Bundaberg teenager Brigette McMahon has gone blonde, Legally Blonde, as she plays the lead in Bundaberg Players' sold-out production of Legally Blonde Jnr, the musical.
It’s the second production the 15-year-old has starred in and the second time she's had the leading role.
Her first was playing Ariel in The Little Mermaid five years ago when she was a St Patrick's Catholic School student.
For those not familiar with the plot of Legally Blonde, Brigette said it's very similar to the 2001 Hollywood blockbuster starring Reese Witherspoon, but the stage production was also a musical.
“It’s my first production with the Playhouse and everyone has been so welcoming and inclusive,” Brigette said.
“It’s really boosted my confidence to say the least. I’ve always been a confident person, but I was so nervous about singing in front of people at the start and now I’m not.
“It’s really a big accomplishment for me.”
Brigette said the Legally Blonde musical was similar to the film, where Elle Woods with her lush blonde hair has it all; she’s a sorority girl who attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend by getting a law degree.
But with “naturally brunette hair, tanned skins and dark eyebrows” Brigette said she will be wearing a blonde wig to fit the part as she takes to the stage for the first show tonight.
“Some people said I may look very different as a blonde but I’m used to it now,” she said.
“And I am used to having a Chihuahua in a handbag as I move around the stage too.”
With the confidence boost from her acting mentors and friends under her wig, Brigette is ready to step out on to the Playhouse stage and sing her heart out.
“I don’t really have a favourite scene, they are all so different, but I do enjoy the Bend and Snap,” she said.
“I’ve just had so much support from my friends, most of whom are also in the show, and my teachers at Shalom too.”
The Year 10 student said once she finishes high school she's hoping to pursue a career in the acting and entertainment industry.
The performance opens tonight (20 June 2019) and closes on 22 June. The shows are sold out.
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