Review: OMG! LEGALLY BLONDE Is Back

Legally Blonde The Musical/book by Heather Hach/music & lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin/directed by Chuck Ketter/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through July 15

OMG! You mean, like, Elle Woods isn't from the San Fernando Valley, but from Malibu? Wow! And- she not only attended college locally but got into Harvard Law School? May seem a bit far-fetched or too hard to swallow, but it doesn't matter, because once you've seen Elle in action, she's irresistible: a cross between Goldie Hawn, Glinda from Wicked and a splash of Mary Poppins thrown in for good measure. You're gonna love her, guys, in this grande spanking, freshly blossomed pink rosebud of a show. If you liked Reese Witherspoon in the film, you will adore perky, gorgeous Callandra Olivia and everyone else in the fantastically sugar-coated romp Legally Blonde The Musical currently onstage at Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre.

I never saw the film but within seconds I fell in love with the overly-optimistic story and the excessive giddiness of the characters. When Elle enters Harvard Law School for the first time dressed as a majorette with marching band in tow - Blonde had its hooks in me. And it's all for the sake of love. How can you top that? Olivia and her Delta Nu sisters, her Greek chorus - Emily Chelsea as Serena, Taleen Shrikian as Margot and Christianne Santiago as Pilar - radiate big time. Also captivating are Molly Stilliens as deliciously off beat, good-hearted Paulette, Katie McGhie as image-conscious fitness guru/accused murderess Brooke and Elle's rival, obnoxious Vivienne, Tara Shoemaker. And the men in the show, who learn to treat their women well or lose: losers Matthew Malecki as scumbag Warner and Ron Hastings, so disgustingly deceitful as Professor Callahan; and winners: sweet and dependable Emmett, played dynamically byJordan Killion ... and Nic Olsen as Kyle, the sexy, musclebound Irish jig-dancin' UPS guy! Two adorable pups, Mia as Elle's Chihuahua Bruiser and Dumpling as little bulldog Rufus round out the cast.

Benjamin and O'Keefe's swinging score is fresh and tingly - love "Ireland", "Chip On My Shoulder" and "Bend and Snap". Alison Keslake's fast-paced choreography is bright and crowd-pleasing, as is director Ketter's fast pacing and fluid staging. Costumes, many in different shades of pink for Elle, are credited to The Theatre Company and coordinator Merrill Grady, and are OMG delightfully colorful, as are the appropriate set pieces and simple background flats, designed by Ketter as well.

This is not Stephen Sondheim, so you need not worry too much about the heavy side of life. Leave that to Elle, who strives over.the.top to be taken seriously, yet has an awful lot of fun in the process. Stick to her up, fun, lighter side loaded with heart!

As I watched the show this time, I did relaize that in its own special way Legally Blonde is a semi triumph for female causes, particularly for blondes who overcome the stereotype and prove great intelligence and the ability to rise to the top in a career heretofore considered open primarily to the male element.

Warning: there are issues of sexual harrassment, infidelity, deceit, homosexuality and lesbianism, and even murder...and some cases of... poor taste in clothing and..omigod, bad hair, but it all sort of meshes together in what seems like one big happy colorful dream, so lighten up and bring the teens along! What's the bottom line? A bright evening of laughs and a lot of sunshine.

As for Act One at Candlelight, the dinner and service are impeccable. Waiters are fast and friendly. Drink specials at $6 are delightful: the Bend & Snap - my choice, real fruity with rum and pineapple juice, as well as the Bruiser, Ireland, a delightful Irish coffee, and the Delta Nu.

Next up: The Little Mermaid in late July! Looking forward!

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