POINT LOMA \u2013 Point Loma High\u2019s Thespian Society is raising the bar in performing the Broadway-style \u201cLegally Blonde: The Musical,\u201d starting Wednesday on campus in the Larry Zeiger Performing Arts Center.<\/p>\n
The production, which continues through April 11, stars sophomore Clara Kelly as UCLA sorority girl Elle Woods, who travels to Harvard Law School to win back her boyfriend, embarking on a heartwarming and hilarious story of love, empowerment and self-discovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince COVID, the thespian society has primarily done plays,\u201d said Maggie McAteer, co-editor of the Pointer Press, who\u2019s playing saxophones in the pit orchestra for the show. Although they recently did their first rights-bought musical in December with \u201cVHS Christmas Carol,\u201d \u201cLegally Blonde\u201d\u00a0marks a full return to form.<\/p>\n
Created to accommodate students whose schedules did not permit them to take a musical theater class, the PLHS theater club aims to promote the dramatic arts at Point Loma by providing members with a fun and supportive environment to develop and showcase their love of theater.<\/p>\n
In 2024, the first student show with Annika Wells, who is co-directing the musical with Joshua Anderson, the school\u2019s choir and guitar teacher, \u201cLittle Women,\u201d only had 10 people audition. They needed one more.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to ask around campus to find our 11th member to complete our cast,\u201d pointed out co-director Wells, adding that many things have changed in the two years since.\u00a0\u201cThis year, we have 31 students in our cast for \u2018Legally Blonde,\u2019 in addition to a large and growing tech and crew.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been so rewarding to see the club grow. We get new faces in the meetings every week, friends and siblings of current members who are interested in being a part of our shows. It\u2019s reminded me that even though theater programs have been shutting down, the desire for the performing arts is alive and well; they just needed an opportunity to get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Play co-director Anderson concurred that \u201cLegally Blonde\u201d is a big step in the right direction for theater students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis first big Broadway musical since COVID, I call part of the Theatre Revitalization Project,\u201d he noted, crediting Wells with being a \u201cbig part\u201d of that project. \u201cThis show was selected by the theatre club, then it was my role to just support it in any way I could.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of the new play\u2019s impact on students, Anderson said, \u201cIt\u2019s been a big learning curve for the students and the coaches, who are all heavily invested in the project and passionate about the work they\u2019re doing. It was a challenge to get them (students) started. Now they\u2019re all in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Point Loma students involved in the play agreed that the school\u2019s thespian society is benefiting in a big way by taking on the challenge of performing \u201cLegally Blonde.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI joined this theater club two years ago when I was a freshman,\u201d said the play\u2019s spotlight and prop master, Ochre McKinney. \u201cThe members of the theater club are all truly amazing, and they have stood by me through thick and thin. I have learned so much from them all. This cast and crew are amazing, and I hope that they all stick around for the shows we do after this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The play\u2019s stage manager, Cadence Pablo, concurred.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is only my first year doing theater, but this club has been the highlight of my year, and I can\u2019t imagine where I\u2019d be without it,\u201d she said. \u201c\u2018Legally Blonde\u2019 has been such a trip for everyone, and it\u2019s created an environment I look forward to every day. Cast, crew and directors have been putting their all into this production, and I\u2019m so glad we were all able to make this show possible.\u201d<\/p>\n