Residents’ son helped co-produce Broadway musical in 2007
Published in the Feb. 19 – March 4, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Marty Cheek
Photo by Mitchell Kearney
Tom Gabbard
South Valley Civic Theater’s upcoming performances of the musical “Legally Blonde” have a Morgan Hill connection with its Broadway hit co-producer Tom Gabbard. His parents, Nelson and Bonnie Gabbard, resided in our city. Now both deceased, the couple were great supportors of community theater, especially shows encouraging children to get on the stage.
As the president of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, N.C., since 2003, Gabbard has been involved in the creation of many musicals that run on Broadway, London’s West End theater district, and tour nationally. He has co-produced hits including “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” Kinky Boots,” and “La Cage aux Folles.”
Launched in 2007, the musical “Legally Blonde” is based on the 2001 romantic comedy film starring Reese Witherspoon. Gabbard was drawn to the empowering theme of the story, especially for young girls who can get the message that “smart is good” and that they should never dumb themselves down to try to please someone. “I also love that it is a multi-generational show,” he said. “In New York, London, and cities all across the country, I see two and three generations of women in a family enjoying the show together.”
The show’s pre-Broadway tryout was in San Francisco and Gabbard was able to take his mother Bonnie, who was undergoing chemotherapy at that time. They visited with the star of the show afterward and the whole experience lifted her spirits for days, he said.
His school and community theater experience served to help grow Gabbard’s passion for producing shows.
“While I think it is in my DNA, I was blessed by schools and a family that nurtured that in a big way,” he said. “Through school and community theater I was able to do more shows by the time I was 18 than many people do by the time they graduate from college. As soon as I could drive I was in San Francisco a lot to see shows at ACT, the Curran and elsewhere. I was a very lucky kid.”
Many school-sponsored theater programs no longer exist, so community theaters such as SVCT are more important than ever to nurture and inspire kids. The opportunity to develop and share their skills in community theater provides a welcoming place to meet people who share their passion for theater, he said.
“It’s great to know that there are others who are like you and who share the unique interests you have,” he said. “The friendships made there can last a lifetime.”
Gabbard offered his congratulation to the actors and producers of SVCT’s “Legally Blonde” show. “‘Being true to yourself never goes out of style,’ is one of the last lines in the show,” he said. “I’m thrilled that SVCT audiences coming to this show will be reminded of that great advice through the work of these talented actors.”
