Taunton School’s senior students lit up the stage at Taunton’s professional theatre The Brewhouse last week with five dazzling performances of Legally Blonde: The Musical.
The exceptional performances ran from Wednesday 4th to Saturday 7th March and included 80 students from Years 9 to 13 in technical, support, on stage, and musical roles. All five performances were sold out.
Legally Blonde: The Musical follows the School’s hugely successful five-show run of The Addams Family at The Brewhouse in 2024.
Head of Co-Curricular Drama at Taunton School, Janey Carden, said: “It has been an absolute privilege to work with such an outstanding, talented group of students. Not only have they performed to an incredibly high standard, they have managed to do it whilst juggling lessons, tests, sports matches, ballet exams, illness and more.
“The best thing of all is to see what lovely friendships they’ve made across all year groups – we really did become one big (and very pink) family! I could not be prouder of what we’ve achieved.”
Students took on a huge rehearsal schedule to prepare for the performances, rehearsing twice a week since September across the School’s drama, music, and dance facilities, increasing the number of sessions as they got closer to opening night. The very first dress rehearsal at The Brewhouse took place on Monday 2nd March which was also the first time anyone had seen the full set.
Legally Blonde: The Musical was a hugely ambitious feat, with 21 songs, 12 costume changes for lead actor Izzy, plus at least two changes for the rest of the cast, two on-stage dogs, and a dynamic set that transformed 18 times.
The production was supported by a professional lighting design company, a sound engineer who regularly works in West End theatres on productions such as The Lion King, Aladdin, Six, and Hamilton, and a 14-piece orchestra consisting of Taunton School students, staff members, visiting music teachers, and professional musicians.
Staff members from across Taunton School came together to make the musical possible, including 20 directly involved in the production in some capacity, with additional support from teams including site services, catering, transport, marketing, and more.
Taunton School has a strong reputation for its extensive Performing Arts department which includes four major productions and over 100 music events each year. Its academic provision runs in tandem with its vast co-curricular programme which includes a range of music, drama, and dance clubs.
