Kathryn Brunner as Elle Woods in LEGALLY BLONDE at Riverside Theatre.
By PAM HARBAUGH
Oh My God…Oh My God You Guys! Riverside Theatre and Walnut Street Theatre spent $1,390,513 to co-produce “Legally Blonde: The Musical.”
Gulp.
No worries. It’s Elle Woods to the rescue in her snappy pink suit and bedazzled Chihuahua. She’s here to say that you can have it all.
That’s what you learn in the snappy, bubblegum musical “Legally Blonde,” which has come to energetic life at Riverside Theatre.
The 2007 musical — based on the 2001 Reese Witherspoon movie, based on Amanda Brown’s book – revolves around a perky young woman, Elle, whose signature color is pink. And, yes, she’s got gobs of blonde hair.
Kathryn Brunner in LEGALLY BLONDE at Riverside Theatre.
Director/choreographer Richard Stafford keeps the bouncy pace bright and breezy throughout. Dancers fill up the space with gyrating arms and high kicks and fling their bodies this way and that like it’s a televised Dance Party and everyone is doing “The Pony.”
Music director Anne Shuttlesworth leads the almost non-stop music, written by Lawrence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin. The 11-piece pit orchestra makes some big sounds here.
But the look of the show is a bit on the slim side and not exactly the full-on visuals you would expect for a $1 million plus production.
Neverthless, the musical pleases and will draw a laughs from the unjaded and knock at the hearts of the weary.
Evocative of the opening of the 1960 musical “Bye Bye Birdie” opening, this production “Legally Blonde” begins with the song “Omigod You Guys,” a sweet, bouncy number that will become a total earworm in four beats. In it, UCLA Delta Nu sorority sisters chatter about Elle getting engaged, peppered with frequent good natured call to “shut up!”
Instead, though, boyfriend Warner announces he’s going to Harvard to study law and to hopefully find a “Jackie” instead of a “Marilyn” which would help him on the political front.
From left: Sean Thompson and Kathryn Brunner in LEGALLY BLONDE at Riverside Theatre.
Ever the positive person, Elle (a most adorable Kathryn Brunner) decides to become a lawyer as well, scores big on the LSAT and finagles her way into Harvard Law. And no, her parents did not grease any palms, nor she did not send in doctored photographs of her rowing for crew.
Instead, she sent a video. Of her with a marching band that has so much energy it’ll leave you exhausted. Literally. (Yes, we really mean “figuratively,” but get with it already!)
The head honchos at Harvard Law decide it would be a good exercise in diversity to admit her. (Oh my god, oh my god you guys.)
Warner (Sean Thompson) is surprised to see Elle at school. And Elle is just as surprised to see his new girlfriend, Vivienne (Lindsey Bliven, who enjoys the most well-rounded character), who begins as Elle’s enemy but ends up her champion.
There’s also the sincere law graduate, Emmett (Elliott Styles), a guy who feels comfy in wrinkled corduroy. You know, even if you never saw the ultra popular movie, that Emmett is the guy for Elle even though they never kiss. Shut up!
From left: Kathryn Brunner and Elliott Styles in LEGALLY BLONDE at Riverside Theatre.
Don’t leave out Elle’s new best friend, Paulette (Rebecca Robbins) a hard working hair stylist; and her Delta Nu sister, Brooke (Sara Brophy) who is wrongfully accused of murder. As if!
There’s slimy lawyer Professor Callahan (strongly portrayed by Paul Schoeffler) who sings that the best lawyers are sharks and the rest are chum. When Callahan makes a move on Elle, she slaps him good and hard. One person in the audience was heard saying “That hurt!”
From left: Kathryn Brunner and Rebecca Robbins in LEGALLY BLONDE at Riverside Theatre.
There’s also the lesbian and the gay men and a Greek chorus of go-go dancing Delta Nu sisters.
Well it takes a lot of ingredients to make decent bubble gum. And you will enjoy this show’s pop for sure.
It’s just that we’re getting sort of used to questioning certain things, which makes “Legally Blonde” suddenly old.
Perhaps we’ve grown sensitive to empty sugar. Now, jokes about lesbians feel cruel. And stereotypes about gay men feel as wrong as the racist stereotypes of Asians in “Anything Goes” or “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” It becomes a little squirmy.
And getting admitted to Harvard with a perky video? Those woke to privilege better sleep through that one.
Elle says you can have it all. But maybe you can’t.
But wait. Did you see those two adorable trained dogs that win our hearts? Yes they are!
And yeah, we do have fun watching the UPS guy wiggle his backside.
OMG you guys…. Pink wins.
SIDE O’ GRITS: “Legally Blonde: The Musical” runs through May 5 at Riverside Theater, 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, FL. Tickets start at $35. Call 772-231-6990 or visit RiversideTheatre.com or click on their ad.
