Blonde Ambition

Jenna Levitt is blonde, but she's not that blonde.

The 16-year-old has been preparing her body, voice and hair in preparation for playing iconic character Elle Woods, a pink-loving, chihuahua-toting sorority sister in the Rogers Little Theater production of "Legally Blonde."

The musical focuses on the spirited and determined Delta Nu who takes blonde ambition to a new level with her descent on Harvard Law School in search of a man who has left her behind.

"She is very driven," Levitt says with a laugh. "I could tell there was a change from the beginning of the show to the end, but she was always going for what she wanted. She has her blonde moments, but inside I think she's really smart, and she knows what she wants and is ready to get it."

And what she's ready to get is her man.

Warner Huntington III (Chandler Reid Evans) has left the perky party-girl for Harvard Law School and for the more serious and brunette Vivienne Kensington (Alexandra Fish). Determined to win him back, the sometimes airhead decides to become a law student.

At Harvard, of course.

Backed by a squad of cheerleaders and the "whole UCLA band," the perfectly dressed coed wows the admissions committee in a scene director Ed McClure describes as "big and pretty hilarious."

Hi-jinks ensue, leading Elle into the eye of both the unassuming Emmett (Caleb Bahr) and a creepy Professor Callahan (Alan Coney Jr.). By the end, she begins to find her footing, and with a little help from her sorority sisters, friend Paulette (Rachel Hobby) and a dog named Bruiser, finally finds herself exactly where she belongs, he says.

"It's light, but it speaks to universal issues, like not feeling like you fit in or that you're not good enough," McClure says. "Here the lead character is a pretty little rich girl, but she doesn't feel good enough or accepted. But slowly, she starts to come into her own."

And she does it through song and dance, which hasn't exactly been easy on the creators of the play.

"I think that this is a really big show for us from the standpoint of the amount of music and choreography involved in producing it," McClure says. "The music is more difficult than others because the songs are so long. There's a lot of demands vocally and dance-wise."

The music of "Legally Blonde" is more "montage-y," McClure goes on to say. "Unlike a show like 'Fiddler on the Roof,' these songs don't have a distinct beginning, middle and end with some dialogue before the next song. These are longer. They are little scenes within the show."

One of the largest, most complex scenes involves nearly the entire cast, he says, requiring two costume changes and three set changes.

"Our music director, Lisa Auten, and choreographer, Janella Young, have had their work cut out for them but have done a great job," he explains. "The songs are long, but catchy. They keep the energy of the show up. It's going to be very different from other shows we have done in the past."

But it's not just the music that is different.

Unlike other shows, McClure describes this storyline as being particularly "women-driven," supplanting what he calls the typical male-female relationship both on and off the stage.

"These women have a lot of power," he says. "They know what they want, and they go for it."

Levitt, who is performing in her second Rogers Little Theater show, may be perfect for the role for just that reason. Always eager for attention, the young actress would often sing for family and friends and was enrolled early in singing lessons that she takes to this day, she says.

"I've always enjoyed singing," she explains. "Performing is what I've always wanted to do."

Not content with just dancing and not into athletics, the little performer grew to fancy the stage, and the spotlight led her to musical theater, but like Elle Woods, she has a drive beyond the flash of the stage lights.

"I'll be looking at colleges in the spring," she says. "I'm going to major in theater and minor in management with hopes of being a managing director of a theater company or college. I have a lot of plans. In that respect, Elle and I have a lot in common.

"I just don't have the 'blonde moments.'"

NAN What's Up on 02/13/2015