Legally Blonde at Dallastown

After 10 years since last performed, Legally Blonde came back to Dallastown.

Lead+actors+standing+at+the+front+of+the+stage+performing+Legally+Blonde.

Chris Riddle

Lead actors standing at the front of the stage performing “Legally Blonde.”

Curtains closed, the audience stood, cheers erupted, a standing ovation, and just like that, all the hours of hard work paid off.

For Dallastown Area High School, April 13 marked the opening night of the highly anticipated musical, “Legally Blonde.”

But it also marked the 10-year anniversary since Legally Blonde was last performed at Dallastown. 

The actors and actresses opened performances on April 13 and ended with their fourth and final show on April 16.

Although flawless, lead actors shared their struggles behind the scenes.

“The musical requires a major time commitment and a lot of work for a small number of shows,”

senior Emma White said. 

White played Paulette, the nail tech who befriends Elle Woods.

In the musical, Elle Woods goes to Harvard Law School in hopes of winning back her ex-boyfriend, Warner.

White’s not wrong about the considerable time commitment the musical requires.

Preparation began almost six months before the big performance, with auditions in November, and rehearsals beginning in January.

“Each month we add a new component: sets, costumes, pit, sound, lights, audience,” musical director and former English teacher Mrs. Anderson shares.

The exciting plot and well-known show lead to a rise in ticket sales.

“It was one of our most successful shows that we have ever done,” Anderson says.

The production couldn’t have been such a big hit without the various actors and actresses involved.

Lead actor and current senior Corey Strayer played Emmitt Forrest. Although he thrived on stage, in such a big role, in middle school he almost didn’t do the musical.

“I chose to do the musical because of my friends roping me into it. I actually wanted to do it my seventh-grade year, but didn’t have anyone to really drag me into auditions,” Strayer says.

He has now been in almost every musical since eighth grade and had a lead role in several of those.

Even though there were some bumps in the road, the musical gives students like Strayer a place to leave their comfort zone, make new friends, and most importantly, have fun.

The audience seemed to enjoy the musical just as much as the performers enjoyed executing it.

“I really liked seeing the cast interact with the dogs, it was cute.” Jade Bradenbaugh a sophomore at Dallastown says.

After four long days of performances and months of preparation, the hard work of everyone involved paid off.