Pink! Perky! Blonde! Performing Arts Co. Bringing 'Legally Blonde' to Belmont High

Got a cute chihuahua that wouldn't mind being on stage this spring? Then get in contract with Ezra Flam, producer and director of Belmont High's Performing Arts Company. 

"[I'm not] afraid of the challenges the script throws at a director … [l]ike finding a well-trained dog to put onstage," Flam told Belmont Patch after announcing that the Performing Arts Company's spring musical will be the Broadway-hit "Legally Blonde." 

"Legally Blonde" – with a book by Heather Hach and music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin – will be performed on March 6-8 at 7 p.m. with a matinee at 2 p.m. on March 8. 

Flam's decision to tell the story of Elle Woods and her dog, Buster, following Elle's boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, to Harvard Law School where she finds love and herself with some big production numbers, was a conscious decision. 

"As a director, I am looking for two things: a show I get excited about and a show I think the students will get excited about; and this fit the bill. The incredibly smart music and lyrics make the show more than just a carbon copy of the film, and it’s bursting with energy. This isn’t a show that will be putting any audience members to sleep," he said.

The first thing a people will remember after attending the show, which debut on Broadway in 2007 and ran for more than 500 performances – is how many roles and production numbers involve women.

"You’re right, it’s a very female-heavy show," said Flam.  

"At least 75 percent of the shows out there have better roles for males, who make up the minority of your average high school cast. So when you find a show like this one, that gives a lot of female performers a chance to shine, that’s not something to be taken lightly," he said, who selected Zoe Miner in the title role. 

In fact, it will be one of the most challenging and largest shows the company will produce in many years.

"This production is going to showcase the voices of more than 20 soloists, some incredible dance talent and of course the acting, instrumental and technical skills of more than 120 students," he said.

But Flam believes the company of 9th to 12th graders are up to the task.

"As you know, Belmont has an outstanding music program, and the strengths of that program bleed over the the Performing Arts Company. I feel lucky to be working in a school where I can choose a show like 'Legally Blonde'," he said.