1 Costume Design and Production for Legally Blonde the Musical Book By

Home , Amanda Brown (novelist), Costume party, Cyclorama (theater), Elle Woods, Legally Blonde, Legally Blonde (musical)

Costume Design and Production for Legally Blonde the Musical book by Heather Hach,

Music and Lyrics by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe

Thesis

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Fine Arts

in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University

Julianne Kay Nogar

Graduate Program in Theatre

The Ohio State University

2019

Thesis Committee

Jeanine Thompson, Professor, Advisor

Alex Oliszewski, Associate Professor

Amanda Fox, Associate Professor

Copyrighted by

Julianne Kay Nogar

2019

Abstract

This thesis will document the costume design process for The Ohio State

University Department of Theatre’s production of Legally Blonde the Musical. This production ran from November 8th, 2018 through the November 18th, 2018 in the Thurber

Theatre, under the direction of Associate Professor Mandy Fox. The production team consisted of the following people: third year graduate student Cassie Lentz as scenic designer, third year graduate student Kelsey Gallagher as lighting designer, and undergraduate student Emily Schmidt as sound designer.

Based upon the 2001 hit romantic comedy film Legally Blonde and the book of the same name written by Amanda Brown, Legally Blonde the Musical takes the iconic character Elle Woods and places her and her friends in a singing, dancing, over the top spectacle. Together as a cohort, the production team worked to preserve the charm of the movie, but give it a fresh, feminist, facelift for 2018. The production team and I researched designer fashions, trends, and architecture from the early 2000s and pushed those styles into a heightened reality. The goal of this production was not to change the iconography of Legally Blonde, but to embrace and amplify it.

ii five looks per actor. This thesis will explore the creative solutions employed to design a beautiful show with hundreds of costume pieces under the constraints of a limited budget, as well as limited time and labor constraints.

iii

Dedication

To the wonderful Jeanine Thompson, Rebecca Turk, and to the Squad.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Rebecca Turk for being my wonderful mentor and helping me grow as an artist and as a person. Her kindness has been a great influence on my life, and her feedback has been invaluable. Thank you Dr. Turk for always making me feel heard. I look forward to our adventures in the future.

I would also like to thank Jeanine Thompson for being my second, sensational mentor. Taking her mime class my first year completely changed my career trajectory.

She helped guide me into becoming the artist scholar that I always wanted to be. Jeanine helped me believe in myself. She understood by need to design and perform, and she encouraged me to pursue both to the highest level. I know that no matter what is happening in my life, I always have Jeanine as an ally and a friend.

Lastly, I would like to thank Gabe Simms- the most steadfast partner and best friend anyone could ask for. He encouraged me through all of my doubts and pushed me to not stand in the way of my own success. He is constantly patient, loving, and supportive. Thank you Gabe for cheering me up with late night French fries and Frosty’s and always having a shoulder to lean on. I could have made it through Graduate School without you, but with you I accomplished more than I dreamed.

Vita

2009………………………………… Coffman High School, Dublin, Ohio

2013…………………………………B.A. Theatre Performance, Bradley

University

2016-present………………………...Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of

Theatre, The Ohio State University

Production History

2013…………………………………A World of Words: Tales from King Arthur’s

Court

Costume Designer- Bradley University

2017…………………………………Forbidden Zones: The Great War

Costume Designer- The Ohio State

University

2017…………………………………Comedy of Errors

Costume Designer- The Ohio State

University

2018…………………………………Dog Act

Costume Designer- The Ohio State

University

2018…………………………………Candide

Costume Coordinator- The Ohio State

University

2018…………………………………Cinderella (La Cenerentola)

Costume Coordinator- The Ohio State

University

2018…………………………………A Midsummer’s Night Dream

Costume Designer- Actor’s Theatre of

Columbus

2018…………………………………Legally Blonde the Musical

Costume Designer- The Ohio State

University

2019…………………………………Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-

Time

Costume Designer- The Ohio State

University

Fields of Study

Major Field: Theatre

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Table of Contents

Abstract ...... ii Dedication ...... iv Acknowledgments ...... v Vita ...... vi List of Tables ...... ix List of Figures ...... x List of Plates ...... xi List of Fitting Photos ...... xiii List of Production Photographs ...... xiv Chapter 1. The Producing Situation ...... 1 Chapter 2. The Production Concept and Design Scheme ...... 3 Chapter 3. Character Analysis ...... 8 Chapter 4. The Process ...... 28 Chapter 5. Evaluation ...... 49 Bibliography ...... 55 Appendix A. Director’s Concept ...... 56 Appendix B. Review ...... 58 Theater review | Legally Blonde: Production finds fun in material, without sacrificing truthfulness ...... 59 Appendix C. Tables ...... 61 Appendix D. Plates ...... 116 Appendix E. Production Photos ...... 125

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List of Tables

Table 1. Costume Plot/Scene Breakdown………………………………………………62

Table 2. Character Breakdown…………………………………………………………. 81

List of Figures

Figure 1. Research for Greek Chorus, Selections from Betsey Johnson's 2001 Ready to wear collection…………………………………………………………………………. 14

Figure 2. Research for Paulette, Gwen Stefani, Circa 1998……………………………. 20

Figure 3. First Proposal Dress from Amazon.com………………………………...... 33

List of Plates

Plate 1. The Proposal Dress Rendering ...………………………………………..………. 9

Plate 2. Sad Elle Rendering ...…………………………………………………………… 9

Plate 3.Welcome to Harvard Rendering...………………...…………………………..... 10

Plate 4. Elle Learns a lot Rendering ...………………………………………………….. 11

Plate 5. Delta Nu Girls Rendering ……………………..………………...... ….……….. 13

Plate 6. Greek Chorus Girls Rendering ...……………………..………………..……… 14

Plate 7. Pilar's Rendering ………………..……………………………………………... 15

Plate 8. Margot's Rendering …………...……..………………………………………… 16

Plate 9. Serena's Rendering ……..…….....……………………………………………... 16

Plate 10. Warner's "Proposal" Costume Rendering….……………………...... 18

Plate 11. Vivienne's Harvard Look Rendering …………..……………………..……… 19 . Plate 12. Paulette's Look 1 Rendering ………….……………………………………… 20

Plate 13. Paulette's Look 2 Rendering ……………….………………………………… 21

Plate 14. Paulette's Look 3 Rendering ………………….……………………………… 21

Plate 15. Emmett's "Chip on my Shoulder" Rendering ………...…….………………... 23

Plate 16. Emmett's Trial One and Trial Two Rendering ………....……………….....…. 23

Plate 17. Brooke Wyndom's and Exercise People's Rendering……….……………...... 25

Plate 18. Professor Callahan's Rendering ..………………………….…………………. 26 Plate 19. Elle's Mom and Dad Rendering ..……………………..………..…………….. 27

Plate 20. Elle's Proposal Dress Rendering ..……………………………….…………… 32

Plate 21. Elle's Final Trial Dress Rendering ..………………………………..………… 36

Plate 22. Elle's Bunny Costume Rendering …....…………………………………..…... 38

Plate 23. Elle's Transformation Dress Rendering …..……..………………………….. 117

Plate 24. Elle's Majorette Rendering …………..……...………………………………. 118

Plate 25. Elle's First Trial Look Rendering …….....……………..……………………. 119 Plate 26. Warner's Harvard Look and Trial Suit Rendering……………..…………… 120

Plate 27. Vivienne's Party Look and Trial Suit Rendering …...……………...……….. 121

Plate 28. Emmett's Look 1 Rendering………………...….…………………………… 122

Plate 29. Aaron, Enid, and Padamadon's Rendering ...………..………………………. 123

Plate 30. UCLA Band and Cheer Team Rendering ……………………………………124

xii

List of Fitting Photos

Fitting Photograph 1. The Proposal Dress First Fitting……………………………….. 34

Fitting Photograph 2. Final Trial Dress First Fitting………………………………….. 36

Fitting Photograph 3. Bunny Costume First Fitting…………………………………... 38

Fitting Photograph 4. Bunny Costume Second Fitting………………………………... 39

Fitting Photograph 5. Delta Nu Girls………………………………………………….. 50

xiii

List of Production Photographs

Production Photograph 1. Act 1 Scene 8, Vivienne, Warner, Elle, and Ensemble …….. 40

Production Photograph 2. Act 1, Scene 4, "What you Want Part 2", Ensemble ………. 42

Production Photograph 3. Act 1, Scene 6, “Positive”, Ensemble ...……………………. 44

Production Photograph 4. Act 1, Scene 6, “Positive”, Ensemble ...……………………. 45

Production Photograph 5. Act 1, Scene 1, “Daughters of Delta Nu”, Ensemble ……… 51

Production Photograph 6. Act 1, Scene 8, Ensemble…………………………………... 52

Production Photograph 7. Act 1, Scene 1, “Omigod You Guys”, Ensemble ………… 126

Production Photograph 8. Act 1, Scene 2, “Serious”, Warner and Elle ……………… 127

Production Photograph 9. Act 1, Scene 4, “What You Want Part 1”, Pilar, Elle, Margot, and Serena ……………………………………………………..……………………… 128

Production Photograph 10. Act 1, Scene 4, “What You Want Part 1”, Elle’s Mom, Elle, Elle’s Dad ……………………………………………………………………………... 129

Production Photograph 11. Act 1, Scene 4, “What You Want Part 2”, Winthrop, Lowell, and Pforzheimer ………………………………………………………………………. 130

Production Photograph 12. Act 1, Scene 5, “Blood in the Water”, Professor Callahan …………………………………………………………………………………………. 131

Production Photograph 13. Act 1, Scene 9, “Chip on my Shoulder Part 1,” Elle ……. 132

Production Photograph 14. Act 1, Scene 8, “Chip on my Shoulder Part 2", Emmett ………………………………………………………………………………………….133

Production Photograph 15. Act 2, Scene 1, “Whipped Into Shape”, Brooke and Ensemble ………………………………………………………………………………………… 134

Production Photograph 16. Act 2, Scene 2, “Take it Like a Man”, Elle and Emmett ... 135

xiv

Production Photograph 17. Act 2, Scene 3, “Bend and Snap”, Paulette ……………..…………………………………………………………………………... 136

Production Photograph 18. Act 2, Scene 4, “Gay or European”, Ensemble ………….. 137

Production Photograph 19. Act 2, Scene 4, “Gay or European”, Carlos and Nikos ….. 138

Chapter 1. The Producing Situation

This thesis will document the costume design process for The Ohio State

University Department of Theatre’s production of Legally Blonde the Musical. This production ran from November 8th, 2018 through the November 18th, 2018 in the Thurber

With a budget of five thousand eight hundred dollars, it was my challenge to wardrobe a cast of thirty-two performers, each of whom played one to six characters. As the musical progresses, there are many distinct locations that require complete costume changes. This allows approximately thirty-two dollars per costume with an average of five looks per actor. This thesis will explore the creative solutions I employed to design a 1 beautiful show with hundreds of costume pieces under the constraints of a limited budget, as well as limited time and labor constraints.

Chapter one is titled “The Producing Situation,” and it will outline the circumstances and restraints on the project before the design process began. Chapter two is titled, “The Production Concept and Design Scheme,” which will explain my process of making certain design decisions. Chapter three is titled “Character Analysis,” and it will break down and analyze the characters of Legally Blonde. Chapter four, “The

Process” will outline the process from the Director’s concept through the final dress rehearsal. In chapter five, “An Evaluation of the Design,” I will evaluate the successfulness of the design and the collaboration with the team of artists who helped bring Legally Blonde together.

Chapter 2. The Production Concept and Design Scheme

Fox headed her production concept for Legally Blonde the Musical with “To thine own self be true,” a quotation by William Shakespeare that carried the production team through to the end. Fox wanted to put emphasis on the character relationships, as well as themes of figuring out the meaning of love, and dealing with adversity. As quoted in the

Ohio State University’s newspaper, the Lantern, Fox said that Legally Blonde is about

“claiming who you are inside, choosing who you want to be on the outside, accepting all the complexities and contradictions that might come with that and allowing others to do the same.”. She was not looking to simply copy the iconography from the movie or the original Broadway performance. She wanted to make sure there was heart to the story.

The production team, led by Fox, wanted to create a heightened reality for our version of Legally Blonde. We wanted to inspire the audience to follow their own dreams after following Elle sparkle through hers. The design would make a strong nod toward

2001, while still making the characters relatable in 2018.

As the original movie was released just shy of two months before the attacks on

September 11, 2001, the OSU production team went at length to discuss the differences in life before and after 9/11 and what that meant to the story. Since they were the first attacks on American soil since World War II, the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath caused a loss of security for a new generation of people. Before 9/11, the American people did not encounter mass murder on a near daily basis. Instead, the economy was booming, and

3 it seemed like anything was possible- even a “dumb” blonde getting into Harvard Law

School.

Legally Blonde (the movie) was released on July 13th, 2001, and was based upon the novel of the same title, released the same year, by author Amanda Brown. The script follows Delta Nu Sorority President Elle Woods and her journey to win back her narcissistic ex-boyfriend, Warner. He dumps her on the very date she believes he will propose marriage to her. In order to get over her devastation, Elle hatches the ingenious plot to win him back by following Warner to Harvard Law School. She spends the second half of her senior year at University of California, Los Angeles studying for the LSATs and preparing her unique, personal essay. After she is remarkably admitted to Harvard

Law, the story continues as her goals switch from getting Warner back to her classmates and professor taking her seriously as an intelligent young woman.

Legally Blonde the Musical, debuted in February 2007 at San Francisco’s Golden

Gate theatre before it shortly moved to Broadway in April 2007. Although the musical is still based upon the novel by Amanda Brown, the musical book was written by Heather

Hach, while Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe wrote the music and lyrics. The book of the musical essentially follows the script of the movie. There are some character differences and added plot points, but ultimately, the musical arrives at the same ending that finds Elle Woods triumphant in her first trial and graduating top of her class.

Although Legally Blonde the Musical was nominated for seven Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, it did not win any of them. The original cast featured Laura Bell

Bundy as Elle Woods, Christian Borle as Emmett, and Richard H. Blake as Warner. The production was recorded and presented on MTV in October 2007. Afterwards, MTV

4 launched a reality show to find the next actress to take Bundy’s place as Elle Woods.

Bailey Hanks won the contest and took over playing Elle Woods from July 2008 to the production close in October 2008, when the run of Legally Blonde the Musical on

Broadway ended.

Fox decided from the beginning that she was going to cast the most talented Elle, not an actress who looked the most like Reese Witherspoon’s portrayal in the movie. Fox viewed the Ohio State University’s production of Legally Blonde as a chance to show a variety of different types of people on stage to reflect types of people who would attend the performance. As such, she urged the production team to design the show based on the characters in the script, but still be open to adapt our design for whomsoever was cast.

When choosing the color palette for Legally Blonde the Musical, I made a distinct choice to show the difference between the main character’s, Elle Woods, life at UCLA and her new, opposite life at Harvard Law School. As Elle sustained an easy, simple life in UCLA with her sorority sisters, the color palette featured vibrant, beachy tones mixed with floral prints. These tones represented the over the top, saturated, dream world, in which Elle floats with her signature color pink. Even the house where all these dreamers live is painted pastel pink to serve as a “neutral” backdrop for the bright tones featured in the scenes located in California. In Elle’s domain and home, everything sparkles almost as much as she does.

5 with floral prints. These tones represented the over the top, saturated, dream world, in which Elle floats with her signature color pink. Even the house where all these dreamers live is painted pastel pink to serve as a “neutral” backdrop for the bright tones featured in the scenes located in California. In Elle’s domain and home, everything sparkles almost as much as she does.

All of Legally Blonde is designed in heightened reality, therefore when the play switches locations to Harvard Law School, the design had to exhibit an equal, but opposite extreme. It is important that Elle Woods should look like a fish out of water, therefore I decided that the characters that belong at Harvard display a neutral and earth tone color palette. As neutrals do not display an equal amount of heightened reality as the flashy, floral prints of UCLA, I used texture and silhouette to add flavor to the smug

Ivy League students. For instance, Professor Callahan wears a daunting black and white, double- breasted pin stripe suit with red accents, and Padamadan wears a navy cardigan with yellow accent stripes and khaki pants. The neutral designer looks for the Harvard characters puts them in a similar socioeconomic status as the ones from UCLA, but with

East Coast fashion sense.

Featured textures that represent Harvard can be seen in Elle Woods’ foil,

Vivienne Kensington. To make her look put together in a completely opposite way to that of Elle’s, Vivienne’s design emphasized layering and accessorizing. I choose each piece of her clothing to look like she bought an entire outfit right out of the window at

Bloomingdales. All of her accessories coordinate and not one hair is out of place on her well-groomed head. The characters at Harvard Law School were designed to have a

6 certain smell of old money and many clothing layers to get them through the New

England winter.

The contrast between Elle’s two lives is represented by my use of warm colors and cool colors, and light and floral vs. geometric and layered. In the center between the two extremes is Elle, whose color story takes her into different shades of pink and navy, as she tries to discover who she is. In the end, as Elle realizes all parts of her personality and life belong together, I designed her final dress featuring pink ombre (gradient shades of pink from light to dark), which she wears with her navy lawyer shoes representing all the shades of her personality she has tested.

The color story of the production was of the utmost importance for all of the designers. Because we all had a lot of ideas, we had to make certain one design area was not over powering the rest. The scenic designer, Lentz and I worked very closely to make sure our respective choices of shades of pink harmonized with each other. As Legally

Blonde is a flashy musical, we had to make sure that visually there was unity between the set and costumes. When selecting the costumes, I made sure to check the different vibrant

Delta NU shades against the pink Delta Nu House scenic piece. I did not want any of the girls to blend into the walls or clash. The girls needed to look as if they belong in the

Delta Nu house. The same was true for the scenes at Harvard Law School. Lentz and I worked together to make sure the costumes did not blend into the scenic pieces, but everyone looks as if they belong there, except of course Elle Woods.

Chapter 3. Character Analysis

Elle Woods: Elle has it all, and she sparkles in her world, with her people, where she is the star at the center of her universe in the Delta Nu Sorority house. She grew up in

Malibu with wealthy parents and even lived next door to Richard Simmons. Money is not an issue for her, as her father pays for everything. Her mom talks of buying her designer hand bags, and her father tells her he will pay her way through Harvard Law School.

Presumably, the only thing that has altered her perfect life is the rejection by Warner.

This moment is the catalyst which sends her spiraling into self-discovery.

Elle’s life is painted in shades of pink. Although the first dress she wears is royal blue, it quickly transforms into bridal pink. In her usual role as Delta Nu president, Elle rules in hot pink, but her hopes and dreams for the future are fused into her bridal, pink proposal dress. The light pink of this dress is a new shade for Elle; it is a vulnerable shade that holds the dreams of seeing herself in a bridal gown, married to Warner.

Plate 1. The Proposal Dress Rendering

Later, when Elle is rejected by Warner, she reverts back to her signature shade of hot pink in her mourning. This power shade pushes Elle to pick herself up and fight to win Warner back. From her “Sad Elle” Juicy Couture track suit to the bright pink plume on her majorette hat, she uses her wit and brains to enter the totally different serious world of Harvard Law School.

Plate 2. Sad Elle Rendering

In complete opposition to UCLA, the costumes for Harvard Law were designed in earth tones and geometric patterns. The silhouettes are boxy and layered. As a result, when Elle arrives at Harvard, she immediately presents herself as an outsider wearing her signature pink tones-- pink shirt, pink sweater, pink shorts, pink socks and a pink hat.

Plate 3. Welcome to Harvard Rendering

Although she made a studied attempt to fit in with her tweed shorts, hat, and argyle socks, the pink makes her an instant target. This contrast is an important visual moment.

Elle Woods does not belong at Harvard. If the visual contrast was not high enough, the conflict in the story would weaken.

After Vivienne falsely invites her to a costume party, Elle once again sets herself apart in a hot pink, playboy bunny costume. The tight, lace corset, ruffle panties, and pink rhinestone platform shoes shatter the bland, earth tones of those attending the party. This dichotomy further separates Elle from her classmates. They all wear trousers and neutral colored sweaters. They wear pearls rather than crystals. They wear loafers instead of kitten heels. At this point in the musical, the contrast between Elle’s life in Malibu and

10 her new life at Harvard are seen at the most extreme. As she was accustomed to being popular back at UCLA, her new status as a social outcast almost pushes her to give up.

The next costume I designed for Elle to wear for the remainder of act one is what

I like to call “Elle learns a lot of things.” Elle goes from complete defeat to being consumed in her studies with the help of Emmett (her Harvard Law TA). As Elle switches her focus from her love of materialistic items to proving her merit as a student, her costume reflects the frantic energy she carries into the final musical number of Act I

“So Much Better.”

Plate 4. Elle Learns a lot Rendering

I designed for her a long sleeved, pink Harvard t-shirt to show she is committed to her new life at Harvard, while still pulling spirit from UCLA. The denim jeans and brown boots show her attempt to neutralize her style to fit in at school. In the last number of the act (So Much Better), she wins Professor Callahan’s much-coveted internship, tipping her into changing her personality to the extreme in order to garner respect.

As Act II begins, Elle’s costume is almost entirely devoid of pink, except for a thin hot pink ribbon to bind the top of her skirt. It pops out sometimes from beneath her blazer to represent how she keeps trying to suppress her personality, but it cannot be completely stifled.

For example, after she promised to keep her client Brooke Wyndham’s alibi a secret, no amount of pressure from her colleagues would make her break Brooke’s trust.

Although her suit is intended to help assimilate her, Elle Woods’ hot pink personality still shines through her navy-blue suit.

Elle’s “Final Trial Look,” is designed to show that she finds her way, as well as her moxie, as she steps out in a pink ombre swing dress with a delicately rhinestone- studded pink jacket. She realizes that it is not what she wears that makes her great. She had to travel though all the shades of pink to find that she can be all of them; and they all are her. Her shoes remain navy, as a reminder that she is serious, and seriously cannot be held back from anything she desires to achieve.

Delta Nu Girls: I designed a different hairstyle and ensemble to match the different personalities the actresses will bring to the sorority sister they were playing.

They will wear combinations of pants, skirts, dresses, sweaters, sparkle shrugs, crop tops, halter tops, and everything flirty, cute, and girly. Each girl’s costume is unique, but color- coordinated to show they belong together. These girls are wealthy and popular, and their coordinated outfits will show it. As a unit, it is important that they all look like they belong together. Even though every girl had a line or two to say, they always traveled together as a group to cheer Elle on as she followed her dreams.

Plate 5. Delta Nu Girls Rendering

Greek chorus: After Elle Woods leaves UCLA, her sorority sisters come to her aid as an imaginary Greek chorus. As a nod to Greek life toga parties, I styled all of the girls in sheer-white “Greek” style dresses. Technically, and historically, the style of the dresses is Roman, but as toga parties are associated with sororities and fraternities, they were perfect for the Greek chorus. Each dress was designed with a sexy modern twist to keep it stylish for today as well as the year 2001. My designs were based upon Betsy

Johnson’s Spring Ready to Wear fashion show from 2001.

Figure 1: Research for Greek Chorus, Selections from Betsey Johnson’s 2001 Ready-to- wear Collection

Plate 6: Greek Chorus Girls Rendering

Serena, Pilar, and Margot: They too belong to the Delta Nu sorority sisters, although they are featured characters. They are Elle’s best friends, and leaders in the sorority house. They were designed to be the brightest colored and most glamorous of the

14 girls. Their ensembles featured a large number of accessories and hair extensions. They are the three that the rest of the sorority girls look up to, and therefore the most fashionable.

Plate 7. Pilar’s Rendering

Plate 8. Margot’s Rendering

Plate 9: Serena’s Rendering

When the girls follow Elle to Harvard as her Greek Chorus, they take on the same role as her featured best friend characters. As such, they each were designed to wear a uniquely styled dress that was heavily accessorized. Serena, Pilar, and Margot serve as

Elle’s cheerleaders throughout the show. Therefore, the Greek chorus dresses were sexy and flashy.

Grandmaster Chad and Frat boys: These boys act as the male counterpoints to the

Delta Nu girls. They work as a distraction for Elle, and they represent the fun Elle could have been having if she had not made the decision to get into Harvard Law. The frat boys are also dressed in bright colors with floral patterns. Grandmaster Chad is the coolest of all the frat boys, and he begs (through song) for the attention of Elle.

UCLA Band and Cheer Team: This is another group that functions as a unit. As they represent actual members of the UCLA band and cheer team, all the performers must perfectly coordinate together. They were designed using the official team colors of

UCLA, deep sky blue and sun gold. As Elle functions within the group as the leader, or majorette, she matches them in color, but stands out with a pink plume in her hat.

Warner Huntington III: Warner is a wealthy young man who is very wrapped up in himself. He feels a sense of duty to carry on his family’s name and marry a woman who will further his future career. Although Warner comes from old money, he lacks discipline and depth. At the end of the musical, he drops out of Harvard Law School to become a model. To represent these personality traits, I styled him simple, yet fashionable. As he is obsessed with his looks, he wears designer clothing that is neat and pressed. Throughout the show, I will dress him in baby blue to give a nod to the carefree,

17 beachy life he enjoyed at UCLA. He also never wears a tie, as he enjoys a more leisurely life and he does not like to be too serious.

Plate 10. Warner’s “Proposal” Costume Rendering

Vivienne: Vivienne has similar roots and wealth to Warner, as they went to the same boarding school. However, she is wildly ambitious. Everything she does is calculated as she attempts to rid her life of her romantic rival, Elle Woods. Vivienne is possessive of Warner but is level headed. In the beginning, she is blinded by her hunger for power and status, but she realizes that she does not need Warner to achieve success.

It is not that Vivienne is unfashionable (because she has her own style), but she is practical, conservative, and likes a subtle color palette. I used accessories to display her wealth and give her an untouchable sheen. I styled her in higher necklines to show that she is closed off and is resistant to change.

Although she wears the same black power suit throughout Act II, it is her demeanor that changes, not her wardrobe. Vivienne is a powerful woman. She begins that

18 way and ends that way. She simply wears her power suit with a smile after she learns to accept Elle.

Plate 11. Vivienne’s Harvard Look Rendering

Paulette: Paulette infuses the musical with comic relief as she serves as a companion character to Elle Woods. As a local nail salon technician, she is of a lower class than the other people of Harvard, and her stories reveal the spirited life she led before her dreams fell apart. Paulette has low self-esteem due to a failed relationship, but she helps build up Elle. Paulette urges Elle to keep pushing to accomplish her goals, even when she wants to quit. In return, Elle builds her up right back. To represent her quirky personality and her age as being a decade or so older than Elle, I designed Paulette’s clothing employing the style influence of Gwen Stephani in the 1990s. Her style is alternative and fun. Her signature color is green to tie her to her obsession with the romance of Ireland. She is a bit garish but cute and fun.

Figure 2: Research for Paulette, Gwen Stefani, circa 1998

Plate 12. Paulette’s Look 1 Rendering 20

Plate 13. Paulette’s Look 2 Rendering

Plate 14. Paulette’s Look 3 Rendering 21

Emmett: Like Paulette, Emmett belongs to a lower socioeconomic status.

However, he uses his tenacity to pay his way through Harvard Law School. He serves as

Elle Woods’ teaching assistant in Professor Callahan’s class, and later becomes Elle’s friend and study buddy. Unlike Elle, Emmett grew up with nothing. He describes his life through the song “Chip on my Shoulder.” He uses his tale of hard work to motivate Elle to succeed at Harvard when no one thinks she can.

As Emmett is a poor workaholic who makes fun of Elle for being superficial, his clothing is designed to reflect a wardrobe of thrift store clothing. I chose clothes that were functional, without being stylish. He appears unkempt, but it was important that he does not appear homeless. Instead, he looks approachable and cute. He sports facial hair stubble to show that his looks are the last thing on his mind. Emmett’s initial run down costumes in Act I help to act as foil and impetus for when Elle takes him suit shopping mid-way through Act II. His costume shift represents Emmett gaining confidence in himself. His ragged clothing represents his hard work, and the clean, new suit represents that he learns that he deserves to outwardly show his success.

Plate 15. Emmett’s “Chip on My Shoulder” Rendering

Plate 16. Emmett’s Trial One and Trial Two Rendering

Aaron, Enid, and Padamadon: These three characters represent the competition at

Harvard Law School. Aaron represents the rich jerk student, Enid represents the ultra- feminist, save-the-planet-protester, and Padamadon represents foreign royalty born into privilege. As they belong to the Harvard color palette, their clothing is all designed in the neutral colors. As each of these characters is featured, they all have different costume elements that help them stand out from the rest of the chorus of students. Enid wears pops of red, Aaron has fluffed up curly hair, and Padamadon wears aviator sunglasses.

Brooke Wyndom: Brooke is a former Delta Nu sorority girl turned fitness entrepreneur. She married an older, rich man who is murdered in their home. She is arrested and put on trial for the murder. Professor Callahan becomes her head council with Emmett as co-council and Enid, Warner, Vivienne, and Elle as his interns.

Inevitably, because of the Delta Nu connection between Elle and Brooke, Brooke reveals that she had liposuction at the time of the murder. Because she makes Elle promise to keep her alibi a secret, she puts pressure on her defense team to figure out another way to exonerate her.

Since Brooke is featured and stands apart from the other inmates, as she is rich and privileged, I designed a costume her to wear that consisted of a draped jumpsuit to look like a sexy, Jennifer Lopez version of an inmate. Her costume is designed to make the transition from the exercise video to the prison seamless so Brooke would not need to leave the stage to change costume.

Plate 17. Brooke Wyndom’s and Exercise People’s Rendering

Inmates/ Exercise video people: These background characters serve to represent

Brooke’s cut throat approach to working out. Brooke yells at them while they perform her complex jump roping routine. This scene makes her look guilty, making it tough to prove the defense’s case. The workout video people begin the video segment in orange, royal, and red skimpy workout ensembles, before running back onstage with the prison jumpsuit on top to make a quick transition to the prison.

Professor Callahan: Professor Callahan is a stereotypical, narcissistic, powerful man. He is Elle’s Harvard Law School professor, and he makes a game of weeding students out of his classroom. His student crushing song, “Blood in the Water,” taunts the students into realizing their inferiority. His toxic masculinity is almost a caricature, but his attitude still rings relevant in the era of “Me Too.” To make him a symbol, I designed for him a pinstripe double-breasted power suit that he does not change out of for the

25 entirety of the show. His tie and pocket square are blood red to represent his self- described position as a shark.

Plate 18: Professor Callahan’s Rendering

Nikos and Carlos: Nikos is Brooke Wyndom’s pool boy who testifies in court that they were having an illicit affair together. His testimony is the turning point in the trial.

Elle Woods believes Nikos is lying about the affair, which later is proven through the song “Gay or European.”

Carlos is a member of the trial audience, and he is also Nikos’ boyfriend. He leaps out from the crowd when Nikos claims Carlos is just his best friend. As it is a musical, I designed the two of them as a flamboyant pair, with Nikos being the most majestic. He wears a sparkle belt, ultra-tight striped pants, and a pink striped shirt

Elle’s Mom and Dad: Elle’s mom and dad appear only at the beginning and the end of the musical. They serve to show the frivolous, wealthy life that Elle comes from.

Plate 19. Elle’s Mom and Dad Rendering

Dewey: Dewey is Paulette’s ex-boyfriend who she dated for ten years. He is low class and a liar. He told Paulette that he is Irish to make her believe that he was the man she had been waiting for it. After they break up, Dewey steals Paulette’s dog and refuses to give him back. Dewey is dirty, grungy, and he lives in a trailer. I designed clothes for him that included a denim shirt, denim pants, and dated mullet hair style to represent his backwards thinking and crude demeanor.

Kyle: Kyle is Paulette’s new love interest. He is the new UPS man, who delivers to Paulette’s salon. He is the opposite of Dewey. He is sexy, smooth, and “walking porn.”

To showcase the body of Kyle, he is dressed in a UPS outfit with short shorts.

Chapter 4. The Process

When I began the design process, I found it very difficult to connect to the show.

Even though Legally Blonde had been one of my favorite movies as a teenager, I found myself unable to connect to the musical as a twenty-seven-year-old. As I am currently a graduate student, like Elle, her magical dream world seemed a little absurd to me. I watched the Broadway version that was broadcast on MTV, and I thought the character of Elle Woods was dull and unlikable. It left me disappointed thinking of all the copious amounts of time I would spend on a musical I did not like.

Through the initial design creation process, I searched through fashion of the early 2000s. It was familiar to me, as I had been alive and enthusiastically following pop culture at the time. I remember Paris Hilton coining the phrase, “That’s Hot,” and the beginning phases of reality TV shows, like What Not to Wear. Back then, it was interesting to peer into other people’s lives, and see how they differed from mine. In

May, when I passed through the research images, I laughed at how silly everything was.

Perhaps life chipped away at me over the years, but Legally Blonde did not seem like a story that needed to be told in the year 2018.

It was not until I began to analyze the character of Paulette that I got excited about the design process. She is spunky, and she had dealt with real problems in her life. Unlike the parade of privileged characters that sing and dance before her, she had experience real setbacks. In spite of her disappointments, she still works hard to raise Elle’s self-worth.

Women supporting other women is a story I could get on board with for 2018. I saw myself in Paulette, so I began her costume designs first.

After I finished Paulette’s designs, I started to realize that if I pictured myself in each character, I could find something to like about the musical. I found humor in

Warner’s confusion about women. I discovered the humanity behind Vivienne’s cruel eyes. I searched for the vulnerability behind even the most pompous characters—even

Professor Callahan. He wore his suit like armor. Instead of dwelling on the superficial qualities of Elle Woods, I pretended to be her. I rendered a tall, curvy Elle, to make it seem I were playing the role. That helped me find the fun in the pink, sparkles, and miniskirts. I just reimagined Elle, as if she were more like someone I would want to know and not a stereotype.

At the time that I was rendering, I was also completing my second year in graduate school. I felt torn in a hundred different directions. I simultaneously wanted to show my best work through my thesis, but the day my renderings were due was also the day I left the country for a research trip. I was not happy with the quality of my renderings, a skill I have tried immensely to improve, but there was not enough time in the day to complete them to my satisfaction. I over booked myself over the rest of the summer, and even though Legally Blonde was always at the back of my mind, it fell behind in priority.

After the break from the design over the summer 2018 and upon returning to classes in the fall, I found it difficult once again to get excited about the production. The joy in the design that I found back in the spring had disappeared. I came back to school exhausted and was met with a bombardment of questions— concerning the show I was

29 not quite ready to answer. I missed the first week of school, while performing in the

Boulder Fringe Festival and it seemed as if I had set myself back weeks. The performance in the Fringe Festival was as important to me as my thesis, so I made the choice to do both. I did not set myself up to ease into the production process. But, nonetheless, I tried to push through the exhaustion and designer block.

As soon as I saw that Cindy Tran Guyun was cast as Elle Woods and Shelby

Martell was cast as Paulette, my excitement was reignited. Cindy is interesting, different, and a fresh face for the character of Elle Woods. As she is Vietnamese American, she would bring new life to the character and be relatable to a greater range of people. In the same way, Shelby is a talented, curvy woman. Seeing her power on stage is also empowering for people who deal with body issues.

The wonderful cast helped bring the characters alive for me. It is hard to resist the excitement of Ohio State’s cast of Legally Blonde. Now I was not imagining the actors from the Broadway version, and I could see how each of the actors would bring the character alive in their own way. That energy fueled me for weeks.

Eventually, following round after round of fittings, things began to drag again.

Some actors’ bodies had changed since they were measured; some smaller and some larger. It seemed like I was continuously going on panic runs to Goodwill hoping they might have something in the right size and color. I began to get nervous that things would never come together. I had an assistant, Jensen Glick but I did not know the best way to use him. As it was his first semester in graduate school, he was under a lot of pressure to adapt to his new environment. He was wonderful at moral support and created beautiful, custom lettering to go on the cheer uniforms, Delta Nu T-shirts, and Harvard apparel. He

30 also assisted in saving my designs for Elle Woods by drilling quick change rehearsals with the wardrobe crew. However, due to the learning curve of a new student, a lot of times it was quicker for me to complete the tasks. In effect, organization fell to the bottom of my priority list.

As already stated previously, each actor wore an average of four to five costumes and had at least two shoe changes. I used as many costume pieces from stock as I could; however, I still needed to purchase over half of the costumes. The constant work flow of the fittings, labeling, and altering process was overwhelming. I was lucky after a day of fittings to get each new costume piece tagged and put on the “to do” rack in the studio.

My costume bible (the book that holds all the fitting notes, to buy lists, costume plot, email and rehearsal notes) was in a constant state of disarray. All the information was there, it simply was not orderly. I placed my priorities elsewhere.

My first priority was to find the costumes for the lead characters. The nine Greek chorus dresses were being constructed by the intermediate costume construction class

(TH5531), so I waited until later to call them in for fittings. Knowing this, I knew that I would have to front load the first half of the fittings with the leads, especially since the studio needed to build two of Elle Woods’ costumes. Custom costumes require multiple fittings at different stages of the construction process to ensure that the fit is perfect.

By mid-October the costumes for the first fifteen actors were completed. They only required 1-2 fittings and minor alterations. The only things I added later were accessories. The second half of the cast’s costumes had delays in shipping, build process, and locating the perfect item. Sourcing became a more difficult process than previous shows because of the sheer volume of costumes I needed to find.

As I could not go shopping until the show was cast (one week into the Fall 2018 semester), items that I used for inspiration while working on the final design renderings, no longer existed by the time the show was cast. Some of my renderings were based upon specific items I had already sourced, like the UCLA dance team dress. Setbacks like this sent me on hours long sourcing missions. The costumes had to resemble my renderings and the concept, and building all of the costumes was not an option.

One of these unfortunate lost costume pieces was the proposal dress. The proposal dress was very important because it is the first costume that we see Elle Woods wear. I wanted it to look like it belonged in the early 2000s and also showed off the actresses body flirtatiously. The original rendering featured a spaghetti strap, pink, palm frond dress with a cute tulip opening framed in a ruffle. As tropical prints are not currently the height of fashion, I had settled for one with a bold floral print. However, that dress ran out of stock, and I had to find an alternative, when fashions were moving into fall colors.

Plate 20. Elle’s Proposal Dress Rendering

In current fashion, body conscious dresses and midi dresses dominate the trends. I needed something in the middle. Elle is sexy, but not too revealing. Mini dresses were the style in the early 2000s, but I needed it to have flair to the skirt to both flatter the actress playing the role and make sense with the script. The dress is intended to make a nod to bridal fashion.

Even though I would have liked to build this dress, the script required two of them. One was held as a prop by the store manager character, and the other one had to be quick rigged and worn beneath Elle’s cocktail dress. Rebecca Turk, the costume studio manager highly encouraged me to purchase them. Initially I had found an inexpensive dress that was the right color and close to the silhouette on Amazon. However, when it arrived, it was less than flattering. I did not even have Tran Guyun try it on.

Figure 3: First Proposal Dress from Amazon.com

So, it was back to the drawing board. After about two weeks of searching, I had only found one dress that I liked, but it was twice the amount that I had budgeted for the dress. When I almost gave up and paid for it, Turk found the perfect, light pink, lace dress through retrostage.com. Aside from the dress being a high-low, which means the hem of the skirt it lower in the back than in the front, the price point and style were 33 perfect. It even had similar style lines on the bodice as my original rendering. The only downside to the dress is that no one in the costume studio had ever purchased through retro-stage.com before, so we did not know what to expect in terms of quality and shipping times.

I ordered one dress in size medium, the other in large, and I crossed my fingers that the dress would fit true to the size chart posted on their website. In the end, the dress needed a few slight alterations, such as the waist being taken up to match the curves of

Tran Nguyen’s body. The only set-back is that the dress took longer to deliver than

Retro-Stage projected it would. The dresses arrived two weeks before first dress. It caused a little bit of worry, but in the grand scheme of things it ultimately was not scary as Elle’s final trial dress that arrived three days before first dress.

Fitting Photograph 1: The Proposal Dress First Fitting

The final trial dress, like the proposal dress, was an important statement costume.

This was the outfit that represents Elle putting all of the pieces of herself together to become the best version of herself. In order to tell my color story, it was important to me 34 that the dress be ombre pink, meaning dyed in a gradient of pink tones. Like the proposal dress, I had sourced this dress in the spring. However, after the petite Tran Guyun was cast, the original design of the dress (and the one I sourced) would have smothered her in too much fabric.

Ombre clothing is (not surprisingly) hard to find, especially in business attire. I thought of a multitude of different options. I could buy a light pink dress and add a dark pink belt. I could buy a dress that was white and ombre dye it myself. I still hoped that I would not have to use those options. The dress would look better if it were born that way, as in purposely created to be ombre, instead of adding it as an afterthought.

Daily, I searched online for dresses, and every weekend I went out shopping looking for the perfect dress. I could not find it. By the beginning of October, I began to panic. I had four or five options that I could choose, if I had to, but none of them seemed quite right. Just when I was about to start feverishly patterning a dress, I found a pink color blocked ombre dress on the used designer online thrift store poshmark.com. It was not exactly what I had rendered, but it looked purposeful and it told the color story that I intended in my design .

Plate 21. Elle’s Final Trial Dress Rendering

Fitting Photograph 2. Final Trial Dress First Fitting

This site, poshmark.com, was an important source I utilized for many costume pieces. Because most everyone on stage belonged to the upper class, it was important that designer fashion be utilized. The benefit of poshmart.com is that often times I could, like ebay.com, offer lower prices to the sellers and get great deals on expensive products. I bought the Juicy Couture track suit for the “Sad Elle” costume through poshmark.com, as 36 again I found that authenticity was important when trying to represent Elle Woods’ life at

UCLA. All in all, I bought four skirts, two shirts, one skirt suit, one track suit, two pairs of boots, one sweater, two hats, and a bunny costume from poshmark.com.

The bunny costume! This was an ensemble that required a lot of editing. In the stage version of Legally Blonde it is scripted that the bunny costume belongs to Paulette.

Consequently, I designed it to look like it was something Paulette wore in the 1980s. I envisioned it as pink metallic with silver trim. However, when the costume arrived from

Poshmark, it consisted of a leotard with no structure, and it did not suit Tran Guyun’s figure. It also looked very cheap. Although Paulette is one of the lower-class characters, the costume, as worn by Elle, still needed to be sexy and unexpected to shake up

Vivienne’s boring party.

I decided to keep the accessories that were included with the outfit but change to a more classical Playboy Bunny look by purchasing a pink corset, pink panties, pink thigh- high stockings, and sparkly pink platform shoes. The look was much sexier and made

Tran Guyun feel more confident, which is always my goal as a costumer. The new look still carried the essence of the rendering, but it was translated to fit the body of Tran

Guyun.

Plate 22. Elle’s Bunny Costume Rendering

Fitting Photograph 3. Bunny Costume First Fitting 38

Fitting Photograph 4. Bunny Costume Second Fitting

Production Photograph 1. Act 1 Scene 8, Vivienne, Warner, Elle, and Ensemble

Later, during the second technical dress rehearsal, I cut the thigh-high stockings, in order to make the super-fast change from the “Welcome to Harvard” costume into the Bunny

Costume.

Another important purchase for the character of Elle Woods was her blonde wig.

As Tran Guyun is Vietnamese-American, I wanted to make sure to get a wig that beautifully matched her skin tone. Elle Woods is a wealthy character, so it was important to me that the wig was natural looking. That meant looking for an expensive, real- human- hair wig with a higher price tag.

Obviously, the production team was not trying to portray Tran Guyun as a natural blonde, and I was not trying to erase her ancestry. I choose the hair style of having dark

40 roots and then faded to light ends because it would be fashionable and look like it was

Tran Guyun’s and Elle’s real hair. It is a more contemporary style, but it was more important to me that Tran Guyun looked amazing than one hundred percent time period accurate.

As I was figuring out all the costumes for the lead characters, I had to coordinate certain scenes very carefully. It was important that each group of characters looked like they belonged together, regardless of the countless places their costumes were sourced from. One of the show stopping scenes “What you Want” featuring the UCLA cheer team and marching band was a difficult scene to coordinate. If I had an infinite budget, I would have purchased all the uniforms together from the same place, so they coordinated perfectly. However, due to budget restraints, each sub group featured costumes from different locations.

The first items I purchased were for the UCLA cheerleaders played by Elle

Woods’ three best friends: Pilar, Margot, and Serena. The only shade of blue available in the quick ship non- customizable cheer uniforms was royal blue. Therefore, I purchased all other costumes in the scene to match that shade of royal. Because of the time frame, some items had to be purchased with the hope that they would match. The custom majorette costume that the studio built for Elle Woods had to be started before the cheer uniforms arrived in the studio. Luckily, the dye lots of royal blue seem to be pretty universal. The band uniform pants were purchased from Dickies, the male cheer pants were purchased from Amazon, the dance team uniforms and band jackets were purchased from Bandmans.com, and the fabric for the majorette costume was purchased from Joann

41 fabrics. Luckily under lighting, they all looked like they were purchased from the same place. The added UCLA iron on decals made custom from a Cricut (a paper cutting machine) was the icing that tied everything together.

Production Photograph 2. Act 1, Scene 4, “What you Want Part 2”, Ensemble

Other character groups did not require all items to be purchased. In order to visualize if the costumes from the same group of characters coordinated properly, I dressed up dress forms, so that I could view them as a unit. This helped me to determine from a distance, if the colors, textures, and patterns coordinated without looking like the characters shopped in the same closet. Three men played admissions officers during the

“What You Want” scene. They were supposed to be stereotypical, stuffy, geeky Harvard men. It was important that each one could be identified with the stereotype, but also wanted to keep each character unique. By placing them next to each other I could clearly see how they would function together on stage, and how I needed to tweak things to give the characters a more distinct personality.

This plan of dressing up the dress forms was more difficult with larger groups. I ultimately printed out fitting photos and placing them together in a group. Even though I could see how the characters function in the group, I still was not sure where all of the blocking took place. It was not until the first dress rehearsal that I got to see everything together on bodies in the same space.

After the challenges of sourcing, altering, and fittings were over, it was time to move into costume technical rehearsals. A challenge that came toward the end of the process was refining the costume design due to surprises during the first dress rehearsal. I had to cut several pairs of earrings and adjust hairstyles due to feedback in the microphones. This is the first of my designs that this problem has come up. The movement and sparkle of the earrings were important to me; however, it became more important for the sound to be clear.

Another issue is the way the costumes looked under the lighting. I either misunderstood, or the information was not clearly conveyed, but I was surprised by how dark the lighting was in some scenes and how saturated the color pink light was in various scenes. These lighting decisions made the Greek chorus costumes, which were white, fade into the background. The actors were performing in front of a cyclorama, used as a lighting backdrop, so all of the little details of the dresses were invisible.

Since the Greek chorus costumes are seen for a large portion of the show, and they are Elle’s sorority sisters that physically materialize from her imagination, the costumes had to be eye catching and sparkly. Before the next dress rehearsal, the costume studio team added bold, glittery trim so that whenever the Greek chorus moved, they 43 would catch the light. These issues were not serious, but the first time I saw them on stage I thought the whole thing was a disaster. I questioned all of my choices, and I felt like I made a huge mistake. Even with the alterations seen in the photo below, some of the details were hard to see.

Production Photograph 3: Act 1, Scene 6, “Positive”, Ensemble

In the professional shot taken at photo call, the light board operator faded out the pink, which created the look I had expected to be see. The cooler front light highlights the contrast between the white dresses and gold accents.

Production Photograph 4. Act 1, Scene 6, “Positive”, Ensemble

In an attempt to be innovative with my costume design for the show, I designed a light up bra for the character Paulette as a gag joke. Within the design process, the production team tossed around different ideas of costume pieces that could be illuminated with LED lights. Originally I designed the band uniforms to have LED style lines, so that the band could appear in the dark with just the outline of their costumes visible on stage.

As the production team shifted their ideas of what that scene would look like, I came up with the idea to light up Paulette’s bra when she learns that Kyle’s middle name is

Brandon. That is the magical moment when she realizes that Kyle fits her romantic dream of dating a man from Ireland. Upon that realization, the lights in the bra would flash in the shape of a shamrock on each cup of the bra to start a full chorus “river dance” like number.

Initially, the plan was that the lighting studio would take care of the lighting part of the bra, and all I would need to do is fit the bra to the actress. Due to backups in the

45 lighting studio, I took over sewing the LED tape into the shamrock forms on the bra.

Keeping the tape in the specific shape of a shamrock was very difficult while stitching it, so I used gaff tape to set the LED tape into the shamrock shape and then mark on the bra where all the points hit with chalk pencil. After two hours, I successfully sewed the LED tape to the bra. However, I did not realize that LED tape has a breaking point, and the shape I had molded rendered the tape ineffective. That meant that I needed to start over.

This was one day before first dress. The lighting designer Kelsey Gallagher offered to take the bra back, but ultimately it was re-stitched by OSU’s resident lighting designer Mary Tarantino and OSU’s resident costume designer Kristine Kearney during first dress. The LED tape broke once more while Tarantino was working on it individually, so there was only enough tape for one more attempt.

After the bra was complete, it had to remain on a mannequin until the actress put it on for the scene. Everyone in the cast and crew was instructed not to touch it, as the wiring was very delicate. Although there were some daily struggles getting the receptor in the bra to connect to the light board, it functioned great during the run of the show. The joke played out well, and it was unexpected and invisible until turned on underneath the actresses’ shirt. The payoff was worth all of the struggles.

Besides the lighting, there were also challenges with quick changes during the technical rehearsals. Because Elle had eight costume changes and she was in every scene,

Tran Guyun was constantly changing costumes. During first dress, it was brought to my attention that two of the pairs of shoes were a problem for Tran Guyun. The shoes caused blisters and all around discomfort. The day of second dress I ran off and bought her a pair 46 of nude character shoes to wear with her proposal dress. Even though I would have preferred for her to have pink shoes, I did not want to take a chance with commercial shoes. As the proposal dress was light pink anyway, the nude character shoes blended well with the rest of her costume.

The other shoes that were changed were for the “Final Trial Dress.” Because the change was so quick from the first trial dress to the final trial dress, that change of the shoes was difficult to do quickly. Inevitably, I decided to keep Tran Guyun in the navy shoes from the first trial look. The navy shoes were character shoes, so they were comfortable for Tran Guyun. I justified the shoes within the design by having Elle’s color story show the blend of her life at UCLA and Harvard.

Without my assistant costume designer, Jensen Glick, stepping in to choreograph the quick changes, I would have had to cut more pieces from Elle’s costumes. Because of the intricacy of all the moving scenic pieces and lights, the first costume dress rehearsal was moved back one day. This change shortened the wardrobe team’s time to work on the quick changes. It also caused pressure and stress on Tran Guyun because during act one she is constantly changing costumes, as the scenes change locations very quickly.

Glick was able to step in during the tech table meetings to coach and drill the changes so that they ran smoothly. In the end I only cut a pair of stockings and socks. The confidence Glick instilled in the team was indispensable.

Until the production opened, I constantly tweaked the costumes. It was hard to put the process to rest, but as the show opened, it was no longer in my hands. I was not going to go to opening night. Following night after night of runs, I thought I had seen it enough 47 times. However, I was eager to see how a fresh crowd would react to the show. It was a great satisfying choice that I made. I took out my designer eyes and simply enjoyed the show fueled by the reactions of the people around me. These positive reactions helped me put the show to rest, and move forward and away from it.

Chapter 5. Evaluation

Even after completing the design and technical rehearsal process for Legally

Blonde the Musical and attending two performances, it was difficult for me to be objective about the design. All the emotional baggage from the process still haunted me for months later. It was not until I sat down to write this thesis and analyzed the performance photographs, next to the fitting photos, next to the renderings, next to the research that I could see the shorthand of the long-term process.

This analysis took the feelings out and allowed me to see my direct path from concept to performance. Some of costumes were almost identical to the renderings, while others went through a bit of a transformation. The costumes that had to evolve evolved for the better, while other costumes never quite lived up to my expectations.

One of my disappointments was the blandness of the ensembles’ costumes. While assembling the costumes for each actor, I thought they all fit into my design concept. For the sorority girls, they all wore a mixture of bright, flower prints and pastels just as I had intended. However, the vibrancy from the fittings did not translate to the stage. It was not every costume piece that dulled in color, but it was the totality of the picture that fell flat.

I should have chosen all vibrant tones, and not settled on a mixture. The colors that were not practically neon in shade, faded into the background.

Fitting Photograph 5. Delta Nu Girls

With the intensity of the pink front light against the pink set, the girls did not pop out as much as I would have liked. The most successful colors on stage were deep turquoise, bright yellow, and deep coral. In other scenes the bright blue tones helped to energize the look. Because the lighting made the costumes look a little flat, they worked against the heightened reality concept. I should have suggested a lighting demonstration earlier in the

50 production process, but since I was in constant conversation with the lighting designer about the costumes and lighting, I did not think it was necessary.

Production Photograph 5. Act 1, Scene 1, “Daughters of Delta Nu”, Ensemble

Another disappointment was the ensembles costumes in the Harvard scenes, specifically the party scene. I tried to show the characters’ east coast wealth with texture and geometric pattern. However, against the cream back drop of the apartment, the costumes appeared very dull. I should have pushed the saturation in the costumes further.

The teal sweater, third from the left, pops against the pale wall. The myriad of shades of brown fall flat and from afar the texture is hard to detect. The design for the Harvard scenes would be more successful if the sweaters and jackets had been in fall jewel tones.

With this change, the sweaters would still follow my design concept and show a large enough contrast from the UCLA scenes.

Production Photograph 6. Act 1, Scene 8, Ensemble

The last time I saw the show, I went with my parents on the second performance weekend. All of my nitpicky disappointments faded away, as I listened to my parent’s enjoyment in the show. They, the average theatre goer, did not have any complaints about the costumes. Perhaps if the average person did not notice any flaws in the design, it was not too bad.

In the grand scheme of things, my design was good. The best of the design was seen in the musical numbers What You Want and Positive. These two numbers are a couple of the most theatrical scenes, and the ones I paid the most attention to.

For these scenes, I rendered all the characters in a group and specifically created a different look per character. Every piece for these two scenes were entirely purchased or built custom for the actors, so there was a cohesive sheen to the scene. Because I had budgeted a larger amount for these scenes, I had greater control of the outcome.

I would not say that the ensembles’ costumes were an afterthought, but I did think most were good enough, rather than perfect. Internally I know that the ensemble functions, in a way, like scenery. They are set dressing used to further the story. 52

However, when I think of great ensemble shows, like the revival tour of Anything Goes

(costume design by Martin Pakledinez), I think about how during the big chorus numbers my eyes would dart around the stage looking from actor to actor and from costume to costume. The stage was filled with visual interest. That is what I had hoped to do for

Legally Blonde. I wanted each character to shine in their own unique way with their own unique style. While I did accomplish this, I wish the costumes were more consistent and playful.

The Columbus Dispatch wrote one sentence on the scenography:

Julianne Nogar’s costumes, popping with color and detail, heightened the

already fizzy mood and visually emphasized Elle’s changing character,

while Cassie Lentz’s well-designed sets allowed for magically quick scene

changes. While finding all the fun in the material, this production treats its

central character and her convoluted journey to self-knowledge with

respect. Beneath the sitcom and satire is a character too insistently real to

be reduced to caricature. (Quamme)

Even though our hard work was reduced to a sentence, it clearly states that we had accomplished our goal. As it is less common for the Columbus Dispatch to write about the scenography, this mention was enough for me. I do not need the Dispatch’s praise to validate my work, but it is nice to have an outside opinion

No design will ever leave me perfectly satisfied, but I think of this project as a huge accomplishment. I fought though many obstacles during the design and production process, and I made it through to the end. I put more costumes on more actors than I had

53 ever done previously. It was certainly a battle, but my fellow designers and I gave everything we had.

Bibliography

Betsey Johnson Spring 2001 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show. (2015, August 08). Retrieved from

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2001-ready-to-wear/betsey- johnson

OKeefe, Laurence, et al. Legally Blonde: the Musical. Publisher Unidentified, 2010.

History. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mtishows.com/show-history/1697

Quamme, Margaret, and Margaret Quamme. “Theater Review | Legally Blonde: Production Finds Fun in Material, without Sacrificing Truthfulness.” The Columbus Dispatch, The Columbus Dispatch, 9 Nov. 2018, www.dispatch.com/entertainmentlife/20181109/theater-review--legally-blonde- production-finds-fun-in-material-without-sacrificing-truthfulness.

Appendix A. Director’s Concept

Legally Blonde: The Musical Director Concept Mandy Fox

“To thine own self be true.” ~ William Shakespeare

Elle Woods appears to have it all. Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend Warner dumps her so he can attend Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, Elle ingeniously charms her way into the prestigious law school. While there, she struggles with peers, professors and her ex. With the support of some new friends, though, Elle quickly realizes her potential and sets out to prove herself to the world (www.mtishows.com).

Dear Collaborators,

Legally Blonde is about being true to who you are, making choices that are in alignment with that, and allowing others to do the same.

Throughout the play, Elle wrestles with repeating old patterns and shaking off the mistakes of the past. Throughout our story, Elle must ask herself:

• What relationships should I “feed” and which should I “let starve”? • What treatment do I accept for myself? • What does real love look and feel like? • What messages am I sending with my appearance and am I responsible for how someone might interpret that information? • How do I deal with adversity? • How do I deal with unwanted sexual advances from my boss (#metoo)? • What choices are in alignment with my true self?

With nearly a year before we begin rehearsals, I look forward to examining the issues surrounding this script and working with you all to bring our story to life. To get the ball rolling, below is a beginning-list of our production needs.

Looking forward to working with you! Mandy

Casting: • The script suggests eleven speaking roles with a large ensemble that plays Delta Nu’s, students, a Greek chorus, the defense team, salon folks, parade folks, et cetera. I estimate the ensemble to be around 10-15 people, but that will depend on audition turn-out.

Appendix B. Review

58 Theater review | Legally Blonde: Production finds fun in material, without sacrificing truthfulness

By Margaret Quamme Posted Nov 9, 2018 at 5:36 AMUpdated Nov 9, 2018 at 5:36 AM

The vibrant production of “Legally Blonde” by the Ohio State University’s Department of Theatre bounces with nimble energy between cartoonish excess and sincerity, flavoring even its silliest moments with a touch of emotional truth.

Under Mandy Fox’s sparkling direction, the high-spirited musical, based on the hit 2001 movie, follows determined sorority sister Elle Woods (Cindy Tran Nguyen) as she makes her way from Malibu to Harvard Law School in pursuit of caddish former boyfriend Warner (Jeremy Klein), who has dumped her in favor of conniving preppy Vivienne (Laura Falb).

With the encouragement of supportive Emmett (Dana Morey), Elle discovers a hidden aptitude for law, and wins the admiration – and then the unwanted advances – of despicable Professor Callahan (Dominic Fleshman), before proving herself in a high-profile case involving popular exercise instructor (Abby Guyon).

For “Legally Blonde” to avoid being simply fluff, it needs an Elle with some steel in her backbone and a vulnerable heart. This production finds that in Tran Nguyen. Her Elle, fierce even when she hasn’t quite figured out what she is feeling or doing, can be a comic force of nature one minute and a quiet heartbreaker the next.

While Elle is clearly the center of the piece, the catchy musical also cannily gives other characters a chance to shine. Fleshman wrings all of the oily charm out of “Blood in the Water,” and as hairdresser Paulette, Shelby Martell finds the humor and pathos in an over-the-top tribute to “Ireland.”

Morey makes an appealingly low-key Emmett and Klein an amusingly narcissistic Warner, while Ben Teitelbaum captured the audience’s attention at Thursday’s opening night performance with his softcore fantasy version of a hunky UPS guy.

A large and versatile supporting cast transitioned swiftly through a variety of roles, and amped up the already strong energy of Paige St. John and Shellee Younkin’s hip-hop-flavored choreography. A peppy six-piece band was supplemented by three on-stage marching band drummers.

Julianne Nogar’s costumes, popping with color and detail, heightened the already fizzy mood and visually emphasized Elle’s changing character, while Cassie Lentz’s well-designed sets allowed for magically quick scene changes.

59 While finding all the fun in the material, this production treats its central character and her convoluted journey to self-knowledge with respect. Beneath the sitcom and satire is a character too insistently real to be reduced to caricature

60 Appendix C. Tables

61 Table 1: Costume Plot/Scene Breakdown Legally Blonde the Musical The Ohio State University Heather Hach Final 11.1.18 Setting: UCLA/Harvard Law School Mandy Fox Time: 2001 Julianne Nogar

62 Scene Character Costume Piece Act 1 Scene 1 Joelle Smith Margot Blue hater top yellow Pants Sandals blue flower earrings pink beaded necklace

Monica Serena cheerleader top cheerleader skirt UCLA jacket socks keds blue sparkle bow

Alison Pilar delta nu tank top denim button down skirt chain belt blue jelly shoes

Taylor Gaelen Coral dress bronze sandals bracelet necklace

Ashley Kate Capri pants purple halter top gold shrug Gingham shoes Glasses gold earrings

Sarina Leilani Blue floral dress Teal cardigan white canvas shoes purple scrunchies White hoop earrings orange necklace

Jessie Kristine Purple button down shirt Pink floral skirt necklace teal shoes bracelet

Jacinda Gabby Purple shirt green floral skirt green canvas shoes

63 brown waist belt green and yellow necklace Multi color bracelets bronze hoop earrings

Joci Shandi variation

Elle Transformation dress white scarf pink heels silver bangles tiffany heart necklace

Ronda Saleswoman grey pants brown wig red blouse black heels

Angela Sales manager Fusia floral shirt black pants navy cami black heels Gold necklace

Act 1 scene 2 Elle proposal dress(transformation dress) pink shoes white scarf white sequin purse

Jeremy Warner tan suit blue button down brown shoes belt watch

Henry Roving Violinist Tux pants Tux jacket Black shoes Tux shirt black socks Black cummerbund Black bow tie

Act 1 scene 3 Delta Nus Same as scene 1

Elle juicy couture track suit Delta Nu tee

64 Pink Toms

Act 1 Scene 4 Elle Same as before delta nus same as before

Ronda Elle's Mom Pink skirt light green blazer Pink floral top furry pink shoes gold necklace gold bracelet wig engagement ring gold earrings

Evan Elle's Dad green button down blue pants pastel sweater vest Brown shoes golf hat wedding band

swim shorts bright button down sandals bucket hat

Jajuan frat swim shorts bright button down sandals bucket hat

Harry frat blue floral swim shorts orange stiped shirt brown sandals

Alec frat swim shorts bright button down sandals bucket hat

Luke frat green shorts blue gingham button bow brown sandals blue bucket hat

Henry grandmaster chad Stiped boxers

65 sagged jeans Cheerios cap tattoo sleeves coral button down Striped and floral tank black studded belt silver belt brown sandals

David Winthrop khaki pants burgundy vest blue/red plaid button down blonde moustache belt Tie brown shoes

Jajuan Lowell khaki pants brown tweed jacket brown colored vest bow tie brown shoes belt orange button down shirt

Evan Pforzheimer

green striped shirt Khaki Pants Brown shoes Brown belt Red bow tie Brown tweed jacket

Allison Pilar Cheer Uniform White canvas shoes White socks Blue sparkle bow

Monica Serena Cheer uniform White Canvas shoes white socks Blue Sparkle bow

Joelle Margot Cheer Uniform White Canvas Shoes White socks Blue sparkle bow

Joci color guard 1 Color guard sparkle dress

66 white socks gold bow White canvas shoes

Jessie color guard 2 Color guard sparkle dress white socks gold bow White canvas shoes

Ashley color guard 3 Color guard sparkle dress white socks gold bow White canvas shoes

Jacinda color guard 4 Color guard sparkle dress white socks gold bow White canvas shoes

Taylor color guard 5 Color guard sparkle dress white socks gold bow White canvas shoes

Grace color guard 6 Color guard sparkle dress white socks gold bow White canvas shoes

Serena color guard 7 Color guard sparkle dress white socks gold bow White canvas shoes

Amelia bandie 1 White band jacket Royal blue pants black shoes black socks black furry hat black belt

Brooke bandie 2 White band jacket Royal Blue band pants black socks Black furry hat black shoes black belt

Cole bandie 3 White Band jacket Royal blue band pants socks furry black hat black shoes

Elle Royal/gold jacket Royal cheer skirt Royal Star boots band hat with pink plume baton gold gloves thigh high white socks

Harry Jet blue blue short sleeve shirt black shoes blue pants black belt grey tie head set black socks

Tony Cheer team Royal Athletic Pants Cheer top white canvas shoes white socks

Luke Cheer team Royal athletic Pants Cheer Top White Canvas Shoes white socks

Scene 1.5 Emmett grey pants Harvard Variations blue plaid button down Burgundy sweater black canvas shoes

aaron jeans burgundy/orange/ navy button down socks tan shoes white t-shirt

Padamadan navy sweater Khaki Pants yellow striped button down black socks

68 brown boat shoes Sunglasses

Enid camo pants Woman power t-shirt green jacket red plaid shoes white socks bandana headband

Elle pink newsy hat pink Harvard sweater vest pink shorts pink button down shirt tan suede boots

warner watch grey w/ blue stripe cardigan blue button down shirt khaki pants black shoes

Vivienne brown turtle neck shirt rust skirt metal circle necklace rust multi-color scarf watch tights black shoes headband

Ronda Whitney green pants rust long shirt cream sweater black shoes black socks headband

Callahan black pinstripe double breasted suit red tie dress shoes white button down

Emmett Same as before

Elle same as before

Warner same as before

Vivienne same as before

Act 1 Scene 6 Greek Chorus 1 Greek dress (Positive) (Margot) gold sandals (Joelle) gold bangles gold bangles

Greek chorus 2 Greek dress (Serena) sandals (Monica) gold bangles gold belt gold headband Gold bow

Greek chorus 3 Greek dress (Pilar) gold sandals (Allison gold snake necklace gold snake bracelets

Greek chorus 4 Greek dress (Serena) sandals gold scrunchies gold bangles

Greek chorus 5 Greek dress (Jacinda) bronze sandals large hoop earrings gold bangle 4 gold butterfly clips

Greek chorus 6 Greek Dress (Jessie) gold shoes gold necklace gold leaf comb

Greek Chorus 7 Greek Dress (Joci) Bronze sandal gold bangles

Greek Chorus 8 Greek Dress (Taylor) Bronze Sandals Gold necklace gold leaf headband

Greek Chorus 9 Greek dress

70 (Ashley) browns sandals gold necklace gold/silver hair cuffs

Act 1 scene 7 Elle Same as before (Ireland) Shelby Paulette Black sequin tank green patterned skirt zipper skirt multi-color animal leggings silver sparkle belt white grey flannel shirt gold heart earrings black/purple hair clip fancy bra purple boots

Laura Vivienne same as before

Jessie Kiki the colorist Black skirt Black belt Teal shirt black/clear heals Orange necklace

Serena Cashier Green velvet sweater Denim Skirt Purple belt brown boots white socks red/purple necklace Hair clip

Act 1 scene 8 Vivienne brown corduroy pants brown turtle neck green jacket metal circle necklace black shoes black socks black/white plaid headband

Rhonda Whitney rust top green pants black shoes black socks

Alec Aaron add corduroy jacket

Evan Evan yellow/blue plaid shirt khaki zip off pants socks brown shoes belt

Elle pink corset pink panties pink heart necklace Bunny Ears pink stockings pink glitter heels pink wrist cuffs

Enid remove jacket

Harry Harry brown pants plaid shirt blue argyle sweater vest socks black shoes

Angela Angela Blue, cowl neck sweater Khaki Pants Black Shoes Black socks

Jajuan Jajuan Khaki Pants yellow plaid shirt brown sweater brown belt brown shoes socks

David David brown pants purple button down cream sweater brown belt brown shoes socks

Grace Grace brown pants multicolored striped sweater yellow cami brown shoes

72 Henry Padamadan Khaki Pants white/grey striped shirt boat shoes leather jacket sunglasses Black belt

1.8a Emmett Harvard shirt navy sweat shirt blue plaid button down grey pants Black canvas shoes Brown Beanie

1.8b Elle pink Harvard tshirt white belt jeans Pink coat brown boots

Greek chorus girls samesies

Paulette leopard print ankle pants rouched cami long sweater purple boots green necklace hair clip

1.8c Warner add ski coat

Vivienne fur coat boots

white sleeveless turtleneck Black/fur coat Black/white plaid skirt Rust Beret Rust Scarf Black Boots Tights black/white plaid earrings

Emmett rebutton blue plaid shirt green jacket

73 Enid Bandana Headband Teal peace corp t-shirt Plaid button down Khaki pants Black boats Watch button down shirt

Whitney Add plaid coat

Aaron same

Jajuan same

Greek chorus Same

Elle add puffy paw print vest 1.9 Paulette add fur coat denim purse

Dewey white greasy tank sagged, ripped jeans Denim shirt work boots brown mullet wig leather vest

Aaron same

Callahan same

Vivienne same

warner same

Emmett same

Scene 11.1 Brooke orange jumpsuit blue sports bra blue athletic shorts socks

Grace red soffee shorts Navy sports bra White canvas shoes White socks

74 Joci Red sports bra blue soffee shorts white canvas shoes white socks

Tony royal athletic pants orange tank White athletic shoes white socks

Evan royal athletic pants red tank white canvas shoes white socks

Luke royal track pants orange tank White canvas shoes white socks

1.1a Jesse Orange jumpsuit orange hat white canvas shoes white socks

Grace Orange jumpsuit orange hat white canvas shoes white socks

Joci Orange jumpsuit orange hat white canvas shoes white socks

Jacinda Orange jumpsuit orange hat white canvas shoes white socks

Ashley Orange jumpsuit orange hat white canvas shoes white socks

Taylor Orange jumpsuit orange hat white canvas shoes white socks

Tony Orange jumpsuit Orange hat with ponytail white canvas shoes white socks

Evan Orange jumpsuit orange hat with ponytail white canvas shoes white socks

Luke Orange jumpsuit orange hat with ponytail white canvas shoes white socks

Callahan same vivienne black pencil skirt black blazer white/black blouse black tights pearl necklace pearl bracelet black heels

Warner black suit blue/red stipe button down black shoes black socks

Enid pants green striped blouse black boots black socks aaron Same

navy skirt suit Elle White blouse necklace black pumps

Prison Guard black pants Blue "Hill" button down belt black shoes

76 Emmett corduroy jacket button down shirt tie pleated khaki pants brown shoes

11.1D Elle Same

Emmett sleek grey suit back shoes blue plaid button down tie

H & H Salesgirl cobalt blazer blue button down blue skirt blue neck kerchief Blue shoes

Perfume Girl 2 cobalt blazer Perfume girl 2 Blue button down blue pencil skirt Blue neck kerchief Blue shoes

Jajuan H&H Salesman blue suit blue button down grey tie brown shoes brown socks

Paulette Purple sequin top green pattern skirt green tights Black Boots Fancy Bra

Kyle Ups brown shirt brown short shorts socks work boots

Elle Same

Act 2 Scene 3 Greek Chorus Same

77 Kiki the Colorist Green tank top pink/black skirt black belt accessories Black/clear shoes

Bookish Client Yellow Button Down Green sweater Brown skirt Cat socks Flower Earrings

Callahan Same

Enid Same

Emmett Same

TV Reporter Khaki pants blue stiped button down Blue polka dot tie

D.A Joyce Riley Black skirt shiny purple shirt black heals gold/pearl long necklace Watches

Kyle brown ups shirt brown shoes brown shorts brown socks

Act 2 Scene 4 Nikos Pink striped shirt 11.4 Black/grey striped pants sparkly black blazer

Elle Same

Paulette Same

Warner waner

Vivienne warner

Brooke navy shirt dress Blue heels blonde wig

Judge Judge robe grey wig

Carlos black pants pink stiped shirt Sparkle belt black shoes black socks

Callahan Same

Warner Same

Elle Same

Enid Same

Vivienne Same

Aaron Same

Kyle Ups outfit

Henry Bailiff Brown Button down Black pants black belt back shoes

Act 2 Scene 5 1st skirt Paulette 1st boots new blouse new jacket tights

Elle Pink trench coat pink trial dress Sparkle necklace scarf heels

Act 2 Scene 6 Vivienne same

Enid same

Kiki the Colorist green tank top pink/black skirt black belt blackshoes

Serena Gold Bra Top gold booty shorts brown skirt pink Sporty Shirt pink bow Jewelry White Canvas Shoes Jewelry

Margot Plaid Shirt Hot pink skirt Gold shoes Yellow star earrings

Pilar Gold Panties Gold Bra Pink argyle Sweater Blue Leather Skirt Blue Shoes Green necklace Green Earrings Green bracelet

Elle Pink trench coat pink suede shoes Ombre pink dress pink scarf sparkle necklace

Act 2 Scene 7 add graduation gowns for Elle, Vivienne, Aaron, Padamadon Grace, Harry, Enid,

80 Table 2: Character Breakdown The Ohio State University Legally Blonde the Musical Final 11.1.1 Heather Hach Mandy Fox Setting: UCLA/Harvard Law School Julianne Nogar Time: 2001

Character: Elle Woods Actor: Cindy Trannguyen Piece List

1.1A pg.5-12 (Omigod You Guys, Serious) Transformation dress Pink Shoes white Bag Heart necklace, White scarf

1.3 Pg. 13-21 (What You Want Part 1) Juicy Couture Track Suit Delta Nu Crop Top Pink Athletic Shoes

1.4A Pg. 21-26 (What you Want Part 2) Majorette Uniform (Top and Skirt) Thigh High Socks Blue Sparkle Boots Majorette Hat Gloves Baton Royal booty shorts

1.5-1.7 Pg.26-47 (Harvard Vibrations-Ireland) Hot pink button Down Pink sweater Vest Pink Tweed Shorts Pink Argyle Socks Boots Pink Bag Pink tweed hat

1.8 pg. 48 -58 (Serious Part II and Chip Part 1)

Pink Corset Pink Panties Bunny Accessories (Cuffs, Choker, garter, and ears.)

1.8B pg.59-60 (Chip on my Shoulder Part 2) Jeans Harvard T-shirt White Belt Pink athletic Shoes

82 1.8C Pg.61-64 (Callahan’s Classroom) Add Jacket Pink Bag

1.9 Pg. 65-71 Get rid of Jacket Add Puffy Vest

11.1 Pg. 72-112 Navy Skirt Suit White Blouse Nude Hose Navy shoes

11.6 pg. 113-115 (Legally Blonde Remix) Pink Skirt Juicy Couture Sweatshirt Delta Nu Crop Top Pink Heels Pink Bag

11.6 A-B Pg.119-128 (Legally Blonde Remix) Pink ombre final trial dress

11.7B Graduation Gown Graduation Cap

83 Character: Vivienne Actor: Laura Falb Piece List

1.5A- 1.7 pg. 26-47 (Harvard Variations) Rust Skirt brown turtle neck Headband Black boots Tights Backpack Metal circle necklace Rust multi-color scarf watch Hair

1.8 pg. 48-52 (Party) Brown Corduroy pants Brown turtle neck Brown Shoes Green jacket Metal circle Necklace Black/white plaid headband watch

1.8C-1.9 pg.61-71 (Callahan’s Classroom 2) White sleeveless Turtle Neck Black/fur coat Black/white plaid skirt Rust Beret Rust Scarf Black Boots Tights Black/red plaid earrings Makeup 11.1-11.5A pg.72-112 Black skirt Black Blazer White/black Blouse Black Shoes Tights Earrings Watch Necklace

11.6-11.7A pg. 118-128 Add Pink Necklace

11.7A pg. 128 Add graduation Gown

84 Character: Warner Actor: Jeremy Klein Piece List

1.2 pg. 5-8 (Serious) Tan Suit Large Watch Brown Shoes Light Blue Button Down Sunglasses in Pocket Brown Belt Brown Socks

1.5 A pg. 65-71 (Harvard Variations) Khaki Pants Medium Blue button Down Grey Sweater This hair but Black shoes no facial hair Black belt Big watch

1.8 pg. 48 52 (Serious reprise) Lose Sweater

1.8 B-1.9 pg.59-71 Add Winter Coat

11.1a-11.7a Black Suit Blue/red stripped button down Black shoes Large watch

11.7B pg. 128- End Remove Blazer

1.8B pg.59- 60 (Chip on my Shoulder part 2) Purple sequin shirt Cheetah Pants Multi-color sweater Black boots Green necklace Black/purple clip Fancy Bra

85 Character: Emmett Actor: Dane Morey Piece List

1.1-1.6 pg. 26-42 (Harvard Variation) grey pants Burgundy sweater Blue plaid button down Black canvas shoes Socks watch

1.8 pg.48-60 (Chip on my Shoulder) Hair Remove sweater Add navy sweatshirt Unbutton blue plaid button down Brown Beanie Harvard shirt

1.9 pg. 65-71 Rebutton blue plaid button down

11.1 11.1 D pg. 72-84 (Trial look 1) Khaki Pants Brown belt Brown corduroy jacket Green pinstripe button down Tie Slip on brown shoes watch

11.2 pg.85-89 (H&H) Change in and out of Grey suit

11.4-11.5A pg. 98-112 (Trial outfit 2) Facial hair Grey Suit Lavender Button Down Grey tie Black Shoes Snazzy Briefcase

11.7-11.7B pg. 120-128 (Final trial bits to the end) Add Pink tie

86 Character: Paulette Actor: Shelby Martell Piece List 1.7 pg.43-47 (Ireland) Black sequin tank Green patterned skirt Multi-colored animal print leggings Silver belt White/grey flannel shirt Black/purple hair clip Gold Heart Earrings Fancy Bra Purple boots Leather bracelet 1.8B pg.59- 60 (Chip on my Shoulder part 2) Purple sequin shirt Cheetah Pants Multi-color sweater Black boots Green necklace Black/purple clip Fancy Bra

1.9 pg. 65-71 (Run Rufus Run) Cheetah Pants Black sequin tank top Purple Boots Fur Coat Black/purple clip Purple Cheetah scarf Fancy Bra Denim purse Green gem necklace 11.3 pg. 90-107 (The Bend and Snap) Purple sequin top Green pattern skirt Green tights Black Boots Fancy Bra

11.6 pg. 113-128 Shamrock Bra Green Tights Purple Boots Green plaid Skirt Snake Skin Shirt Black/purple hair clip Green necklace Green earrings

11.7B pg. 128- End Add Multi-color sweater 87 Character: Serena Actor: Monica Pedrozo Piece List

1.1-1.4A pg.1-26 Cheerleading top Cheerleading skirt White canvas Shoes Blue Sparkle Bow UCLA Sweatshirt Gold Bra Top Gold Booty Shorts

1.6-11.3 pg.36-98 Gold Bra Top Gold Booty shorts Greek Chorus Dress Gold Shoes Gold belt Gold Bow Gold Headband Gold/silver bangles

11.6-11.7B pg.113-128 Gold Bra Top Gold Booty Shorts Brown Skirt Pink Sporty Shirt White belt White Canvas Shoes

Character: Pilar Actor: Allison Elzinga Piece List

1.1-1.4 pg.1-21 Purple Skirt Pink Delta Nu Tank Chambray button down Blue jelly shoes Gold circle necklace Hoop Earrings Sunglasses Gold Bra Top Gold Booty Shorts Blonde ponytail

1.4A pg. 21-26 Cheerleading Skirt Cheerleading Top White Canvas Shoes Blue Sparkle Bow White Socks Gold Bra Top Gold Booty Shorts

1.6-11.3 pg.36-98 Gold Bra Gold Panties Gold shoes Greek Chorus Dress Gold Snake necklace Gold snake bracelet

11.6A-11.7B pg.116-131 Gold Panties Gold Bra Pink argyle Sweater Blue Leather Skirt Blue jelly Shoes Green necklace Green Earrings

Green bracelet

Character: Margot Actor: Joelle Smith Piece List

1.1-1.4 pg.1-21 Dragonfly halter Yellow pants Blue shoes Blue flower earrings Pink necklace Blue bracelets Brown ponytail

1.4A pg.21-26 Cheerleading top Cheerleading skirt White canvas shoes White socks Gold bra top Gold Shorts

1.6-11.3 pg.36-98 Greek Chorus dress Gold bra top Gold Shorts Gold bangles Gold Shoes Gold leaf comb

11.6-11.7b pg.113-128 Plaid Shirt Hot pink skirt Gold shoes Yellow star earrings

Character: Shandi + Ensemble Actor: Joci Scott Piece List

1.1-1.4 pg.1-21 Coral necklace Coral Earrings Floral tank top Yellow skirt Lavender shoes Teal Cardigan

1.4A pg.21-26 White bra top White shorts White Canvas Shoes White socks Cheer team dress

1.6-1.8c pg.36-64 Greek Chorus Dress Sandals Gold circle necklace White bra top White shorts

11.1 pg.72.75 Red sports bra Royal soffee shorts White socks White Canvas Shoes

11.1a pg.75-76 Add orange Jumpsuit

11.3 pg.90-98 (Bookish Client) Yellow button down Green sweater Brown skirt Cat socks Flower Earrings

Character: Enid Actor: Malina Ransom Piece List

1.5-1.5A pg. 26-36 Bandana headband Camo pants Women’s power t-shirt Green jacket Plaid shoes Black socks

1.8 pg. 48-52 Remove jacket

1.8C pg. 61-64 Bandana Headband Teal peace corp t-shirt Plaid button down Khaki pants Black boots

11.1-11.7A pg. 72-128 Brown Pants Green stripe button down shirt Black boots

11.7B pg.128 Add graduation gown and cap

Character: Leilani/Various Actor: Serena Hyland Piece List

1.1-1.4 pg.1-21 (Leilani) Blue floral dress Blue Sweater White Canvas Shoes White socks White Earrings Coral necklace Purple scrunchies 1.4 pg. 21-26 (Cheer team) White Canvas Shoes Sparkle Cheer team dress White socks Gold bow

1.6 pg. 26-42 (Greek Chorus) Greek chorus dress Sandals Gold Scrunchies Gold necklace

1.7 pg.43-47 (Hair Affair Cashier) Green velvet sweater Denim Skirt Purple belt Brown boots White socks Red/purple necklace Hair Clip

1.8a-1.9 pg.52-71 (Greek Chorus) Green Chorus Dress Sandals Gold Scrunchies Gold necklace 11.2 85-89 (H&H Salesgirl) Blue button down Blue skirt Blue scarf Blue Shoes

11.3-11.7b 90-131 (Hair Affair Cashier) Hair clip Denim skirt Green floral shirt Sparkle belt Brown Boots White socks Purple Earrings 93

Character: Featured Dancer Actor: Grace Turner Piece List

1.4A pg.21-26 (Cheer team) Sparkle dress White canvas shoes White socks

1.8 pg.48-52 (Party Outfit) Brown pants Yellow cami Yellow striped sweater Black Penny Loafers

11.1 pg.72-75 (Exercise video) Navy Sports bra Red soffe shorts White socks White canvas shoes

11.1a pg.75-76 (Inmate) Orange Jumpsuit (pull on over Exercise video outfit)

11.6B pg. 116-119 (Irish Dance) Same costume from party Brown pants Yellow cami Yellow striped sweater Black penny loafers

11.7B pg.128-131 Add Graduation gown and cap

Character: Gaelan Actor: Taylor Litofsky Piece List

1.1-1.4 pg.1- 21 (Gaelan) Peach dress Bronze shoes Blue Necklace Multi colored bracelet

1.4A pg. 21-26 (Cheer team) Cheer team dress White socks White shoes Gold bow

1.6- 1.9 pg.36-71 (Greek Chorus) Greek chorus dress Bronze shoes Gold headband

11.1A pg.72 -75 (Inmate) Orange jumpsuit Orange hat White socks White canvas shoes

11.4 -11.7B pg.98-131 (Assistant DA) Black shoes Teal shirt Grey skirt Gold necklace

Character: Frat boy, Jet Blue Pilot, Party Goer, Window Guy, Irish Dancer, and Camera Man. Actor: Harry Cencer Piece List

1.4 pg.15-21 (Frat boy) Floral swim trunks Striped shirt

1.4A pg. 21-26 (Jet Blue Pilot) Blue Shirt with Wings Navy pants Black Shoes Black socks Glasses Headset Black belt

1.8 48-52 (Party Person) Khaki Pants Plaid shirt Sweater vest Black socks Black shoes

11.3-11.6B pg.90-119 Khaki Pants Plaid Shirt Black socks Black shoes

11.7-11.7A Add sweater vest

Character: Brooke Windom Actor: Abby Guyan Piece List

11.1-11.1c pg.72-80 (Whipped into Shape Orange Jumpsuit Blue sports bra White socks Blue athletic shoes Blonde Wig Nude underwear

11.4-11.7A (Trial) Blue dress Blue Shoes Blonde Wig Gold juicy couture Necklace Gold Bracelet Gold Earrings

Character: Kristine, Kiki the colorist, inmate, etc. Actor: Jessie Pollak Piece List

1.1-1.4 pg.1-21 (Kristine) Purple button down Pink floral skirt Teal canvas shoes White socks Necklace Hair Bracelets 1.4A pg.21-26 (Cheer team) Sequin Dress White socks White canvas shoes Gold bow Pom poms 1.6 pg.36-42 (Greek Chorus) White Greek chorus dress Gold shoes Gold leaf clip White dance shorts Makeup White dance bra

1.7 pg. 43-47 (Kiki) Black skirt Black belt Teal shirt Black/clear heals Orange necklace 1.8a-1.9 pg.52-71 (Greek chorus)

11.a pg.75-76 (Inmate) Orange hat Orange Jumpsuit White socks White Canvas shoes

11.3 pg.90-98 (Kiki 2) Green tank top Pink/black skirt Black belt Black/clear shoes

98 11.6 pg.113-115 (Kiki 2) Add white canvas shoes

Character: Kate/Chutney Actor: Ashley Linville Piece list

1.1-1.4 pg.1-21 (Kate) Purple Halter Purple Floral shorts Gold sequin shrug Green belt Black/white gingham shoes Gold earrings Earrings glasses hair 1.4a pg.21-26 (Cheer team) Sequin cheer dress White canvas shoes White socks Pom poms

1.6-1.9 pg. 52-71 (Greek Chorus) Greek Chorus dress Sandals White dance shorts White dance bra Gold necklace 2 bun hair cusp

11.1a pg.75-76 (Inmate) Orange jumpsuit Makeup Orange hat White socks White canvas shoes

11.7-11.7a pg.120-128 (Chutney) Black blazer Short black skirt Black heals Curly wig

1.7b pg.128-131 (Back to Kate???) Not sure there will be time for this, but it is in the break down plot. Chutney

Character: Elle’s Mom, Saleswoman, and Whitney Actor: Ronda Christie Piece List

1.1a pg.6-12 (Saleswoman) Red Blouse Grey pants Black shoes Gold Stretch Watch Gold necklace Brunette Wig

1.4 pg.15-21 (Elle’s Mom) MOM Blonde Wig Green jacket Floral shirt Pink skirt Pink fluffy shoes Matching gold necklace, ring, bracelet, and earrings Shaper

1.5A- 1.7 pg. 39-47 (Whitney) Cream sweater Long rust shirt Green pants Black shoes Headband Saleswoman watch

1.8 pg.48-52 (Whitney at party) Remove sweater

100 Whitney

1.8C- 1.9 pg.61-71 (Whitney after break) Add coat

11.6a-11.7B pg.116-131 (Mom part 2) Blonde Wig Floral top White tweed Skirt Black heels Pink clutch Big Pearl Earrings Big Pearl necklace Pearl bracelet

101 Character: Store manager, Party goer, Judge Actor: Angela Dicoco Piece list

1.1a pg.6-12 (Store Manager) Black Pants Navy Cami Fuchsia Floral shirt Black shoes Black socks Gold necklace

1.8 pg.48-52 (Party Goer) Blue, cowl neck sweater Khaki Pants Black shoes Black socks Gold dangle earrings

11.4-11.7a 98-128 (Judge) Judge robe Short, grey wig Black shoes Glasses

11.7B (Graduate) Graduation robe Graduation cap

102

Character: Roving Violinist, Grandmaster Chad, Padamadon, etc. Piece List

1.2 pg.9-12 (Violinist) Black tux White tux shirt Black bow tie Black cummerbund Black dress shoes 1.4 pg.15-21 (Grandmaster Chad) Striped boxers Sagged jeans Cheerios hat Tattoo sleeves Coral button down Striped and floral tank Black studded belt Silver belt Brown sandals

1.5-1.5a pg.26-36 (Padamadon) Khaki pants Yellow striped shirt Navy cardigan Black socks Brown boat shoes sunglasses

1.8 pg.48-52 (Padamadon Party) Remove Cardigan Add Leather Jacket

1.8C-1.9 pg.61-71 Add Navy cardigan

11.1B-11.1c pg.77-80 (Prison Guard) Blue “Hill” Button down Black pants Black belt Black shoes White Undershirt

11.4 Pg.98-107 (Bailiff) Brown button down Black pants Black belt Black shoes Black socks 11.7B pg.128-131 Add black graduation robe and cap 103 Character: Professor Callahan Actor: Dominic Fleshman Piece List

ALL SCENES Black/white pin stripe suit White button down shirt Black belt Black socks Black shiny shoes Red tie watch

104 Character: Nikos, Cheer team, exercise video person, and inmate Actor: Luke Lauterjung Piece List

1.4A pg. 21-26 (Cheer team) Royal exercise pants UCLA Cheer top White canvas shoes White socks

11.1 pg.72-75 (Exercise person) Royal exercise pants Orange tank top White canvas shoes White socks

11.1a pg.75-76 (Inmate) Orange jumpsuit Orange ponytail hat White canvas shoes White socks

11.4-11.7a pg.98-121 (Nikos) Black shiny shoes Pink stripe shirt Grey sparkle belt Black socks Black sparkle jacket

105 Character: Aaron and frat boy Actor: Alec Reusch Piece List

1.4 pg. 15-21 (Frat boy) Green shorts Blue gingham button down shirt Brown sandals Blue bucket hat

1.5-1.5a pg.26-36 Tan shoes Maroon/ orange button down Denim pants White undershirt Brown socks

1.8 pg. 48-52 Add brown jacket 1.8c-111.7B pg.61-131 Red/green plaid shirt Khaki pants Tan shoes Brown socks White t-shirt Brown jacket

Add graduation cap and gown

106

Character: Frat boy, Dewey, and Kyle Actor: Ben Teitelbaum Piece List

1.4 pg.15-21 (Frat boy) Purple, floral swim trunks Yellow tank top Towel Brown sandals

1.9 pg.65-71 (Dewey) Denim pants Denim shirt White tshirt

Work boots Leather vest Brown mullet

11.3-11.7b pg. 90-131 Brown UPS shirt Brown shorts Brown belt Brown socks Brown shoes White t-shirt

107

Character: Carlos, Cheerleader, exercise video, and inmate. Actor: Tony White Piece List

1.4A pg.21-26 (Cheer Team) White UCLA Top Royal athletic Pants White Canvas shoes White socks

11.1 pg. 72-75 (Exercise Video Person) Royal athletic pants Orange Tank White canvas shoes White socks 11.1a pg.75-76 (Inmate) Orange jumpsuit Orange ponytail hat White canvas shoes White socks 11.4-11.7a (Carlos) Black pants Sparkle belt Pink striped shirt Black shoes Black socks

108

Characters: Winthrop, party man, and Graduate Actor: David Scott Piece List

1.4a pg.21-26 (Winthrop) Blonde Moustache Blue/red plaid shirt Burgundy sweater vest Khaki Pants Brown shoes Burgundy striped Tie Brown socks White t-shirt

1.8-11.7A pg. 48-52 (Partier) Brown pants Cream colored cardigan Purple shirt Brown shoes Brown socks Brown belt

11.7b pg.128-131 Add Graduation cap and gown

109 Character: Frat Boy, Jet Blue Pilot, Harvard Partier, Cameraman, Graduate, etc. Actor: Harry Cencer

Piece List

1.4 pg.15-21 (Frat boy) Navy floral swim shorts Orange stiped shirts Brown sandals

1.4a pg.21-26 (Jet Blue Pilot) Blue short sleeve button down Black shoes Blue pants Black belt Grey tie Black socks headset

1.8 pg.48-52 (Harvard partier) Brown pants Plaid shirt Blue argyle sweater vest Black socks Black shoes Black belt

11.3-11.6b pg. 90-119 (Window guy, cameraman) White/brown plaid shirt Khaki pants Black socks Black shoes Black belt

11.7-11.7a pg.120-128 (Harvard Student) Add sweater vest to window guy look

11.7b pg. 128-131 (Graduate) Add graduation gown and cap

110 Character: Lowell, Harvard Student, H&H, stenographer, and graduate Actor: Jajuan Hopkins Piece List

1.4 pg.15-21 (Lowell) Khaki Pants Brown shoes Brown tweed jacket Brown vest Orange button down red plaid bowtie Brown socks

1.5a- 1.9 pg.29- 71 (Harvard Student) Khaki pants Brown shoes Yellow/blue plaid shirt Brown belt Brown sweater Brown socks

11.2-11.4 pg.85-107 (H&H) Blue suit Blue button down Grey/red tie Brown shoes Brown socks 11.4-11.7a (Stenographer) Remove jacket

11.7B pg.128-131(Graduate) Add cap and gown

111

Character: Dad, Pforzheimer, Party person, Exercise video, inmate, and Tv Reporter Actor: Evan Belsky Piece List

1.4 pg.15-21 (Dad) Green button down Pastel sweater vest Bright blue pants Brown socks Golf shoes Golf hat Wedding band

1.4a pg. 21-26 (Pforzheimer) Green striped shirt Khaki Pants Brown shoes Brown belt green bow tie Brown tweed jacket 1.8 pg.48-52 (Harvard Student) Blue and yellow plaid shirt (tucked in) Khaki zip off pants Brown shoes Brown belt Brown socks

11.1a 9g. 75-76 (Inmate) Orange jumpsuit Orange ponytail hat White canvas shoes White socks

11.1 pg. 72-75 (Exercise video) Red tank top Royal athletic pants White canvas shoes White socks

11.4 pg. 98-107 (Tv reporter) Khaki Pants (same a Pforzheimer) Blue striped button down Blue polka dot tie Brown shoes Brown socks

112

11.6-11.7B pg.116-131 (Dad look 2) Pink striped Button down Cream linen pants Brown socks Golf shoes Wedding band

113

Character: Gabby Actor: Jacinda Forbes Piece List

1.1-1.3 pg. 1-14 (Gabby) Purple shirt Green floral skirt Green shoes Brown fringe belt Multi-color bracelet Large metal earring Green and yellow necklace Glasses (Jacinda’s glasses) Star clips

1.4A pg. 21-26 (Cheer team) Sparkle dress White socks White canvas shoes

1.6-1.9 pg. 36-71 (Greek chorus) Greek chorus dress Bronze sandals Gold bangles Large metal earrings (Same from Gabby) Gold butterflies? This many clips 11.1a pg. 75-76 (Inmate) Orange jumpsuit Orange hat White socks White canvas shoes

11.2 pg.85-89 (H&H Sales girl) Blue button down Blue skirt Blue scarf Blue belt Blue shoes Pantyhose

Makeup 11.4-11.7a pg. 98-128 (D.A Joyce Riley) Gold hoops Gold necklace Black skirt Purple silk top Black shoes Watch

114 Character: Drummer Actor: Cole Knapland Piece list

Black socks Black shoes Royal blue pants White band jacket White tshirt

115 Appendix D. Plates

116

Plate 23. Elle’s Transformation Dress Rendering

117

Plate 24. Elle’s Majorette Rendering

118

Plate 25. Elle’s First Trial Look Rendering

119

Plate 26. Warner’s Harvard Look and Trial Suit Rendering

120

Plate 27. Vivienne’s Party Look and Trial Suit Rendering

121

Plate 28. Emmett’s Look 1 Rendering

122

Plate 29. Aaron, Enid, and Padamadon’s Rendering

123

Plate 30. UCLA Band and Cheer Team Rendering

124 Appendix E. Production Photos

125

Production Photograph 7. Act 1, Scene 1, “Omigod You Guys”, Ensemble

126

Production Photograph 8. Act 1, Scene 2, “Serious”, Warner and Elle

127

Production Photograph 9. Act 1, Scene 4, “What You Want Part 1”, Pilar, Elle, Margot, and Serena

128

Production Photograph 10. Act 1, Scene 4, “What You Want Part 1”, Elle’s Mom, Elle, Elle’s Dad

129

Production Photograph 11. Act 1, Scene 4, “What You Want Part 2”, Winthrop, Lowell, and Pforzheimer

130

Production Photograph 12. Act 1, Scene 5, “Blood in the Water”, Professor Callahan

131

Production Photograph 13. Act 1, Scene 9, “Chip on my Shoulder Part 1,” Elle

132

Production Photograph 14. Act 1, Scene 8, “Chip on my Shoulder Part 2”, Emmett

133

Production Photograph 15. Act 2, Scene 1, “Whipped Into Shape”, Brooke and Ensemble

134

Production Photograph 16. Act 2, Scene 2, “Take it Like a Man”, Elle and Emmett

135

Production Photograph 17. Act 2, Scene 3, “Bend and Snap”, Paulette 136

Production Photograph 18. Act 2, Scene 4, “Gay or European”, Ensemble

137

Production Photograph 19. Act 2, Scene 4, “Gay or European”, Carlos and Nikos

138