Doggy Dog Weekend

Legally Blonde's opening nights are right around the corner (do you have your tickets yet?) which means that the pieces of the show are really starting to come together. For this show, that means it's time to bring on the dogs.

Most people remember that Elle Woods' sidekick is her chihuahua Bruiser, who is played by Faith Pyle's dog Sara, above. However, there's another dog in the show who belongs to Elle's hairdresser, Paulette. In her first legal accomplishment as a law school student, Elle helps Paulette get custody of her dog Rufus.

The Random Farms Kids Theater has not one, not two, but three different dogs playing Rufus, including Stella, above, and Oliver, below.

So this past weekend, the actors got to meet the dogs, and the dogs got to meet each other.

Rufus in Cast D will be played by Bella.

Full disclosure: Bella's owner is yours truly, the resident Random Farms photographer and blogger. I don't have kids yet, but I officially became a "stage mom" this weekend when I bought a Legally Blonde cast t-shirt for my dog.  For the record, director Alexis Grausz took one look at Bella in her Random Farms apparel and declared it the moment that I officially lost my mind. This is probably true.

Bella meets Sara... Sara was an angel all weekend long, attending rehearsals for all four casts for hours at time. Bella totally barked and interrupted Noah Ruff, Cast D's Emmett, in the middle of a monologue. In her defense, a parent knocked on the studio door to deliver dinner for their child. Hopefully, no one will knock on any doors or deliver any pizzas backstage during the show.

We also did a quick shoot with each of the three Rufuses with all four Paulettes, including Cast C's Eliza Benfer with her dog Oliver. Keep an eye out for this photo to appear somewhere in the show!

The truth is, the addition of live animals to the production really requires all four casts to bring a whole new set of skills to the stage.  As always, Random Farms' young actors have risen to the challenge. The dogs add a layer of unpredictability to the action on stage, and the cast is learning to adjust on the fly while staying in character. Frankly, it's pretty impressive. I can't wait to see this show, and I can't wait for you all to see it, too.