Everyone knows Elle.

She's the pretty sorority sister who attempts to win back her boyfriend by following him to Harvard Law School.

The place where her pink color schemes and pampered Chihuahua named Bruiser get her branded as a brainless Barbie.

The movie, "Legally Blonde," starring Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, has been charming audiences ever since hitting cinemas a decade ago.

The equally popular musical ran on Broadway (2007-08) before touring North America (2008-11).

The show, with a book by Heather Hach and music/lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, opens the Manatee Players' 66th season today in downtown Bradenton.

Recent University of Miami graduate and Sarasotan Cassandra Caballero landed the role of Elle.

Everything worked.

Except that she's a brunette.

"I had never dyed my hair before, never even thought of dying my hair," she said. "But for this I told them, 'I'll dye my hair, I'll do anything to get this part.'"

Bradenton theater enthusiasts might remember Caballero from her child acting days.

She made her Manatee Players debut as Marta in a 1998 production of "The Sound of Music."

Her mom, well-known local actress Eve Caballero, played Elsa, the losing love interest of the Captain.

Last season, the mother-daughter team was on stage together for the Bradenton company's production of "Chicago," with Eve starring as cabaret vamp Velma Kelly.

But now it's Cassandra's turn to shine.

"She is just so real and believable," said director/choreographer Dewayne Barrett during an interview last week. "Every night I leave rehearsal with a big smile."

William Masuck plays Elle's boyfriend Warner.

The cast also includes Geena Ravella, Tahlia Byers, Holly Rizzo, Chad Mueller, Karen Lalosh, John Andruzzi, Sarah Cassidy, Andrea Wright, Vera Samuels, Philip Croome, Deborah Cochran, Earl Wright, Jonah Wright, Tyler Brown, Jason Ellis, Brian Strubbe, Joseph Rebella, Will Dixon, Victoria Najmy, Emma Slotabec, Zoe Verbil, Chantal Guerrero, Rachael Henry, Noelia Altamirano, Mary Kate D. Glidewell, Danae Deshazer and Savannah Clair.

Rick Bogner is the musical director.

Details: Aug. 16-Sept. 2; 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; Manatee Players Riverfront Theatre, 102 Old Main St., Bradenton. Tickets: $26 (adults), $15 (teachers) and $13 (students). Information: 941-748-5875 or www.manateeplayers.com.