It will be a homecoming for Aathaven Tharmarajah when Park City Institute presents the national tour of “Legally Blonde: the Musical” in a two-night run at the Eccles Center for the Performing Arts.
The actor, who portrays Emmett Forrest, the eventual love interest of Elle Woods, cut his formative theater years in Salt Lake City.
“I moved to Utah in 2014, and that’s where I started to develop my love for theater,” he said. “The teacher I had in high school and my college professors at the University of Utah put me on the path that I’m on now. So this is a heartfelt moment to be able to go back and perform for my friends and professors.”
Tharmarajah said his rendition of Emmett, like the roles he’s played in other productions, does contain a “decent amount of himself.”
“I feel as actors that’s how you can portray a character as authentically as possible, because I don’t try to copy anyone or recreate what the original actor brought to the character,” he said. “I think Emmett is a key component in channeling that story and helping out Elle.”
Tharmarajah laughed and said landing the role of Emmett was initially more about finding work than anything else.
“To give a really blunt answer, I had just graduated from the U. last May, and as a young actor you are in this mindset to audition for everything,” he said. “I was able to secure an agent in New York and get this audition through my agent and audition for the role. So that’s what I was trying to do, and the timing really worked out for me.”
“Legally Blonde,” based on the 2001 comedy novel by Amanda Brown and Robert Luketic’s 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon, centers around a message that is deeper than what appears on the surface, Tharmarajah said.
“A lot of people may look at it as a fun musical with upbeat songs and a lot of laughs,” he said. “While it is that, there is a stronger story underneath about not judging a book by its cover, believing in yourself and staying true to yourself so that you can find success in life.”
Tharmarajah credits the cast for helping him bring Emmett to life on the stage.
“I always say the best acting is done when you’re able to react off of other people, and I’m thankful I have all of these great actors to react off of. They make my job so much easier.”
Although his favorite number has changed from time to time, Tharmarajah says “Take It Like A Man,” which takes place in the second act, is his current favorite.
“It’s a sweet moment between Elle and Emmett where you get to see their relationship evolve,” he said.
Tharmarajah began his road to performing in the eighth grade.
“I took my first theater class so I could get out of my art class,” he said while laughing. “Then I got to do my first musical in ninth grade.”
Tharmarajah’s first role was the Baker in the junior version of “Into the Woods.”
“It was a lot of fun, and things blossomed from there.”
Throughout college, Tharmarajah performed in productions presented by Hale Center Theatre, The Pioneer Theatre Company and the Salt Lake Acting Company.
“During that time, I was able to get a head start of what it was like to work professionally and learn about what the standards were for doing theater at a very high and professional level,” he said. “That was when I really started to wonder if this could be a career that I could pursue.”