Review: LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL at Village Theatre

Dear Readers, if you know my reviews then you know how picky I can be, especially with shows I love.  One such show is certainly “Legally Blonde: The Musical”, currently playing at Village Theatre.  I managed to see the original cast down in San Francisco and it’s always held a special place in my heart.  Plus, I just think it’s an outstanding show.  So, while I think the current Village production has oodles going for it in regards to talent and general all-around fun, there were just a few tiny things that kept it from blowing me away, the big one being that ineffable spark.  But we’ll get to that.

The musical with music and lyrics from Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and a book from Heather Hach follows the 2001 Reese Witherspoon film, sometimes verbatim.  We have our plucky heroine Elle Woods (Betsy Stewart) who lives her charmed life in Malibu with few obstacles.  She’s smart and gorgeous, from a wealthy family, and with a picture-perfect boyfriend, Warner Huntington III (Ethan Carpenter).  On paper she has it all.  But her perfect world crumbles when Warner decides she’s not serious marriage material for a high-powered future lawyer as he heads off to Harvard Law School.  Distraught, she does what only a plucky heroine can do, wallow in self-pity for about a week or two and then hatch a crazy plan to win him back, namely get into Harvard Law herself (“What, like it’s hard?”) to show him she can be all he thinks he needs.  And she does, but Harvard is not what she expected and she’ll need to buckle down to prove herself.

With killer songs that absolutely move the story along such as “Omigod You Guys”, “So Much Better” and an entire song dedicated to the “Bend and Snap” to name just a few, and a fantastic book that honors and even improves on the original, the show is a sure-fire good time.  Add into that some insane choreography from Katy Tabb (her “Whipped into Shape” in a smaller space is a Herculean feat) and some fabulous staging from director Meredith McDonough and the production is fairly rock solid.

But as I said, I’m picky and there were a few minor (and I do mean minor) qualms in an otherwise wonderful show.  Let’s begin with our Elle.  Stewart is everything we need Elle to be.  She’s bubbly, with a killer voice and dance moves, and she absolutely looks the part.  For me, any Elle performance rests on the numbers “What You Want” and “So Much Better” as they require a true triple threat to act, rock out with the dancers, and then turn around and belt her lungs out.  And Stewart manages all three beautifully.  What I missed was that spark.  It could have been opening night jitters or something, but while it felt technically outstanding it didn’t somehow go beyond that.  And Elle needs that “beyond” factor.  Like I said, a minor qualm.

My other, minor qualm was in the form of the villain of the piece, Professor Callahan played by Mark Emerson.  Mark is amazing and I’ve seen him nail a part to the wall.  He’s got tons of stage presence, a great actor and a wonderful voice.  But I was missing the swagger, the menace, the larger-than-life quality I’ve seen in the role.  And without that we lack, again, that spark, that “beyond”.

The rest of the ensemble all bring it and then some.  The ensemble at large are some of the hardest working, most insanely talented young performers I’ve seen.  Every move from them felt crisp and right on the beat to glorious effect.  Possibly none more than the Delta Nu Sisters/Greek chorus led by Kristin Burch, Nalica Hennings, and Arika Matoba.  Each with their own distinct characters and amazing solos, they were a force of nature.  And I must mention a few other ensemble members.  Richard Peacock in many roles but most notably as the hunky UPS driver, Kyle, thrilled with every move, especially with those legs in those tight brown shorts. And then there was Danny Kam who kept appearing with a never-ending supply of hilarious characters and wigs.

Rounding out the supporting characters we have some further powerhouses.  Trina Mills as the fabulous yet beaten down manicurist Paulette was a wonder of voice, dance and comedic delights.  Cy Paolantonio as exercise queen Brooke led that aforementioned “Whipped into Shape” with a fiery intensity.  Cherisse Martinelli sadly only got to show off her insane pipes briefly as the uptight Vivienne.  And Coleman Cummings was the perfect nerdy dreamboat as Emmett who has the dubious task of being the lone grounded straight man in this crowd of crazy characters and he handled it beautifully.

I could go on and on but, minor qualms aside, this is an incredible production of a brilliant show.  And so, with my three-letter rating system, I give Village Theatre’s production of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” two snaps up of a YAY.  I double Delta Nu Sister swear, you’ll have an Elle of a great time.

“Legally Blonde: The Musical” performs at Village Theatre in Issaquah through December 22nd, before moving to their Everett location running January 4th through 26th, 2025.  For tickets or information, visit them online at www.villagetheatre.org.

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