfriend, and West Side Story. It runs from November 18 to 23 (7:30 pm curtain time) and November 22 (2:00 pm curtain time) at the Algonquin Theatre. Tickets are $20.00 each ($15.00 for students) and are available now through the Algonquin Theatre website or box office.