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Mostly Cloudy ‘Legally Blonde’ coming to MacArthur stage
The tale of a fashion student turned aspiring lawyer hits the MacArthur High School stage this weekend, as “Legally Blonde: The Musical” begins a three-night run on Thursday.
A cast of 50 students will bring the popular 2001 movie to life. Director Lisa Levenberg said after “Les Miserables” and “Fiddler on the Roof” the last two years, it was time to do a show with a different tone. “This year, I needed to ‘fun’ things up a little bit,” she said. “I went to the totally opposite end of the spectrum.”
Senior Danielle Ducey plays the lead character, Elle Woods. Elle, the pink-loving, fashion-obsessed sorority girl, goes to Harvard Law School to try to win back her love, Warner Huntington.
“She’s just perfect,” Levenberg said of selecting Ducey for the role. “She’s a beautiful girl, she has a beautiful voice. Her personality suits the role well.”
Ducey, who will be wearing a blonde wig on stage, appears in every musical number and plays one of the most demanding female lead roles Levenberg says she has ever seen. “It’s a lot of time to put into it,” Ducey said, “but it’s worth it. I’m having a really good time. Everyone in the show is excited about it.”
Senior Heath Larssan plays Warner, and sophomore Joey Calvo will be Emmett, the Harvard teaching assistant and Elle’s new love interest. Junior Ted Fiber, who had the male lead role the previous two years, will play Professor Callahan this year.
“The voice that kid has is just incredible,” Levenberg said of Fiber.
Fiber, of Wantagh, said it is interesting to have a role in which his character is a villain by the end of the show. He said he is looking forward to doing an upbeat musical this year with catchy songs.
Playing Elle’s three sorority sisters, Serena, Margo and Pilar, are juniors Michelle Shapiro and Gia Gatt, and sophomore Camilla Montoya. Levenberg said they are “powerhouse singers” who provide comic relief while helping to move the plot along.
