Search

Legally Blonde The Musical: Can This Much Fun Be Legal?

If there is one person left on the planet who doesn’t know the plot of Legally Blonde, you could knock us over with a feather boa. But then suspense is not really the point of this good-time musical about sorority girl Elle Woods (embodied by the effervescent Laura Bell Bundy, pictured below), who heads to Harvard Law School to get back her man and manages to win a high-profile murder case along the way. It’s the energetic roller-coaster joyride that gets us there that matters.



Based on the hit 2001 Reese Witherspoon flick, the musical is pretty true to the story, although the plucky creative team embroiders upon the original to deliver much more. The direction and high-energy choreography by Jerry Mitchell raced this vehicle straight down the Broadway superhighway to seven Tony nominations, while the sing-along music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin will have you rushing out to buy the CD.

And leave it to Tony-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes (The Drowsy Chaperone) to strike the just-right note with Elle’s wardrobe -- i.e., sequins, glitter, and fashionista courtroom attire that transform her into an attorney with va-va-va-voom, veracity, and Vogue magazine all on her side!

But let’s not forget David Rockwell’s cotton-candy-pink sets, which reinforce the show’s blushing tone, even when the situation isn’t all that rosy, as the scene when the clueless rich boy (played to goofball perfection by Richard H. Blake) dumps Elle for someone so serious she “wears black when nobody’s dead”: the couple is silhouetted against a tree hung with cascading orange lights that evoke a romantic harvest moon.

This powerhouse of a creative team unleashes its collective energies through a high-voltage cast, led by the talented Bundy. The Delta Nu babes make a delightful Greek chorus, with extra kudos to Leslie Kritzer as Serena, who never passes up an opportunity to smile, underscoring the fun she’s having on stage.

It’s the musical numbers that leave theatergoers grinning broadly. They include the over-the-top Act I finale “So Much Better,” an homage to every drum majorette in the country, and its bookend, the dynamic Act II opener, “Whipped into Shape,” in which we meet accused murderess Brooke Wyndham (a former Delta Nu), who leads a prison brigade in jump-rope aerobics that will leave you breathless.

As for Paulette, the divinely ditzy manicurist at the Hair Affair -- remember Jennifer Coolidge in the film? -- the character’s been brilliantly reinvented for Broadway (and upgraded to salon owner!) by actress/pop icon, Orfeh.

But commerce at the beauty salon is not the only business Paulette is interested in; thoughts of monkey business and a different kind of an affair are roiling her pheromones. “The new UPS guy is,” we’re told, “like walking porn” -- info that’s reinforced when he hits the stage in the persona of gloriously buff Andy Karl (picutred below with Bundy and Orfeh). (It’s not for nothing that Orfeh and Karl have stage chemistry: they’re happily married in real life!)



During one of the show’s many high points, Elle takes it upon herself to instruct Paulette in the art of flirtation. Prepare to howl as the Harvard coed teaches the cosmetician the zany acrobatics of her hilarious “Bend and Snap” technique.

Of course we root for Elle through all her ordeals and humiliations, knowing she’s the girl who will learn to be true to herself and end up with the perfect match (the professorial, good-guy-next-door, played ably by Christian Borle, pictured below with Bundy). Along the way, we cheer her on as she learns the law well enough to navigate its choppy waters to achieve an interim success by repossessing Paulette’s dog, Rufus, from her odious ex -- a prelude to the show’s apex in which the novice attorney vindicates Brooke in a full-blown courtroom “coup d’Elle.”



There are a few unexpected scenes that were not in the film, and a slight twist or two on the familiar plot, but rest assured just about all your favorite moments and characters made the cut, including canines Bruiser (who could steal the show) and Rufus, who does steal the curtain call courtesy of animal wrangler William Berloni.

So get down to the Palace Theater, because the show is so upbeat and happy that it really should be illegal. (Better see it before the feds find out!)

Legally Blonde is playing at the Palace Theatre, Broadway & 47th St. For reservations, call 212-307-4100 or click here.

About the Author

About the Author: Ruth J. Katz is a well-known shopping and service writer based in New York City. She has written about shopping for 25 years for New York magazine; covered the topic on-air at Fox-TV for several years as the Home Services expert; and had her own show on both the USA and Lifetime Cable networks. Katz wrote extensively for The New York Times as well, and contributed periodically to the New York Daily News. She is a passionate shopper, always looking for not merely a good buy, but the best buy, ferreting out a "steal" or discovering up-and-coming designers. She has written five books and is a former contributing editor to Hearst's Redbook, Classic Home, and Colonial Homes; she is currently a Contributing Editor of New York Home, Golf Connoisseur, The Modern Estate, and Promenade magazines. She is also the former Shopping Director for Davler Media's Manhattan Living.

Bringing a group to NYC? Free planning services

Let us know what you are looking for and we will try to connect you directly and get discounts.

Enter the code: 3972

More Articles