| Legally Blonde The Musical When: February 3 – 18, 2024 Where: Artscape Ticket price: R250 and R295 Direct booking link: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1536610304 Block bookings: Tina Gough (082 771 9644 or e-mail pinelandsplayers@gmail.com) Scroll down for creative credits and casts |
Thrilling musical theatre news is the staging of Legally Blonde the Musical in Cape Town at Artscape. The production is being presented and produced by P² Productions (aka Pinelands Players). It is a big production- an epic production. There are 50 cast members – and two dogs on stage – per performance. Some lead and support roles have been double cast -as the Legal cast and the Blonde cast. The casts will be alternating performances, starting with the Legal cast on February 3 and then alternating with each performance thereafter. In addition, there is a creative team – including design (costumes, set, lighting), choreography, stage managers and so on. Pinelands Players makes theatre for the love of theatre – without remuneration. Check in for further updates on this ambitious and exciting production. Pinelands Players has had the rights since 2019 but because of the pandemic, the production was delayed. The musical was first staged in 2007 in the USA and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, ten Drama Desk Awards and five Laurence Olivier Awards. Read on for more. Info as supplied:
Legally Blonde the Musical – Cape Town- February 2024
Legally Blonde the Musical will be on at Artscape from February 3-18, 2024. Based on the 2001 novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown, and the iconic movie of the same name featuring Reese Witherspoon, the musical was nominated for seven Tony Awards, ten Drama Desk Awards and five Laurence Olivier Awards.
As anybody who has seen the movie knows, Legally Blonde is a fun and heart-warming tale of empowerment, romance and sisterhood that totally crushes stereotypes with its pointy pink stilettos. It follows the transformation of Elle Woods from fashion-conscious sorority girl to Harvard Law School lawyer as she chases the love of her life. Featuring hit songs such as Omigod You Guys, Bend and Snap and So Much Better, the show is a huge, high-energy production with an amazing chorus line.
Kyla Thorburn – director
Award-winning director Kyla Thorburn leads a talented cast with musical direction by Barend van der Westhuizen. Kyla has been actively involved in theatre as a choreographer and director for 30 years, receiving multiple awards in both capacities for productions such as Annie, The Pirates of Penzance, The King and I, Guys and Dolls, and My Fair Lady. Other shows that Kyla has either directed, choreographed or created include Oklahoma!, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, A Christmas Carol, South Pacific, Game of Names, and Shaken Not Stirred.
Barend van der Westhuizen – musical director
Barend holds a MMus (Performance) cum laude from Stellenbosch University. A concert artist, recitalist and stage performer, he has performed in numerous operas, operettas, oratorios and sacred music, such as the award-winning Star Wars version of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Lehár’s The Merry Widow, Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus and Mozart’s Requiem before the former Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. He has also appeared in My Fair Lady, Trial by Jury, and Ruddigore. Barend was the musical director for The Full Monty, Nunsense, and Strictly British.
Pinelands Players – producer – for the love of theatre
“Pinelands Players is a wonderful and welcoming theatre society with a long, proud, award-winning history of community theatre spanning more than 70 years,” said Laura Bosman, the chairperson of Pinelands Players. “Legally Blonde is our biggest production to date and we’ve worked very hard to get here. Our funding is entirely dependent on past successes, the three most recent ones being Shout! The Mod Musical, The Full Monty, and Hairspray. We don’t do this for money, but for the love of theatre. For some of the cast it is a return to the Artscape stage, for others it will be an exciting opportunity for a first-time debut,” she explained.
Casting
Some lead and support roles have been double cast and the two casts will alternate with each performance. The role of Elle Woods is played by Christine Thonissen in the “Legal” cast and by Bryony Bosman in the “Blonde” cast. Both Christine and Bryony are excellent performers who have featured in many productions to date.
Family fare – over 10s
Legally Blonde the Musical is absolutely for everyone over the age of 10, with its foot-stomping, hip swinging, catchy songs and feel-good messages. It’s bound to be a great night out.
The show will run from February 3 to 18, 2024 at Artscape. Tickets range from R250 to R295 and are on sale now at Webtickets either online at www.webtickets.co.za or at Pick n Pay stores.
| Legally Blonde The Musical, Cape Town, February 3-18, 2024 Creative team Producers: P² Productions (aka Pinelands Players) Director: Kyla Thorburn Musical director: Barend van der Westhuizen Stage manager: Morag Tison Cast Some lead and support roles have been double cast as the Legal cast and the Blonde cast who will be alternating performances, starting with the Legal cast on February 3 and then alternating with each performance thereafter: Elle Woods – Christine Thonissen (Legal) and Bryony Bosman (Blonde) Emmett Forrest – Michael Squitieri (Legal) and Noah de Villiers (Blonde) Warner Huntington III – Simon Thompson (Legal) and James Lister (Blonde) Professor Callahan – Barend van der Westhuizen (Legal) and Robert Shenton (Blonde) Paulette Buonufonte – Tamith Hattingh (Legal) and Laura Bosman (Blonde) Brooke Wyndham – Megan Chetty (Legal) and Gizelle Willows (Blonde) Plus, there are another 44 performers and seven understudies who make up the rest of the cast. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinelands_players/ |
✳ Legally Blonde the Musical, will be on in Cape Town at Artscape, February 3 – 18, 2024. Featured image: The Legal cast – (left to right) Tamith Hattingh, Simon Thompson, Christine Thonissen, Michael Squitieri and Barend van der Westhuizen. Sponsored content. Images supplied.
