YET another splendid musical production is coming our way and this time, it’s Legally Blonde – The Musical, which runs at the Playhouse tomorrow until Sunday.
Presented by Northcliff High School, the musical is based on the novel and hit film starring Reese Witherspoon. It sees a blonde sorority queen who is dumped by her boyfriend then decide to follow him to law school to get him back. But once there, she realises she that has what it takes to become a great lawyer.
Joburg has been touring its annual musical production to the Playhouse since 1999 when the musical Chicago was presented by the school and a tradition has been established with the return each year for the past 16 years.
During our one-on-one, director of the musical, Nick Jourdan, tells Tonight his reasons for hosting this production: “Ever since I saw the production at the Savoy Theatre in London’s West End, I have kept it in mind for our pupils to do. It has romance, it is funny and the music is modern and edgy and it has a really feel-good ending. This is an ideal vehicle for young performers.”
In terms of song and dance on stage, he says the entire production is vibrant and youthful and requires a huge amount of energy to perform.
“The music is top-notch and is executed by a 12-piece orchestra.
“The vocals from this young, and for the most part, inexperienced group, are impressive; particularly so in the case of the very young leading lady, Kayla Liebenberg, who sings in most of the musical numbers. The dance routines are funky and trendy and although the set pieces that are brought on and off have been kept simple, we are, for the first time, making use of back projection which adds a whole new and exciting dimension to the settings.”
The cast of 28 comprise pupils from grades 8 to 12, with a few of the younger members of the group giving standout performances.
Pulling off a production of this magnitude is no easy task, especially for a high school team. I ask Jourdan if there were any other challenges they have faced along the way: “Well, we did, for a number of months, try to source two dogs that are supposed to be in the production, but finding the right animals with owners who would be able to dedicate the time for rehearsal and also take the time off to tour, proved impossible. But the show works well without them. The opening sequence is pretty ambitious and has taken a lot of effort to stage, but I don’t want to give anything away.”
On that note, the director says Durban audiences are in for a treat as they can expect something fresh and different: “Over the past 16 years of undertaking this musical tour, audiences have grown in numbers and are always generous and forthcoming with support and praise for what our kids are doing.
“It is a privilege to be able to continue with this tradition, one which we believe is unique to our school, and long may it continue,” he shares.
• The production runs at The Playhouse from tomorrow to Sunday. 7.30pm. R40 to R80 at Computicket.