Cast and Crew of STA’s Legally Blonde Get a Visit from Broadway
Posted on 03/11/2023
The St. Thomas Aquinas High School Little Theater was paid a big visit by Broadway star Haven Burton on March 9. The Broadway and Hollywood actress has starred in productions ranging from Shrek the Musical to Rent to Kinky Boots, but it was her roles in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde: The Musical that brought her to STA, which is currently in rehearsals for a March 24 debut of the same show.

During her afternoon at STA, Haven met with the entire cast and crew of Legally Blonde and graciously answered an outpouring of questions from the intrigued actors, actresses, and crew members. Questions ranging from, “what is your pre-show ritual?” to “what advice do you have for first-time actors?” to “how do you get yourself into the mindset of each of your characters?” were answered by Haven with detail and enthusiasm that showed students her passion for the performing arts and her willingness to share it with them.

The cast and crew were able to leave the day having met a Broadway star but, more importantly, with stellar advice that ranged from practical to poignant. Haven left students with so much “how-to” advice taken from her own life experiences: how to get through an audition process, how to maintain the energy night-after-night, how to stay true to oneself, how to forge through rejection, and more. She also revealed some deep insights into what it’s like to be a woman and a mother in the acting profession and gave a look into her upcoming role in a show that tells the story of high school students on the autism spectrum as they learn what it takes to throw a spring formal.

“Meeting Haven was such a wonderful and unique experience. It was wonderful to talk to her about my character and the show itself. She gave such great advice about playing Elle and performing in general,” said Legally Blonde lead Abby Bera ’23.

The day concluded with Haven taking a seat among the audience as she was treated to several scenes from the STA Drama Department’s soon-to-debut production of the show that she herself once starred in: Legally Blonde. 

“Omigod, you guys,” Haven said, a callback to one of the songs in the show, “You were so good! You literally took my breath away!” It was the ultimate compliment for STA’s extraordinarily talented performers, crew members, and adult production team, coming from a Broadway star.

Tickets are on sale now for the general public to see St. Thomas Aquinas High School’s production of Legally Blonde, which runs six nights only starting on March 24. Download an order form at stahs.net/tickets and you’ll see what makes this production “So Much Better” than you can imagine!

Haven Burton with Legally Blonde cast members