You'd have to be legally blind not to enjoy the cute capers and considerable charms of "Legally Blonde."
Adapted from the 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon as a pink-spangled sorority girl who chases her arrogant and dismissive ex-beau all the way to Harvard Law, the Broadway musical at the Fox Theatre is a giddy reminder that women can succeed in a male-dominated world, even as they remain true to all things feminine and froufrou.
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor probably didn't gain any pointers from the pizzazz-y personality of Malibu bombshell Elle Woods, who substitutes her Harvard admissions essay for a marching band and ends up carrying her chihuahua to court in her legal-brief bag.
But the show's feminist message is never lost in the irrepressible cheeriness of this highly accessorized pop pastiche. Based on Amanda Brown's novel, with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach, "Legally Blonde" references an earlier generation's "Chicago" and "Grease" while appealing to the same tween demographic that is now wild about "Wicked" and "High School Musical." (The most memorable song of "Legally Blonde" is a buoyant little "Hairspray"-style number called "Omigod You Guys.")
The national tour has great clothes (by Gregg Barnes), splendid sets (by David Rockwell), a chorus of ridiculously ripped beefcake dancers, two adorable doggy divas (Frankie and Nellie) and a wonderful lead performance by Becky Gulsvig, who recalls Witherspoon but packs her hot-pink hourglass with plenty of sass and brass of her own. (She's a terrific singer, too.)
This is not to say everything's perfect.
At the top of Tuesday's opening-night performance, the band sounded a little muffled, and a few cast members (either new to the group or stepping in as understudies) seemed still to be learning the ropes. The show's a little busy and overpopulated — two supporting characters have legal wrinkles involving romantic entanglements — and I could probably live without the gratuitous Greek chorus and women's prison sequence.
But things start to rock with the sinister "Blood in the Water," the solo for Harvard professor Callahan (nicely played by Ken Land), a character who is part Billy Flynn and part Doctor Dillamond of "Wicked." As Elle's narcissistic ex-boyfriend Warner Huffington III, understudy Nick Dalton was almost too likeable; and Dalton has a dreamy voice that is under-used here. As Warner's new girlfriend Vivienne, Megan Lewis had the spot-on arch mannerisms and mousy bob. And D.B. Bonds, as Emmett Forrest, the scruffy legal tutor who turns into a prince, is the real deal. But Elle's academic rivals are just the mechanics for her dazzling rise to success.
The best comedy comes from Elle's Irish man-loving hairdresser/confidante Paulette (Natalie Joy Johnson), a gal who's had love troubles of her own and eventually falls for a shorts-wearing UPS guy (Brian Patrick Murphy). With her makeup-smeared eyes, over-the-top togs and Lady Bunny physique, Johnson is a hoot, and "Bend and Snap" is a classic. (The courtroom witness who may be gay, or just European, is also priceless.)
And so to conclude this testimony: Director Jerry Mitchell's "Legally Blonde" provides solid evidence that there's nothing criminal about a good crowd-pleaser. It was also incredibly cool to see so many young audience members dressed to the nines in homage to Elle. (Omigod, you guys were awesome!) Jurisprudence could probably use a little more zany fashion. And a lot more smart girls. I rest my case.
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