Review: LEGALLY BLONDE: Time to Get Serious with You

By guest writer Yuliani Supandji.

We saw the newest musical on JPAC's (Jakarta Performing Arts Center) repertoire, Legally Blonde, on November 25. The musical began performances the day before at Jakarta's renowned art center, Teater Besar Taman Ismail Marzuki. Seven Tony Award nominations were received by the original Broadway musical, including one for Best Original Score. Furthermore, it received nominations for two Daytime Emmy Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards for the broadcast version of the filmed performances.

The 2001 film of the same name and Amanda Brown's novel Legally Blonde served as the inspiration for the musical. The plot centers on Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls in an Ivy League institution to study law to win back her ex-boyfriend. She becomes inspired in the process, strives to dispel prejudices against blondes, and succeeds as a successful lawyer.

Every character, including Elle and the supporting roles of Paulette and Mr. Callahan, is portrayed by actors who can sing, and they did an amazing job executing the songs. This is based on their acting and singing prowess, as well as their pronunciation (some dialogue can be challenging for someone who hasn't seen Legally Blonde in a theater or on film).

The song "Gay and European" deserves special attention because it parodies common misconceptions about gay men and average European men. This song served as a backbone to support the comedy-drama musical, which depicted various hues of stereotypes that call for a postponement.

“Whipped into Shape”, the first song in Act 2 and the introduction of Brooke Wyndham, get the most applause. This song features a stage full of dancers performing in-sync choreography with jump ropes.

I would also like to add the song "So Much Better". This song is an anthem for female rebirth and independence, as Elle claims in the song, "It's so much better than working with you" that she has changed from a carefree girl to a serious girl with ambition and will to change for the future.

It's not necessary for "Legally Blonde the musical" to have an extravagant staging. Despite this fact, you'll be left laughing, dancing, and singing along to this musical extravagant story, which features a dash of glamour, a burst of humor, and a whole lot shades of pink. The show also made a few minor adjustments, some of which included adding Indonesian slang phrases like "Ya kaaaan?" to the lyrics/ conversation. The cast was excellent, even with the set and lyric changes. There was a very small audio issue during the show I was invited to, but I think this is probably not their fault.

As a final note, feminism, adulthood, and defying stereotypes are the serious themes that this ultra-pink and blond musical seeks to portray. Congratulations to Jakarta Performing Arts Community family for Legally Blonde the musical production!

Photos by JPAC's Legally Blonde.