LEGALLY BLONDE to Open Berkeley Playhouse's 26/27 Season

Berkeley Playhouse opens its 26/27 MainStage season with the award-winning Legally Blonde The Musical, running September 11 through October 11 at the historic Julia Morgan Theater.

It's loud, it's fast, it's very pink, and it is one of the best nights out the Bay Area will have this fall. Bay Area favorite Ayani Dorsey (Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar) stars as Elle Woods, the sorority president who gets dumped, talks her way into Harvard Law, and beats a room full of people who assumed she couldn't. Along the way: a jump-rope courtroom confession, a Greek chorus that will not leave her alone, and a bend-and-snap that has never once failed.

Director No'Eau Kahalekulu leads the production, with choreography by Cat Delos Santos Reyes and music direction by Camden Daly.

“If you loved this movie in 2001, I promise it hits even harder with a live band and an audience,” said Kimberly Dooley, Artistic Director of Berkeley Playhouse. “Legally Blonde is funny and impossible to get out of your head. No'eau and her team have built something with real heart in it. It is exactly how we want to open a season.”

“Elle Woods has been my comfort character since 2001. If she can get into Harvard and keep her sparkle, the rest of us can handle whatever's in front of us,” said director No'Eau Kahalekulu. “We've all gotten a little scared to be big and silly and sincere in public lately. This production is an invitation back into it. Like the show says, being true to yourself never goes out of style.”

The world of the production is built by scenic designer Sarah Phykitt, Costume Designer Ashley Renee, and lighting designer Sophia Craven, backed by a 24-person company of Bay Area performers.

Rounding out the cast on four legs: Latke the Pomeranian makes her theatrical debut as Bruiser Woods, and three-year-old French bulldog mix Stella takes on the scene-stealing Rufus.