Coleen Sexton

“I’m Brooke Windham, an exercise guru,” says Sexton, a Westfield native. “Unfortunately, Brooke is also accused of murdering her much older husband — which is where law student Elle Woods comes in to defend her. “One of the best things about playing Brooke,” she says, “is that the vigorous exercise keeps you healthy. You’ve got to be in shape to hit that very high note that comes at the end of the big number I have in act two.” Sexton did the standard amount of jump-roping with her school chums at McKinley Elementary School. But by the time she reached Edison Intermediate School, she was already performing. Her first show was a revue a teacher concocted, called ‘Playing the Palace.’ ” And while Sexton hasn’t yet played the Palace Theater on the Great White Way — where “Legally Blonde” enjoyed an 18-month run in 2006-07 — she did play the female lead on Broadway in “Jekyll & Hyde,” at the nearby Plymouth Theatre. It’s one reason why Sexton didn’t attend college after graduating from Westfield High School in 1997; the offers just kept coming. “I feel like I’m going to college now,” she says, “because in the opening number of ‘Legally Blonde,’ I get to play a sorority girl, too.” In fact, Sexton was auditioning for Broadway musicals while she was still in high school. On a lark, she tried out for the Broadway company of “Crazy for You.” The bad news was that she wasn’t chosen. Read Less