Previews: LEGALLY BLONDE The Musical JR. at The Mahaffey Theater

On July 25-26, the Mahaffey Theater is set to burst with energy, wit, and unapologetic pink as Legally Blonde the Musical Jr. takes the spotlight with the students of Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts summer camp. The beloved story of Elle Woods comes alive, powered by a cast of young performers ranging in age from 7 to 17—54 young actors and 11 technical students, all ready to deliver a fresh spin on the iconic tale.

Director Katrina Young shares her inspiration: “I did it when I was about 14, 15, and I did the junior version, and it was some of the most fun I ever had. We have a lot of talented young ladies that have done our summer camp before, and there's so many powerful lead roles in this show and so many different opportunities for kind of more mature material, but still fun and sassy, and fun costumes. I just wanted to kind of give our girls that have been in the program a challenge, and then also figured it might inspire some new folks that maybe haven't tried theater before and want a fun soundtrack to have their first theatrical performance.”

This production leans into Legally Blonde’s signature sparkle while offering thoughtful layers on confidence and self-empowerment. The cast even worked with Miss Laura Bell Bundy, Broadway’s original Elle Woods, gaining insight into the role and how to “unload their baggage from their life and what they know, and then, of course, lots of studying of the movie, as well as the pro shot on YouTube to embrace and embody the character,” says Young.

With an ensemble cast that ensures “there’s definitely some interesting new bits that you might find throughout the show that are just kind of exciting, family friendly, and get everybody into the groove to show what Elle’s impact is,” audiences can expect a show that highlights both the humor and heart of Elle’s journey.

For 13-year-old Waverly Wheaton, who stars as Elle Woods, the role is transformative. “Elle, obviously, is a very strong woman and holds herself up all the time. And she has times where she breaks. And throughout my life, I've had times where I need to find some confidence and keep going. And I can sort of take what I've experienced before in life and really put it into the character and put it into Elle's perspective.”

Wheaton hopes the message resonates offstage, too: “I hope that the audience gets that Elle is strong and a very bubbly and funny person that goes through a lot of things in life. But I really hope that the audience takes from this performance is something truly real and how they feel this is someone's life, something that's actually happening to them...even though someone can be strong and confident, it's okay to feel somewhat down about yourself and about your situation. And I hope they also understand that there are so many ways to fix it and to get yourself back up to where you want to be.”