‘Legally Blonde’ to kick off Friday
FORUM FILE PHOTO
Kicking off this Friday is Maryville High School’s production of “Legally Blonde The Musical.” Showtime is 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10 and Saturday Dec. 11 at the Lee and Nina Schneider Center for the Performing Arts. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are only available at the door.
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Just three weeks after its postponement by Maryville R-II district administration, the Maryville High School production of “Legally Blonde The Musical,” is set to entertain audiences on Friday, Dec. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Lee and Nina Schneider Center for the Performing Arts.
The Forum reached out to high school administration for more information and learned from director Jacqui Conn that the school has been in “continual correspondence” with the play’s license holder, Music Theatre International, about potential changes to the production.
MHS Principal Thom Alvarez confirmed to The Forum last week that the district had submitted changes that require approval by MTI.
While no changes have been made to any backdrops or sets, the district has made some costume and choreography changes, Conn said. It’s unclear if any other changes have been made.
“Anything we do perform will be with the consent of MTI,” Conn said in an email to The Forum. “We won’t go into details of any specific changes.”
The musical was originally set to have its first performance on Nov. 18, but after a school board meeting on the evening of Nov. 17, the play was postponed. Superintendent Becky Albrecht told The Forum the next day that she had asked the school board for permission to postpone the production because of concerns she had over material she didn’t “feel is appropriate for the classroom.”
Two weeks ago, a source close to the production told The Forum that some of the objections had been related to the use of words such as “slut,” the length of some girls’ dresses and the content of the song “There! Right There!” which includes repeated lyrics wondering if a character is “gay or European.” At this time it is unclear if this song has been removed or will be acted instead of sung.
In the email to The Forum, Conn explained that during the few rehearsals they had left before the performances, she wanted actors who have “dedicated a great deal of time and effort,” to be able to focus on the production.
She noted that the play is truly about its main character, Elle Woods, learning and showing others the empowering lesson of being true to oneself.
“We have a very talented group of high school students eager to share this positive message with the Maryville community,” Conn wrote.
Doors open at 6 p.m. and the shows start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 11 in the Lee and Nina Schneider Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $10. Seating is limited to the first 695 people each night.
If You Go
Doors open at 6 p.m. and the shows start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 11 in the Lee and Nina Schneider Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets are $10. Seating is limited to the first 695 people each night.
