American Canyon High School students are practicing their “bend and snap" in preparation for opening night of their production of "Legally Blonde: The Musical" this Friday.
ACHS director and drama teacher Summer Heartt said the school chose to perform "Legally Blonde" as a part of their production season “Limitless."
“Elle Woods is a character who embodies the very essence of breaking boundaries and defying expectations,” Heartt said.
"Legally Blonde" started as a novel by Amanda Brown and was later adapted into the cult classic 2001 film. The musical tells the story of a hardworking and hot pink-clad sorority girl Elle Woods who fights tooth and nail to get into Harvard Law in order to chase her old flame, Warner Huntington III. In the process, Woods realizes that she has much more to offer the world than she originally thought, accomplishing impressive legal feats in her time at Harvard.
The production's Elle Woods — Riley Yamada — is looking to break her own boundaries. Yamada said she’s been practicing around the clock to nail her most challenging number “So Much Better.”
“There’s this really long note at the end, and I really want to belt it, but it’s out of range. But I’ve been practicing a lot,” Yamada said.
According to Heartt, the show is one of the first movie-to-Broadway productions and is also one of the funniest.
“This has been hilarious for me because most of my current students were born after 2007,” Heartt said.
Though none of her students are old enough to remember the hold True Religion jeans had in the early 2000s, Heartt said that her students are working hard to maintain the Y2K aesthetic, which may be nostalgic for some audiences.
Heartt said her students have been putting in the work since auditions in February. Even before then, she introduced a new musical theater elective to the high school this year that has been collaborating with Napa Valley College. High school students have been doing voice training with NVC’s musical director Christina Howell, and ACHS alum Alex Corey for dance training.
“The songs and dances are really sparkling. Both the main cast and the understudies have truly mastered their roles and are ready to tell the story of Elle Woods to the greater public,” she said.
Corey, who dances and choreographs all around the North Bay, said this is his first musical production with ACHS and as a choreographer. He said the cast has been picking up the moves quickly, which are inspired by all kinds of dance.
“The range of dancing is not just one style; there’s a lot of influences that went into this show. There’s a little bit of ballet, a little bit of jazz and hip hop,” Corey said.
Corey said one of his other influences, particularly for Elle Woods and her fellow Delta Nu sisters, were the girl group The Pussycat Dolls. Corey has had the most fun choreographing the iconic bend and snap scene, which involves picking a pencil up off the ground and snapping back up for dramatic effect.
Outside of being on stage itself, Heartt said that her students are deeply involved in every part of the production — even the tech and set design of the show is done by the Advanced Drama class.
“The students work collaboratively with each other and closely with me to conceptualize, design and create all of the technical aspects of the show, from lights to sound to set and costumes,” Heartt said.
"Legally Blonde" stage manager and ACHS sophomore Aviana Clark has been in theater since she was 8 years old. Clark has found the experience less stressful than acting, but still a lot of work.
“It’s been really fun working with the actors; it’s been going great so far,” Clark said.
Heartt's students have also taken to social media to promote the show on Instagram and TikTok — the handles for both being @achstheatre.
Heartt said although there's been some hurdles to overcome — like seasonal illnesses in the beginning of production — cast morale is high. The department has been rebuilding the theater program since its return in 2021, and this production will be the first to have a pit band since.
To Heartt, theater is a transformative experience and a community project.
“The show is giving students a welcome and healthy distraction from the tough realities of life, and we look forward to sharing this fun and funny story,” Heartt said.
The American Canyon High School production of "Legally Blonde: The Musical" will be six performances over the course of the next two weekends. The show opens Friday, April 18, at 7 p.m. followed by another 7 p.m. performance on April 20 and a 2 p.m. matinee on April 21. The following weekend, the show will have the same schedule — April 26-27 at 7 p.m. and a 2 p.m. matinee April 28. Tickets range from $15-$25 and are available online, and at the door for an additional $5.