MOORHEAD — When Moorhead High School theater director Rebecca Meyer-Larson booked
“Legally Blonde: The Musical,”
she figured her most famous alum, Becky Gulsvig, may return to work with the student actors before opening night on Nov. 16.
From 2006 to 2010, Gulsvig made a name for herself starring in the show.
The actress didn’t just take her only days off in a week to fly back to direct the actors, she took it upon herself to bring her own “Legally Blonde” wig to the production.
“That’s very much her,” Meyer-Larson said of her student-turned-friend. “‘I see a problem, I’ll take care of it.’That’s the way she is.”
When planning the trip, Meyer-Larson lamented that the wig she bought for the lead, the dark-haired CeCe Bedore, wasn’t what she hoped for, Gulsvig jumped at the opportunity to help out and found a wigmaker in New York who cut, styled and sold her an Elle Woods-worthy hairdo.
“Elle is such an iconic look. If you’re not feeling comfortable, that’s not good,” Gulsvig said.
Buying the wig was one thing. Getting it to Moorhead was another. To keep the coiffure in good shape, it was pinned to a head form and Gulsvig carefully packed it in her luggage.
“I’m from Minnesota. I’ve flown home with deer sausage and fish from the lake,” she said. “I told my husband, ‘It’s going to look like I have a head in my bag.’”
The head form didn’t raise any alarms at the airports and after a morning flight, Gulsvig was at Horizon Middle School to work with the actors on Nov. 13. She spent two days offering directing tips before heading back to New York for another week of shows in the Neil Diamond musical “A Beautiful Noise.”
“It’s an honor to do anything in Fargo-Moorhead. It’s where I was raised and supported for years,” Gulsvig said.
It’s extra special to be working with young actors from her old school on a show that paved the way for her career.
“It’s so fun. It’s an honor to get to do the two things together, just to get to spend time with them in their comfort zone,” she said. “You find a place where you’re comfortable and a place where people understand you and a place that’s a second home and theater is that.”
John Lamb / The Forum
Gulsvig graduated from high school a year early in 2000 and promptly moved to New York to begin her professional acting career.
While she had specific tips for individual actors, her message for the ensemble was one of unity and encouragement.
“I’m here to love you and help you and be on your team,” she told them.
She also offered some advice on working with the dogs that will play Elle’s pet, Bruiser.
“It’s all about the treats. They don’t care about the audience or which way to stand, they just care about the treats,” the actress said. “There’s no way to lose with a good dog on stage.”
With more than 20 years of professional experience, Gulsvig said the lessons students learn now will stay with them throughout their lives.
“No matter if you’re in high school or in a professional production, the last five days before a show are crazy,” she said. “You have to help each other and cut each other some slack. When you’re tired, that’s when you learn some important lessons, to be kind under stress, push through exhaustion and bond when things get difficult.”
Watching her former student talk to her current students makes Meyer-Larson emotional.
“It’s a full circle moment,” she said, tearing up.
She recalled casting for “Little Shop of Horrors” in 1997, one of her first productions at Moorhead High. People had told her about this young singer with a mature voice and stage presence, but Meyer-Larson took the hype with a grain of salt. Then she heard Gulsvig sing.
“She blew me away,” said Meyer-Larson, known to her students as MeyLar.
She cast Gulsvig, then a freshman, in the female lead as Audrey.
“She turned the theater department around,” Meyer-Larson said.
A decade later, the teacher would take five busloads of students down to Minneapolis to see Gulsvig sing the lead in a touring production of “Legally Blonde.”
She’s not just a friend, she’s a fan who has attended every Broadway show Gulsvig has appeared in. And in the ultimate fan-girl move, she had Gulsvig sing at her wedding.
“She’s so gracious,” Meyer-Larson said. “Elle Woods is her story. This sweet, cheerful girl with a big dream. It’s very special to have her here. Here they have a Broadway star directing them.”
“She’s a great captain. I love being part of her program and benefitting from her creativity and smarts,” Gulsvig said of her former teacher. “To be an extra set of hands and ice the cake, to put the finishing touches on it is great.”
Gulsvig is happy to help out with the production, but said the young actors were well on their way to opening night success by the time she showed up.
Her parting words to the students were going to be simple and direct
“I’ll tell them all to break a leg and have fun,” she said. “You just have to enjoy your work. If you’re not doing theater because you love it, what are you doing it for?”
What: “Legally Blonde: The Musical”
When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17, 18, 21, 24 and 25 and 2 p.m. Nov. 19
Where: Horizon Middle School, Moorhead
Info: Tickets are $7 and $12, moorheadschools.universitytickets.com
