Legally Blonde: The Musical (2007)

I reviewed the musical adaptation of Legally Blonde back when I first got the cast recording, which was admittedly long after the show came out. (I’m sorry, Laurence O’Keefe, I didn’t know it was one of yours!) But now I’ve seen the live recording of the original cast that was filmed for MTV of all places—the video is still floating around on the wild internet, and while its quality is a little sketchy, it was still a lot of fun to see a video of this production.

Malibu sorority girl Elle Woods is shocked to be dumped by her boyfriend as he prepares for Harvard Law, citing that he needs a more “serious” girl to fit his vision for his future.  Determined not to be counted out, Elle works her way into Harvard Law as well in the hopes of winning him back.  Along the way, she faces classmates and professors who doubt her ability to hack it and, as she works to prove them wrong, discovers a passion for law she didn’t know she had.

More professionally recorded theatre in the world is always a good thing, so I’m glad that this was made and very pleased to find that it still exists somewhere. The production is highly entertaining, with fabulous costumes/quick changes and fun choreography from Elle’s “Greek chorus” of sorority sisters. The staging made songs that were just fine on the cast recording pop more, like Brooke doing her jump rope aerobics routine in the prison for “Whipped into Shape” and the mythic portrayal of the department store for “Take It Like a Man.”

But of course, my favorites from the score are really well done too. It was great to watch songs like “Omigod You Guys,” “So Much Better,” and “Legally Blonde,” both the quieter version between Elle and Emmett and the more anthemic group number. And even though Emmett can definitely be A Problem in some of his attitudes toward Elle, I can’t be mad at “Chip on My Shoulder.” There’s plenty of big acting, understandably, but the more serious moments are given appropriate space to breathe.

Obviously, Laura Bell Bundy isn’t Reese Witherspoon, but she makes a good Elle, a delightful ditz who goes after what she wants with inexhaustible tenacity. With her performance, the airhead moments are funny without diminishing the admirable parts of Elle’s character. I’m always a sucker for Christian Borle, and while I’d rather watch him in Falsettos as Marvin any day (another character with issues, but such a fascinating one,) he does great as Emmett. And on a basic level, it’s just wild to see him play a role originated by Luke Wilson in the movie. Another Marvin, the O.G. Michael Rupert, is in fine voice and sufficiently slippery as Professor Callahan, and Orfeh is a hoot as Elle’s hairstylist friend Paulette. Again, the Greek chorus adds a lot of energy and fun to their scenes, and it tickled me to realize one of them is played by a young Annaleigh Ashford!

Warnings

Sexual references/sensuality, language, drinking, and thematic elements (including sexual harassment.)

Favorite Character: Elle Woods (Legally Blonde)

As with my previous Legally Blonde post, this is specifically dealing with the musical.  While I’m sure Elle is just as terrific in the movie, it’s been too long since I’ve seen that to be able to speak intelligently on it.  No doubt much of what I’m saying will equally apply to both, but know that the musical is what I’m drawing from here (a few spoilers.)

In my review of the show, I already touched on a few reasons why I love Elle.  It’s true that her initial goal is to win back her ex-boyfriend, but in order to do that, she displays some serious dedication.  Her plan requires her to get into Harvard Law (you know, nbd,) so she busts her butt studying until she gets a high enough LSAT score.  That right there is enough to show that Elle can do basically anything she puts her mind to, and even if Operation:  Win Back Warner isn’t worth the effort she puts into it, 1) that doesn’t take away from the work she does, and 2) this is what sets her on the road to really finding her path.  And that’s what makes it all worth it.

I just love this, that the “step one” of Elle’s plan is something she views as a side detail, but it ultimately changes her life and helps her discover a whole new dream for herself.  We see this appearing in little ways over the course of the first act, but it really comes to a head at the end of Act I, in “So Much Better.”  In this song, Elle starts out devastated that her plan has failed, that her best efforts weren’t enough because Warner still wants Vivian instead of her, but it flips the moment she discovers she’s earned one of the four slots in Callahan’s internship.  Her excitement is just infectious; I especially love her announcement that she’s showing up to the court room an hour early because she can’t wait until 9 o’clock to get started.  In this scene, she’s every bit as bubbly and over-the-moon as she is about a prospective proposal from Warner in the opening number, and that’s important.

Another thing I mentioned in my review is that, when Elle succeeds in law school, it’s on her terms, not anyone else’s.  Throughout the show, people continually tell her she has to be something different:  Warner says he wants, “Less of a Marilyn, more of a Jackie,” Callahan throws her out on her first day of class, and even though Emmett is sincere in helping her keep up with her workload, his advice is peppered with judgments about her appearance, insisting that the time she puts into looking good is a waste.  And when Elle begins the internship – because, at that point, she’s realized how much it means to her and she doesn’t want to blow it – we see some internalization of those remarks.  She dresses much more sedately, in a conservative navy-blue suit and skirt, and she demonstrates that she can “be a Vivian,” that she can become what’s expected of her to fit into that world.

But in the end, this is another epiphany that she has.  Regardless of what others think, she works just as hard as they do and is just as capable, and she doesn’t have to change who she is in order to prove that.  When the title number arrives near the end of Act II, she exchanges the blue suit for a pink one before her triumphant return to the court room, declaring, “Back in the game, / Back to the trial, / But I’m going back in my style!”  Women have to deal with so much crap in the workplace, especially in male-dominated professions like law, and conventional wisdom often claims that femininity can’t go hand in hand with strength or intelligence.  But that’s just plain wrong, as proven heartily by one Elle Woods!

Legally Blonde (2007)

Legally Blonde was a musical I missed the first time around.  Even though I’d enjoyed the movie well enough when it first came out, I wasn’t in the right state of mind for the musical when it came along a handful of years later.  It was part of a crop of relatively-modern movies-turned-musicals, and quasi-Broadway-snob that I am, I wasn’t prepared to give it a chance.  Luckily, a regional theatre I frequent performed it this season, and I took the overdue opportunity to discover what an enjoyable show it really is.

Malibu sorority girl Elle Woods is shocked to be dumped by her boyfriend as he prepares for Harvard Law, citing that he needs a more “serious” girl to fit his vision for his future.  Determined not to be counted out, Elle works her way into Harvard Law as well in the hopes of winning him back.  Along the way, she faces classmates and professors who doubt her ability to hack it and, as she works to prove them wrong, discovers a passion for law she didn’t know she had.

While I’d had cynical reactions to a lot of recent musicals adapted from movies, Legally Blonde really is one I should’ve given a shot to earlier.  Like Bring It On (penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tom Kitt,) it comes from good composing pedigree, with music by Laurence O’Keefe.  His Bat Boy was one of the earliest musicals I adored, and I missed out on a great, catchy score for a number of years because I side-eyed the source material’s fitness for a musical.  Tons of earwormy songs here, with accessible melodies and clever lyrics to go with them.  In particular, I love the titualar “Legally Blonde,” the opening number “Oh My God, You Guys,” and the Act I closer “Better.”

I also just enjoy the themes the show explores (many of which, I’m sure, are also present in the movie, but I’m better able to recognize them as an adult instead of a young teen.)  While there are of courses “shallow Valley girl” jokes juxtaposing Elle against her more laser-focused Harvard classmates, it’s not just about a ditzy blonde.  It’s about a young woman who’s incredibly driven – even if, initially, she’s doing it to impress a guy, she gets herself into Harvard to do it, so she’s no slouch – a woman learning what she really values, what she wants and how to get it.  She needs to apply herself and take law school as seriously as she takes getting Warner back, but what she doesn’t need to do is change who she fundamentally is.  I appreciate that, that Elle can be fashion-obsessed and a hard worker, hyperfeminine and a tough lawer.  Too often, femininity is seen as imcompatible with strength, but the two aren’t mutually exclusive.

The cast on the original Broadway cast recording are all very good, with some familiar voices in the mix.  Laura Bell Bundy (Amber from Hairspray) plays Elle with humor and heart, and the cast features, not one, but two Marvins from Falsettos.  The original Marvin, Michael Rupert, plays Elle’s demanding professor, while revival-Marvin Christian Borle is Emmett, Elle’s big ally in the program.

Warnings

Sexual references (including sexual harassment,) alcohol references, and some thematic elements.