This weekend, Musical Forum held three performances of its fall musical, “Legally Blonde,” at Fishman Studio in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts. The show follows Elle Woods, a bright and bubbly sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend, Warner Huntington III.
According to director Josie Diaz ’25, “Legally Blonde” had been in the works since last spring, when she gathered a preliminary team and proposed the production to Musical Forum’s executive board. Noting that many of the shows produced during her time at Brown were very dark or had tragic endings, Diaz told The Herald that she hoped this performance could “lift our spirits.”
“I wanted to do a show that was going to be a lot of fun for the audience and a lot of fun for the cast,” she said.
Once word got out that the show had been selected for production in the fall, excitement quickly began to build among hopeful auditionees.
“I knew they were doing ‘Legally Blonde’ the whole summer, and I love the show, so I was really excited about it,” said Caroline Cahill ’25, who played Elle Woods. “When they posted that Josie was directing it, I knew I simply had to audition.”
For Bryce Gray ’25, the musical’s score and heartwarming story drew him to audition. Gray, who played the Store Manager, Elle’s Dad and Nikos, added that the musical is well-known and beloved by the theater community.
“I moved my entire semester around just to do this show, because it’s one that I’ve wanted to do for years,” he said. “I think it’s a show where everyone gets to shine in their own way, and I really wanted to be a part of that.”
After auditions were held in September, the production went into full swing. With only eight weeks to prepare for the performance — which runs nearly two and a half hours — rehearsals were fast-paced and intensive.
Courtesy of Zoe Napurano
According to Stage Manager Keelin Gaughan ’25, rehearsals were held nearly every day of the week. “We started by going through the music, and then we moved on to choreo and blocking,” she said, adding that the team began running the show in full about two weeks before the performance.
Averie Masia ’28, who plays Kate and Chutney, told The Herald that despite the time commitment, being able to continue theater — a constant in her life throughout middle school and high school — eased her adjustment to college.
“It’s a lot for my first semester, with transitioning (to Brown) and getting used to the workload,” Masia said. “It is a lot of work when we’re there, (but) it’s a good break.”
As a first-time director, Diaz said that her prior acting experiences gave her valuable insights. She noted that having high-quality choreography — a component missing from typical theater productions — was one of her main goals for the show.
To achieve this goal, Diaz recruited choreographer Autumn Tilley ’26. The two met several times before the start of rehearsals to discuss their visions for the show’s movement and went through the soundtrack to brainstorm ideas for each dance number, Tilley said.
Tilley said that when choreographing each song, she considered its central message as well as the overall feeling and environment, taking inspiration from girl groups and her background in jazz dance.
Another top priority for Diaz was ensuring the cast felt supported, an aspect she found other productions lacked.
“Because I come from the acting side, I can remember what has been frustrating for me,” she explained. “I wanted everybody to feel comfortable and confident in everything they were doing on stage, whether that be a dance move, a costume they’re wearing (or) something they’re saying.”
Several cast and crew members emphasized the positive impact of Diaz’s commitment to cultivating a comfortable and welcoming community environment.
“The entire team has just been so welcoming and nice and accommodating to everybody,” Gray said. “I’ve definitely felt that more than any other show I’ve done.”
“Doing a show is such a team effort,” Cahill added. “For everybody to get along so well and to be so nice and genuinely supportive … that’s honestly half the battle.”
For Masia, “the most rewarding thing has been all the connections that I’ve made,” adding that she has developed a new network of close friends that she waves to on campus and keeps up with via text.
Gaughan also pointed out that many of the cast members are first-years performing in their first college show. “A lot of our production team and directorial team are seniors, and then we have a lot of underclassmen in the cast,” she said. “It’s been really cool getting to invite people into the world of student theater at Brown.”
Diaz said she hoped the strength and talents of the cast would leave an impression on audience members.
Courtesy of Zoe Napurano
“Everybody in this cast is a star and could run their own one-person show. It is the most stacked cast you’ll ever see,” she said. “They’re doing a lot of the heavy lifting for the magic of the production just by being talented and doing what they do.”
She also emphasized the effort that the crew put into the performance, highlighting how their attention to detail in areas like costume, set design, lighting and sound enhanced the production value and brought the show to new heights.
The show’s central message of being yourself especially resonated with Cahill, a computer science concentrator who said she relates to Elle as a woman studying in a male-dominated field.
“Elle never loses her girly (and) bubbly side, but she’s still a really smart lawyer,” she said, adding that she hopes audiences will be similarly inspired by Elle’s determination.
Masia said she hopes the show can provide an escape for audiences and “help other people feel better.”
“In the time that we’re in right now, it’s very important to make something that’ll bring the community joy,” she added.
Campbell Loi, a senior staff writer and copy editor for The Herald, is a junior from Syracuse, NY studying Public Health and International and Public Affairs. Outside of academics, she loves all things music and enjoys performing, arranging, and constantly listening to songs in her free time.
