‘Legally Blonde, The Musical’ will be performed at the Santa Fe High School Performing Arts Center beginning Thursday June 13. Photo by Norman Doggett
Tri-M Productions News:
Tri-M Productions will perform “Legally Blonde, The Musical” opening Thursday June 13 for two weekends. Directed by Marilyn Barnes with music direction by Kathlene Ritch, this production features wonderful choreography by Laura Garrett (formerly of Moving Arts Española and now Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts in Albuquerque).
It is a 2007 musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and a book by Heather Hach. It is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It is known as one of the best Broadway musical adaptations of a movie.
The show tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl from UCLA who enrolls at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner. She discovers how her knowledge of the law can help others, and she successfully defends exercise queen Brooke Wyndham in a murder trial. Throughout the show, very few characters have faith in Elle, but she manages to surprise them when she defies expectations while staying true to herself. Think Barbie goes to Law School!
The paid cast is drawn from throughout Northern New Mexico and beyond. Daryl Hale, who plays Elle, comes from Austin Texas via studying in New York and London. Bear Schacht, well known to Los Alamos Little Theater patrons, is the romantic lead Emmett Forrest, while Jerimiah Vigil plays the ex-boyfriend Warner who dumped Elle. Three cast members, Caleb Heaton, Cameron Wilson and Emily Breitbach teach in the Santa Fe Public Schools. Divara Harper, last seen this spring in Tri-M’s production of “A Little Night Music” comes from Española, while Martín and Priscilla Chavez-Borjas come from Albuquerque.
The total cast of 18 is costumed by Aubrey Hicks, a finalist for a New Mexico Entertainment Award for her work in last fall’s “A Grand Night for Singing”, supported by six dressers helping with the quick changes.
Ritch leads the live 5-piece band in this rocking fun story of female empowerment.
Tri-M “Millennial Music Makers” Productions was founded by Barnes and Ritch in 2020 with the help of Cris W. Barnes, former staff member at LANL. Their mission is to create quality musical theater productions and provide opportunities for the local talent of early career professionals to continue to perform. They do three major productions a year at various venues in Santa Fe, including well-reviewed productions of “Cabaret”, “Spring Awakening” and “Kinky Boots”.
This show will be performed at the Santa Fe High School Performing Arts Center, at 2100 Yucca St. in Santa Fe. Reserved seating at $50 and $30 can be found at www.trimsantafe.org. Shows are 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. matinees on Sunday through June 23.
