Review: Light and fluffy, Legally Blonde a perfect summer musical
Legally Blonde The Musical could be subtitled Not So Clueless.
Article content
When main character Elle Woods turns up at Harvard, we're supposed to be as shocked as her former boyfriend Warner Huntington III. But when we first met her, she was, after all, at a university majoring in marketing. When she set her mind to qualifying for Harvard, she made that happen, with the help of her equally astute sorority sisters.
Article content
Article content
Emmett, who starts as her mentor and ends up being her new love interest, says it best when he points out Elle's IQ drops to 40 whenever Warner is in the room. The bimbo facade is what he wanted, so she gave it to him. We're supposed to love Elle because she doesn't drop the blond persona just because she is at Harvard. That highlights one of the themes of the musical: that you have to be true to yourself.
Article content
Article content
Legally Blonde is two hours of silly, predictable, girl-power behaviour from stereotypes rather than characters and, under Stephanie Graham's direction, it is one of the pinkest, gayest romps imaginable.
Article content
When Emmett first visits Elle's dorm room, he discovers she lives on energy drinks, which presumably explains her eternally effervescent behaviour. In this way, the musical is like Elle. While you're ingesting it, you feel energized and elated, but those feelings wear off quickly once it's over.
Article content
Legally Blonde is a musical without memorable music. Say what you want about Andrew Lloyd Webber, but when you leave one of his musicals, you're humming at least one tune. Think Memory from Cats, Don't Cry For Me Argentina from Evita, or I Don't Know How to Love Him from Superstar. You don't come out of Legally Blonde humming Blood in the Water, Omigood You Guys, or Whipped into Shape. They are fun in context, but they don't live outside the musical, because they are more dialogue than songs.
Article content
Graham, who also choreographed Legally Blonde, gives us everything from cheerleading to exercise moves, and it's always high energy.
Article content
The fairest thing to be said about Legally Blonde is it's a genuine crowd pleaser. All the laughs and the feel-good moments are in the right places, and Graham knows how to punctuate them. There is no question that this is a fun evening, and Graham has assembled a most talented cast.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Calgary Herald
4 days ago
- Calgary Herald
Lougheed House to host Calgary's second annual Beaulieu Flower and Artisan Market
Article content Lougheed House bloomed on Friday morning as the sun shone on its Beaulieu garden. Daisies, sunflowers, salmon-hued Yarrows and Irises crowded a patch facing a blanket of grass. Article content On Saturday, Calgarians could choose from these flowers at a market hosted by the museum organization. Thirty local vendors will also sell handmade art inspired by the flowers in the garden. Article content Article content Article content Dubbed the Beaulieu Flower and Artisan Market, the event in its second year was conceived after the place's dedicated team of gardeners led a sale of Iris bulbs. Article content Article content 'It was a really beautiful little pop-up sale,' said Allison Graham, director of engagement and experience at Lougheed House. 'And we thought, 'Wow, wouldn't it be great if we could expand this and make it more of a fully fledged market.'' Article content The first year attracted 700 people, Graham said. 'For its first year, it's just amazing. We also have free admission to the house for the museum.' Jane Recksten, the place's head gardener, said the museum doesn't have enough flowers for the potential attendees, so it partnered with the local wholesaler Bernard Anderson to fill the gap. Article content She said buyers could build their bouquet by selecting individual flowers, which will be priced by the stem. If they wanted to grow them in their backyard, they could also choose from a variety of seeds or fully grown Iris plants. Article content Alongside these flowers, local vendors will sell handmade art, including jewelry, ceramics and 'anything you'd want to put your plant in,' said Graham. She said the museum had to initially boil down its list of 100 applications from interested vendors to 30.
Toronto Star
12-07-2025
- Toronto Star
Why former Raptor Jeremy Lin continues to give back to Toronto's Asian community
The 36-year-old's professional basketball career has been all about beating long odds. He was an undrafted Harvard grad and waived twice in his first two NBA seasons before his meteoric rise to fame during 'Linsanity', part of a nine-year run that culminated in the 2019 championship with the Toronto Raptors.
Edmonton Journal
11-07-2025
- Edmonton Journal
Review: Legally Blonde at the Citadel a light, fun summer refresher
Article content The summer colour palette for Edmonton could be safely described as a mixture of river-valley green and sky blue that goes on forever. Well, add a splash of bright pink as Legally Blonde debuts at the Citadel, running until Aug. 3 on the Shoctor stage. Article content The set, costumes and even the lobby have been kitted out in the appealing and girly shade favoured by the musical's central character, Elle Woods (former Calgarian Kelsey Verzotti). Audience members on opening night were resplendent in fuchsia, hot pink, baby pink and also sequins. It was quite a party. Article content Article content For those who haven't followed the career of Reese Witherspoon with the same passionate intensity as me, Legally Blonde (based on the book by Amanda Brown) was her 2001 breakout hit. In 2007, the movie was turned into a Broadway musical and in 2008, that musical began touring the world, where it remains on seemingly permanent rotation. Article content Article content It's easy to see why. Legally Blonde is an epic celebration of girl power driven by a largely forgettable string of same-sounding songs and a more than memorable selection of energetic dance routines. Verzotti brings excellent pipes and a spunky spirit to the lead role of Elle, who is famously dumped by boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Kaden Brett Forsberg) when he gets into Harvard Law School. Warner needs a more serious girlfriend. Elle — as smart as she is blonde — applies to Harvard Law School to win him back. Spoiler alert: she not only gets in, but ends up top of her class. Article content Article content There isn't much to the plot of Legally Blonde, which has been updated with contemporary references from Timothée Chalamet to Instagram, and things threaten to get dull in the first act despite the cheer squad that shows up to help Elle with her admission essay. We are relieved when Elle's sorority sisters Margo (Maya Baker), Serena (a zippy April Cook) and Pilar (Jessica Jones) arrive with regularity to add fat dollops of sassy to the script. They are particularly winsome as members of a Greek chorus that serve to boost Elle's spirits, provide guidance and generally dance their tails off. Article content Article content About that dancing. OMG guys — the fist-pumping choreography in this production by director Stephanie Graham is mesmerizing. Graham, one of the most in-demand directors in Canada, also demonstrates an effervescent touch when it comes to deftly highlighting pieces of physical comedy in the show. Gunho Kwak (who plays a hunky UPS driver in short shorts among other funny bits) is also a highlight in Legally Blonde, as is Sarah Horsman, who plays Brooke Wyndham — a fitness instructor framed for the murder of her husband. Horsman demonstrates amazing physical prowess, skipping rope while belting out an inspirational version of Whipped Into Shape in the show's second act. Just writing about it makes me winded.
