TALENTED teens and a Papillon called Simon are set to ‘bend and snap’ their way to stardom as they revive a noughties movie class on stage.
Fans of the wonderful poignant and hilarious film series, Legally Blonde, will be delighted to hear award-winning Mid-Cheshire Youth Theatre (MCYT) is about to premier its own musical stage version of the modern classic.
Legally Blonde Jr. starts its run at the Grange Theatre, Hartford, on Thursday, October 24, and runs until Saturday, October 26.
Audiences should prepare for one of the pinkest evenings of their lives as Elle Woods and her cute handbag pooch, Bruiser, pursue the handsome Warner Huntington III from California to Harvard, where she surprises herself with her talents in the cutthroat world of academic law.
Bruiser will be played by pedigree Papillon, Simon, who is no stranger to the limelight, having performed with his owner in various stage plays over the years.
Claire Mather-Dodd, MCYT’s youth leader, said this year’s choice of show was very popular with the girls, adding: “They all knew it and were very excited when we chose it.
“A few of the boys were a bit reticent, thinking it was all going to be a bit pink and sparkly.
“But when they realised there are some really good parts for them, like Kyle, the UPS man, they got right on board. They’re loving it now.
“It has a wonderful underlying message about always being true to yourself. As it’s cut down to an hour for younger performers, its very fast paced.
“Elle follows Warner 3,000 miles for love, and he’s just a bit horrible to her about the way she is.
“But she sticks to her identity and never gives up, and ends up finding her true role and leaving everyone else in her dust.
“It’s an inspirational message for all those young girls out there who may have been let down.”
Claire says rehearsals are going really well, with sets delivered on Sunday, October 20, followed by dress rehearsals next week.
Despite the old theatre adage never to work with animals, it turns out Simon the Papillon’s professionalism means they’re delighted with their choice to include a real dog in the performance.
She added: “The stage manager was very much against having a real dog to begin with, but Simon is an old hand.
“His owner breeds Papillons, so we auditioned several, and Simon landed the role.
“It was a bit of nightmare jumping though all the council’s safeguarding hoops for Simon. They weren’t even that interested in the kids!"
Tickets for Legally Blonde Jr. are on sale now. The show lasts an hour, with a 15-minute interval.
Performances begin at 7pm each days with an additional 2pm matinee show on Saturday, which is a relaxed performance.
Tickets are available through Ticketsource.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here