Review: LEGALLY BLONDE is in the Pink at the Fulton

Seven Tony nominations and ten Drama Desk nominations is pretty darn good for a musical comedy translated from a movie. In 2001, Reese Witherspoon created Elle Woods in the film version of LEGALLY BLONDE, which went to Broadway in 2007 and copped those nominations. The musical is perhaps superior to the film for a very important reason: in musical theatre, when emotion runs so high that mere words do not express feelings adequately, song (and frequently dance) ensues. The story is one of continual extreme feeling, so the ability to express those feelings is well worth the extra length of live musical performance, especially with songs as bouncy and infectious as those in this show. While the songs aren't deeply philosophical, they're the sort of old-fashioned musical numbers that you're still humming when you leave the theatre.

The book by Heather Hach follows the novel and the movie, and the music and lyrics by Lawrence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin do the book full justice, as well as being, as noted, perfectly hummable. This is not a serious show, not even close, and the songs are true to the feel of the less complex, less depressing shows of earlier musical theatre: this is BELLS ARE RINGING, not RENT. Marc Robin's direction and choreography, as well as the triumphs of Barbie pink that fill set and costumes, keep the show at a cotton-candy level throughout - fluffy, sweet, and airy.

It nags at you that Elle seems clownish - only, she's not. She graduates as valedictorian of her class at Harvard Law School. You think Elle's attachment to her ex-boyfriend is pathetic - only, she gets the sense to tell him to pound sand, because she's nobody's second choice. Wait, this whole pink sorority Valley Girl thing feels sexist... but Elle finds her brains (and they're very good ones), wins in court, finds the right guy who's been under her nose, triumphs over sexual harassment, makes friends, and graduates from Harvard - in short, she finds herself and a career, and she wins over the men who have been obstacles for her. It's the story that Mattel's Barbie, in all of her glorious eternal pinkness, should be lucky enough to have - it's a far better deal than Malibu Ken.

Elle goes from near-caricature to a real person very quickly in the tale, aided by the performance of Emma Degerstedt. A prior Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award winner, she's also received a nomination for LA's Ovation award for playing Elle, so she's no stranger to Elle's life story. Degerstedt brings the energy for her to defeat self-centered boyfriend Warner (Cory Jeacoma) and to find both romance and her own legal brilliance with Emmett the legal teaching assistant (Ben Michael). Her relationship with Emmett is delightful - he helps her discover her legal acumen, while she helps him find his own self-esteem. Michael's Emmett blossoms on stage throughout their relationship as surely as Elle does.

But it's three of the smaller parts that truly bring joy to this production. Charis Leos, as Paulette the Boston hairdresser, is a complete wonder, reminding this writer of more than one quirky small salon owner she's known. And she brings down the house on her big number, "Ireland," a surprising tribute to God's Own Country in the midst of a story about law, as well as during her own legal scene, when Elle uses what she's learned in class to have Paulette's beloved dog returned. Paulette's personal story becomes more interesting when the new UPS delivery man, Kyle, played by fellow veteran Fulton performer Curt Dale Clark comes on stage. All right, he fulfills the requirement that Kyle must be striking enough to make Paulette weak-kneed. That's the easy part. However, harking back to Paulette's tribute to the land of leprechauns and peated whisky, he and the ensemble also give the audience a riotous, Marc-Robin-choreographed, Michael Flatley LORD OF THE DANCE inspired dance scene that's plainly not intended to occur while in UPS uniform.

And then there's the villain of the story, Professor Callahan. He's evil in ways that the scary law professor in PAPER CHASE, played by John Houseman, never was, and Gene Weygandt, playing him, gives him a sinister edge that makes the audience want to hiss and boo whenever he appears. His delivery of "Blood in the Water" during the first law school class is enough to make would-be lawyers consider other career options.

Speaking of law as a career, the bulk of the second act is the courtroom story in which Elle defends fitness guru Brooke Wyndham (Jessica Lorion) on murder charges. If you've never seen the show or the film, suffice it to say that this is not LAW AND ORDER - it's more legal disorder, in which Elle wins the case and proves that she's better than Professor Callahan thinks, through use not just of law but of her vast prior knowledge of women's styles and grooming. It's also the opportunity for the show's signature courtroom ensemble number, "Gay or European?", certainly one of the best (and non-homophobic) comedy numbers involving the subject.

Few parts of LEGALLY BLONDE are serious, and nothing is sacred, with the possible exception of using your brain. Like a Judy Holiday comedy, it is cheerful fluff. You won't leave with your horizons expanded, or with deep philosophical questions in your mind. It's pure entertainment, and at that, this production succeeds admirably.

If you want to be cheered with a big cone of pink cotton candy live on stage, grab tickets now - this is a short run for the Fulton, closing on Valentine's Day. For tickets and information visit thefulton.org.

Photo Credit: Shift Focus Photography

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