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Fortune Favours the Brave:  WCCH Legally Blonde Musical

29 Jun 2024
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“Open the curtains, please.” 

 

It is 6:30 pm. The maroon stage curtains slowly withdraw to the sides. 

 

The familiar prelude starts as dazzling pink lights shine across the entire stage. As the audience is amazed at the stage props that gradually appear , our heroine, Elle Woods, is ready to take the stage. 

 

From the moment she burst onto the stage, the bright stage lights hid the facial expressions of each audience member below, but she heard her own heart beating.

 

They were going to tell the story of 'Legally Blonde' with the most sincere emotions, the story of Wellington Hangzhou Campus was also their own story.

 

It is the enduring theme of love from Legally Blonde that envelops each member of the cast. 

 

Just as Elle Woods sings, 

“Love never accepts a defeat.”

 

 

 

 

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It was not a tale from afar in Broadway the audience watched; rather, they saw ‘themselves’: 

 

someone with big dreams, who longs for greater experiences and seeks solace in a friend's arms, but lets the tides of life erode the edges of their dreams.  

 

Not shying away from these minor pities in life, this musical opts to convey a message: "You are lovable in your own right, and you will grow and thrive." 

 

 

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"We must dare to follow our own beliefs and have a strong sense of self, so that we can set foot in the world. "

 

"Balancing human intelligence with animal diligence, knowing exactly what you want, and how far you'll go to get it. "

 

"Remembering that first impressions are not always correct. You must always have faith in people and most importantly you must always have faith in yourself. "

 

 

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Legally Blonde is a campus comedy that follows the journey of Elle Woods, a stylish blonde who gets dumped by her law student-to-be boyfriend out of societal bias. Determined to win him back, she gains admission to Harvard Law School to prove herself. 

 

The musical is adapted from the 2001 film of the same title. The film earned a global revenue of 141.8 million dollars at the box office and secured a nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards. The musical version premiered on Broadway in 2007, enjoying weekly box office earnings of over one million dollars. 

 

 

"Sprinkled with infectious tunes, smart lyrics, snappy dialogue and something for everyone."

 

– The Washington Post

 

“This production shattered my expectations and excelled on every level.”  

 

- Broadwayworld

 

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Love has worked its magic on this musical production. 

 

During the formal performance, each member of the team worked together seamlessly, and every directive from the director was carried out to perfection. It was love and teamwork that supported this musical masterpiece. 

 

The one hundred minutes of the show passed by in a flash, yet the past nine months of preparation remain etched in our memories. 

 

 

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Amy Tham

Director of Performing Arts

 

This year’s school production proved to be a successful one with our Performing Arts and Creative team going the extra mile to give our cast an amazing experience of presenting the story of Legally Blonde, the musical. It was through the many rehearsals and personalised pull out sessions by our various teachers that enabled our pupils to shine on stage with their characterisation, ensemble singing, dancing, and overall stage presence and confidence.   

 

The cast is unbelievably talented in their own special ways, and I am comforted to see everyone bonding like a family and supporting each other along the way with words of encouragement to uplift each other. Teamwork makes the dream work and many hands make light work. We are truly blessed with our amazing musical team consisting of teachers who volunteered their time and expertise in ensuring our musical ran smoothly.  

 

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From the set and design SA team, FOW makeup parent team, procurement and purchasing team that ensured our props and costumes arrived in the nick of time. Everyone stepped up, filled in the gaps, and contributed greatly to the behind-the-scenes preparation.   

 

In closing, I want to acknowledge and thank all our cast members and teachers who showed me what courage, kindness, and responsibility is. They took learning and memorising their lines seriously, supported each other through the buddy system, stood in for roles when their peers were absent, and practiced so diligently and shone on stage on the actual day. Their progress and transformation from zero to hero made their friends, teachers, and parents so extremely proud of them. Our teachers were superheroes too, often sacrificing their break and lunch time to spend that extra time to fine tune certain segments of the musical. Legally Blonde, the musical showed us true determination, resilience, and how staying true to oneself through this journey called life is more fun when it is filled with loved ones and friends surrounding us!   

 

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Karen, who plays Elle Woods 

in Legally Blonde, Jr.

 

Omigod guys, thank you so much for clicking on this WeChat article and reading through these lovely reflections. My name is Karen, and I was fortunate to play Elle Woods in this year's musical. Although it's my first year as a musical actress, I've loved musicals since birth. Laura Bell Bundy, the superb American actress who played Elle Woods on Broadway in 2007, had her cast photo in my wallpaper collection for almost three years until last week, when I finally changed it to a photo of myself in hot pink, holding Bruiser (Elle’s Chihuahua), and bowing on stage. 

 

I am thrilled and feel this is a dream come true. As a ten-year dancer, a half-pro singer, and an IGCSE drama candidate, I want to thank myself for not wasting my talents and having the courage to audition for this competitive role against many experienced actors. After the endorphin boost of getting the role wore off, challenges and miscommunications arose. However, I was lucky to be part of a supportive cast. Despite coming from different grades and schools, our passion for performing arts bonded us closely: I LOVE YOU ALL! 

 

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On performance day, "So Much Better" was the song that made my eyes damp. This is when Elle experiences a huge emotional shift from seeing her love propose to another girl to realizing she is the intern of the year. For the first time, Elle feels proud of herself for achieving something a typical Californian blonde couldn't, and I was extremely proud of myself too. At the moment when Elle shares her success with her mom, I saw my mom and grandma sitting in the front row, dressed in hot pink, glittering under the lights. It reminded me that there will always be people who support you unconditionally. 

 

Elle Woods challenges Aristotle’s quote, “the law is reason free from passion,” yet sticking to passion and having faith in oneself are crucial. I will carry this lesson taught by Elle with me through my future journey. Thank you, everyone, for supporting Legally Blonde the musical. A hug is airdropped to you all; please click “Accept” to join the Legally Blonde family. 

 

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|From the editor|

“Go be part of the performance about dreams in your dream-chasing age.” 

 

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Musicals probe into the inner selves of characters with soul-touching melodies and lyrics through songs and music. In Legally Blonde, each track is carefully selected to complement the narrative. With pleasant melodies and rich lyrics, audiences can resonate more deeply with the characters and further understand the plot.   

 

Constant guidance from the teachers in exploring and interpreting the characters is needed when directing pupils from senior schools in a production like Legally Blonde. However, stage performances are never perfect; this imperfection allows pupils to reflect and grow as it enriches their explorations of the world. A more profound and unique insight might arise when they combine what is observed with their personal experiences. 

 

It is indeed a rare experience in their life journey to jointly invest time and energy, face challenges, and passionately stage a beloved performance with others. Immersing themselves in the joy of stage art and collective creation is a precious process itself that outweighs the final outcome. 

 

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Rehearsing and performing a large-scale musical in the school is a challenging and complex task that requires the joint efforts and hard work of everyone. Wellington College Hangzhou organised a strong support team for the success of the musical Legally Blonde. This team, composed of outstanding performing arts teachers, other academic and non-academic staff, and parents, provided strong support to the 35 pupil performers. 

 

Legally Blonde is a story about dreams and commitment. Elle is a charming character. Decisive as she is, she resists temptation and perseveres once she sets a goal; brave as she is, she faces challenges and marches forward even when she fails; kind as she is, she helps others and resolves misunderstandings even when being wronged. What is most admirable about Elle is her unwavering self-confidence. She refuses to be labelled and does what she believes is right, and firmly believes that she can accomplish anything. 

 

The meaning of life lies in a simple truth: we weave our life stories with our own experiences and beliefs. I believe that every audience left the theatre filled with positive energy and love for life, and if given the opportunity, they would choose to watch this musical again which imparts belief and motivation. 

 

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