Legally Blonde the Musical

It’s natural as human beings for us to be inspired by one thing or another, and ironically for Jennifer Stirk it was the very show she’s just been cast in. “I actually saw Legally Blonde on Broadway about 10 years ago and I just fell in love with it. I knew the movie but the music was just amazing and the lead performer Laura Bell Bundy was probably one of my biggest role models in the performing arts industry,” she says.
“So it’s been a big part of me wanting to be a part of Legally Blonde when it came to Geelong – I had to have a go at it.”
A couple of auditions later and Jennifer landed the role of Paulette Bonafonte, the softly spoken “trailer-trash” beautician who Elle Woods befriends and one of Jennifer’s favourite characters. Though there’s a slight difference between the Paulette we know played by Jennifer Coolidge in the film and the persona her character takes on stage.
“The movie version of Paulette is quite a shy woman with low self-esteem who is a bit of a dag really. The Paulette in the musical is so brash and sassy and she’s just had such a hard life being treated so badly by her partners but she’s still got that sassy beautiful nature about her. She loves fashion, beauty and make up and, for me, she’s basically the Elle on the wrong side of the tracks. So Elle is what she would have wanted to be had she had those opportunities when she was younger,” she says.
Talking with Jennifer I can hear the energy she exudes through every answer, and it’s only natural for the director to cast her in such a role as Paulette’s. Though Jennifer shares a bit more in common with her character than just her bubbly nature.
“Honestly I’ve had my fair share of bad relationships, horror horror relationships like Paulette and I’ve always been very romantic,” Jennifer adds with a laugh.
“I have my own dress style, I like to be unique and change my hair colour all the time, which is what Paulette’s like as well. So I guess in those sets of things I’m quite similar.”
While Jennifer may take a fancy to changing her hair, she’s recently gone from pink to purple and back to her natural shade of strawberry blonde, she takes a greater love in playing the comedic role.
“I like doing a lot of the comedic sort of roles, I find that they’re a lot more enjoyable. Especially during the performances because people love comedy, you can’t really go wrong with that,” Jennifer says.
Also recently performing at the Comedy Festival in the sold out season for Live and Let Spy, there’s bound to be some laughs at Jennifer’s take on Paulette, how could there not when there’s even a bend n’ snap song for fans of the movie.
When & Where: Geelong Performing Arts Centre – May 1-9
Written by Amanda Sherring