Santa Rosa Junior College’s theater department is literally reaching new heights, with its spring production of “Legally Blonde: The Musical.”

With three leading cast members standing over 6 feet tall, the actors will lend a fresh take on the popular roles of Elle, Warner and Emmett.

Director Leslie McCauley was taken aback when she first cast student Sigrid Forsythe in the starring role of Elle Woods. The task of finding actors to match Sigrid’s stature seemed daunting.

“She [Sigrid] really stood out, literally. She’s six feet tall and she’s blonde and she has the voice of an angel and she can dance like nobody’s business.” McCauley said, “She’s been a student of ours in the department but there’s never been that leading role for her because, to be honest, we haven’t had romantic men match her, but in this show we do.”

McCauley discovered the height and vocals to match in students Zachary Hasbany and Blake Chandler.

“There are two romantic male leads, Warner and Emmett. Warner is 6 feet tall and Emmett is 6 foot 7. They look fantastic together,” McCauley said.

A communications major at Sonoma State University, Hasbany, who stars as Emmett, has been involved in theater since sixth grade and is looking forward to taking on the role of one of the male leads.

Hasbany starred as the Beast in the fall production of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ but says he enjoys the role of Emmett because of the different approach to his character.

“The Beast, as a character, is inward. He is a very depressed individual and kind of angry at the world, whereas Emmett has a very positive outlook on life and is a positive influence for others…I like to get a variety of characters. I was the beast before and that was a lot of fun to play but I like to challenge myself,” Hasbany said.

Forsythe never expected to land the starring role of Elle because of her height but has enjoyed the show’s process and hopes that her perseverance will shine through during performances.

“It’s been a really fun process. It’s definitely different being the lead in a JC show because you really don’t have any resting time. Especially for me, this role is like running a marathon. I never leave the stage. All of my changes are quick-changes so when I’m not on stage you can expect me to be backstage hurriedly changing into another costume. It’s stressful, but I’ve really enjoyed it and the experience has been really nice,” she said.

The musical is based on the 2001 movie “Legally Blonde” starring Reese Witherspoon, a sorority president who attempts to win back her ex-boyfriend by following him to Harvard Law School.

McCauley said audiences can expect similarities to the Broadway and movie versions, but there will be some changes to make it feel like SRJC’s own.

“The designers are working very hard to make this uniquely us. Our theater department does things on a very large scale so the set is going to be extraordinary and the costumes are lush and gorgeous,” she said.

McCauley said the set, costumes, Bruiser the dog’s acting skills and the standout talent will ‘wow’ audiences.

“Every single role has a dynamite voice; the voices in this show are amazing. I feel so lucky to have this cast and these voices and their dancing; they’re just powerhouses,” McCauley said.

Presentations of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” begin at 8 p.m. April 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 and May 2-4. The show will also be presented at 2 p.m. April 21, 27, 28 and May 4, with a final performance at 3 p.m. May 5.

All performances will be in Burbank Auditorium. Ticket prices are $18 general, $12 student and senior and $10 youth (12 and under). There will be a reduced-price matinee performance April 27. Tickets can be purchased at the SRJC Box Office from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday- Friday and one hour before each performance in the Burbank Auditorium Lobby.

Call the Theatre Box Office at (707) 527-4343 or visit the online ticket service at http://www.santarosa.edu/theatrearts/tickets.html.