Hot pink decked the stage’s floor and walls, complementing the soft pastel pinks of the various props. A neon pink sign with the name “Elle” shone over the top of the stage. From February 16 to 19, “Legally Blonde: The Musical” made its way to Peddie’s Geiger Reeves Theater.

In a flurry of pink, sorority sister Elle Woods, played by Brooke Gomez ’24, took on Harvard Law School on a stage set built by Peddie’s own set crew. The stage hosted several remarkable pieces: from a hair salon for heartfelt conversations to a bedroom for “serious” studying, or from  a dramatic courtroom of secrets and revelations, to Harvard University, the origins of Elle Woods’ success story. Viewers were transported to multiple locations of this hectic story without moving from their seats. 

Not only did the musical feature singing and acting, Laura Bergendahl ’24 noted that every actor and actress had to dance. In appreciation of the set crew, she commented that the platforms they built were “well constructed to dance on,” which was especially important for learning tricky choreography. 

With the flashy set, Maya Lougy ’24 added that the “lighting also played a huge role, and it made [her] really feel the emotions of the characters on stage.” Up in the lighting booth, Peddie students controlled the lightboard, skillfully timing all the spotlights to enhance the show’s visuals. The lighting team wore headsets to communicate with the directors and production crew, ensuring that the show would run smoothly. 

Propelled by the efforts of student musicians, the musical featured upbeat pop-style music played on a variety of instruments, such as the trumpet, the drums, the electric guitar, and the piano. With fun songs and clever lines, the musical paid homage to the original movie “Legally Blonde,” by turning an iconic dance move into its own musical number: “Bend and Snap.” The musical also cleverly snuck in Elle Woods’ iconic: “What, like it’s hard?” when referring to her Harvard acceptance, a line that made the audience chuckle in recognition and humor.

The show did not only feature humans – familiar dogs of the Peddie community showed up on stage. Carolyn Gu ’24 exclaimed, “It was fun seeing Obie,” a frequent furry visitor in the science classrooms, “in class and performing on stage.” The collective effort by talented and hardworking Peddie students in being directors, actors, and musicians for “Legally Blonde,” led to the musical’s great electricity and excitement, bringing together the whole community for this comedic performance.