Superintendent postpones HS production of 'Legally Blonde' over inappropriate content
Photo: SKYE POURNAZARI/THE FORUM
Today, November 19th, students at Maryville High School in Maryville, MO were supposed to continue the weekend run of their Fall musical, Legally Blonde. However, just one day before they were set to open, school administrators stepped in to postpone the show over content which one of them thought was inappropriate.
The issue began after the production was shown to students during a Wednesday morning assembly. That event was attended by Maryville Superintendent Becky Albrecht. While it’s unknown if the entire show was presented for students or just parts of it, whatever was performed was deemed inappropriate by Albrecht and after a quick meeting of the region’s school board, the production has been postponed.
Albrecht told local news that:
During the showing held for students late Wednesday morning, she noted material that she wouldn’t “expect to see (or) feel is appropriate for the classroom — the language and some of the innuendo and things would not be appropriate classroom material — so I don’t think therefore it is appropriate for the extension of the classroom.”
She did not provide or describe a specific problem with the production’s content.
The musical is based on the popular film which is rated PG-13. However, there is a licensable “Jr” version of the show which is available for schools where much of the potentially offensive material has been either removed or altered. It does not appear from the school’s advertising of the production that Maryville was going to perform the “Jr” version. There are reports that the issue surrounded the song “Gay Or European?” which is not listed in the “Jr” version.
Students involved in the show were notified Wednesday night of the postponement. Obviously, they were devastated at the news. I spoke to one parent who told me their child hasn’t stopped crying since the announcement came. “She doesn’t even want to go back to that school,” they told me.
Another parent told me that they were upset that the decision was based on one person’s opinion and that Albrecht had the entire semester to review the script but didn’t until she saw the performance Wednesday morning.
“They waited all this time and then decided to pull the rug from underneath the students,” they told me. “This is Albrecht’s last attempt to cement her legacy before she walks out the door.”
Albrecht has previously announced she will be retiring at the end of the school year.
My take:
I feel awful for the students at Maryville High School. As a high school thespian myself, I am fully aware of the work, effort, and excitement that surrounds a school musical and I can’t begin to imagine the shock and pain of having that show canceled at the last moment for things out of your control. Despite what adults in the room might say, it’s unfair and unforgiving.
We can debate whether or not the full production of Legally Blonde is appropriate for a high school production. But that’s why I always endorse schools choosing the “Jr” versions of material to avoid these issues.
What I do not want to happen is for school administrations to take matters into their own hands and edit the material themselves. They would be a violation of the licensing agreements and if Maryville administrators try to do that, someone should report that to the rights holders, Music Theatre International, immediately.
I also hate that this had to happen a day before the show was set to open. If a decision like this was to be made, it should have been made before the show was even cast. What Albrecht has done is nothing short of traumatizing and is incredibly irresponsible. There were a dozen of other options that could be been implemented a dozen different times but this is a failure on every level and only the students are the ones who are being punished.
I am hoping, if possible, that a local theatre will open their doors and allow this production to be performed the way it was written and rehearsed by these students.