On a hot and humid June evening near Barton Springs Pool, a piano and tight vocal harmonies resonate through the air. Head up the hill, turn the corner, and find the company of Zilker Park’s 65th annual summer musical, Legally Blonde the Musical, in the middle of one of its first rehearsals at the park’s Hillside Theater.
A shroud of picnic blankets and beach umbrellas cover the lawn in front of the stage, while the creative team rushes about preparing for the night’s rehearsal. Some cast members don sunglasses and hats to protect themselves from the overbearing sun.
Stagehands ready the bare stage with a partially completed set for the rehearsal to start promptly at 7pm. The show’s director, Jason Kruger, calls the actors into place for the top of “Whipped Into Shape,” a fiery number highlighting the ensemble’s jump-roping skills. As Kylie Brunngraber – who plays Brooke Wyndam, Elle’s client convicted of murder – gets into position on the black stage floor, the effect of the sun’s heat becomes apparent.
“Don’t sit down,” Kruger warns Brunngraber. “It’s too hot.”
The cast spent the last three weeks at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School preparing the show for the move outside. Entering their fourth week of rehearsal on June 24, the company has slowly added more final-production elements to their rehearsals.
“We wanted to make it feel modern,” Kruger says of his vision for the show. “There were so many things that felt dated: references, things like that. But what’s universal is the message about being true to who you are. What I think is beautiful is that the story really is about this young woman discovering who she is and that she’s more than the stereotype that people think she is.”
The show’s message resonated with Kruger as a father of college-age daughters. He and the rest of the creative team met as early as last fall, making thematic choices that trickle through to all the production’s elements.
“We had a lot of discussions about the color pink,” Kruger says. “That’s the beauty of theatre, though. An audience isn’t going to go, ‘Oh, I saw how you progressed pink!’ But what they will understand is there’s subtle progressions and changes that help create a bit of a unified vision with all of the elements.”
The show’s star pitcher, Megan Hudson as Elle Woods, aspired to be on the Zilker stage as a young girl. She will add Legally Blonde as her third production in Zilker Park, following Shrek and The Little Mermaid. “When I got the call for Shrek, I was over the moon,” Hudson said. “I loved being part of this years prior. Why wouldn’t I audition for it again? It’s such a special community.”
That community extends beyond the stage, Zilker Theatre Productions Executive Director David Ponton said, as the company aims to make quality theatre as accessible as possible.
“We don’t charge tickets for any show that we do,” Ponton said. “But this year, in the spirit of inclusivity, we’ve added Thursday night sensory inclusive performances.”
Zilker Theatre Productions is partnering with ACES, an advocacy group for neurodivergent communities, which will provide sensory toys and fidget tools for audience members in need.
Beyond the show’s accessibility, Legally Blonde has the opportunity to introduce people to a six-and-a-half-decade-long Austin tradition and the city’s thriving arts scene. “There are going to be some small children [who are] going to see a musical for the first time because it’s accessible,” Kruger says. “I hope people will come and see the show because we want audiences, but more importantly, I’m doing it for those people [who] don’t get to see theatre.”
Legally Blonde the Musical
July 12-Aug. 17, Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theater
This article appears in July 12 • 2024.