For ‘Legally Blonde’ star, ‘being underestimated is her secret superpower’

Kathryn Brunner is not just playing Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde” in the Ordway Center’s touring production. She is also partly playing herself in the ditz-to-Harvard Law School story.

She says Elle, who gets dumped by her boyfriend and finds her intellectual power at Harvard University, is someone she knows under her skin. And it’s not just because Brunner can quote the hit 2001 movie, which starred Reese Witherspoon as Elle, on which the musical is based chapter and verse.

“I’ve seen the movie 50-something times,” Brunner said. “And I like the fact that being underestimated is her secret superpower.”

We caught up with the Philadelphia native, the daughter of educators who earned her bachelor’s degree in musical theater at Temple University and a master’s in nutrition from American University, ahead of her Ordway engagement that opens Tuesday in St. Paul for a six-day run.

Q: How familiar is Elle to you?

A: A lot. It’s my favorite role to play. I’ve played her in different parts of my life, like once when I just came out of a really bad breakup. It served as a confidence boost then. And now that I’m married and at a more mature age, it resonates differently as female empowerment.

Q: What do you like about the role and the show?

A: The story is funny but also heartfelt. I think a lot of women — well, not just women — everyone can relate in some capacity to not being appreciated for your true gifts.

Q: What else do you share with Elle?

A: I do wear a lot of pink. I wouldn’t say it’s my signature color but because of my complexion — being fair with blue eyes — that combo naturally looks good together and I do gravitate to it. I’m acting onstage, no question, but it’s nice to feel like I’m being myself up there.

Q: People talk a lot about pretty privilege. But do you think of looks as a burden?

A: If you look a certain way, it does come with some privilege when you walk about the world. But then there’s also a kind of discrimination against women who are beautiful because there’s this stigma that it’s all about the surface, and that you may not be that smart.

Q: Like how Elle lands a job.

A: Yes, the professor hires her for this internship because he likes the way she looks. I can so relate to that. Because of the way I look, some people may think I’m not very smart and that I don’t have a lot of emotional depth. But it’s like having a secret superpower. I get to prove everyone wrong.

Q: What’s interesting is that she goes to Harvard for the most traditional reason?

A: Yes. It’s not to get an education or even to discover how brilliant she is, right? She’s going for her man.

Q: How do you interpret her onstage?

A: It could be done very seriously with lots of physicality. It could be played like a caricature or a stereotype. But it’s so important to make her relatable so that people can root for her as much as possible. I love to show her deep emotional arc of going to Harvard for one reason but then realizing that, gosh, I love helping the underdog. She starts off not minding being the hot girlfriend. But she soon gets beyond being a cutie.

Q: Which gets us to a question about the demands of the show. How many costume changes do you have?

A: Gosh, like 15. There’s a whole intricate choreography going on backstage. The crew is just insane. My dresser has cough drops, water and tissues for me all while we’re changing. It’s amazing that they keep us going. That’s why we’re able to do the show and I’m able to do like a 10-minute “What You Want” number with a seamless change.

Q: Forget about your human co-stars for a sec. What’s it like to perform with a dog?

A: His name is Ricky. He’s a rescue and mutt that’s part chihuahua. And he’s an amazing co-star. Working with an animal onstage is special because it really keeps you grounded. You have to be calm and locked in. If things change and go wrong, they don’t always understand. The audience loves him doing tricks. For me, just holding him makes the show really beautiful.

Q: Finally, Harvard is in the news a lot these days. Have you noticed any change in how audiences receive the show?

A: The show has been all-consuming so I haven’t been like super up to date on the news. But I was raised by educators, so education is super important to me. And Harvard is the top of the top. There is a lot of threat to cut education across the board and that’s something that makes me sad. I think having access to that, even if you don’t come from a lot of money, it’s so important.

When: 7:30 p.m. June 10-13, 2 & 7:30 p.m. June 14, 1:30 & 7 p.m. June 15.

Where: Ordway, 345 Washington St., St. Paul.

Tickets: $45-$164. 651-224-4222 or Ordway.org.