MUSICAL REVIEW: LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL
12 Jul'10

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency
Rating: 4 out of 5

Sometimes, it doesn't take a genius to figure things out. One doesn't head for the beach on the hottest day of the year, for instance, when one is hungry for some peace and quiet. One doesn't look to a drive-through for fine French cuisine and one doesn't go to a show called LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL looking for anything even remotely resembling deep reflections on life.

That said, the  production that opened at the Princess of Wales Thursday has a lot going for it, for anyone who is content with entertainment that's as deep as a dime and shiny as a newly-minted penny.

For the uninitiated, this is a pretty silly tale, a story that began as novel, was transformed into a movie, and, in its most recent incarnation, has re-surfaced as this Broadway musical, created by Heather Hatch, who wrote the book, and Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, who created the music and lyrics.

It's the story of  young Elle Woods (Becky Gulsvig), a California bubblehead who heads for Harvard to become a lawyer after her college boyfriend dumps both her and her gene pool for being too shallow.

And he just might be right, because, finally, it's not a law degree that the fashion-conscious Elle is after in those hallowed halls, but rather simply another chance to prove to Warner Huntington III (Jeff McLean), the guy who ditched her, that the two of them should be together forever.

Of course, nothing goes right. Turns out ol' Warner hasn't exactly languished since he dumped our girl and his new girlfriend, played by Megan Lewis, not only knows all the right moves, she knows all the right people to boot.

What's worse, Elle discovers that people just don't take her seriously and she becomes a social and scholastic outcast. But even while things are going terribly wrong, things are, in reality, going terribly right. Elle is taken in hand by Emmett Forrest , a fellow student played with plenty of charm by D.B. Bonds, who not only knows what its like to be an outcast, but has some experience navigating the politics of law school as well.

Soon, thanks to Emmett's help, Elle is not only acing courses, she's landed a coveted position with a prestigious firm owned by her lecherous law professor, played by Michael Rupert.  And on her own time, she's made friends with a down-on-her-luck beautician, beautifully played by Natalie Joy Johnson, who's had a few man-problems of her own and is able to supply more than just a shoulder to cry on when Warner continues to spurn Elle's advances.

It's silly stuff, but under the direction of Jerry Mitchell, who also choreographed the show, a talented cast walks that fine line between taking themselves seriously and taking their play seriously with delightful and sure-footed grace. The songs may not have originated with ABBA, Queen or Styx and they may not cling like burrs to the subconscious like those of Andrew Lloyd Webber, but they do serve the story beautifully while packing a whole lot of charm and humour.

Designed with a brilliant simplicity and functionality by David Rockwell and wittily costumed by Gregg Barnes, this is a musical that is just about perfection for anyone content with nothing more than a great time.

To be sure, it's not a musical adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird — and by the time an intermission comes along, smart money will have already realized that all that's standing between the lovely Gulsvig and enduring Broadway stardom is a champion pair of adenoids — but hey , it's summer and not everybody's into the heavy lifting required for something like — say — ROCK OF AGES.