Legally Blonde: The Musical - 5th Avenue Theatre

Legally Blonde the Musical

5^th Avenue Theatre

February 25 – March 14, 2010

Tickets and Information

Oh my god, omigod, you guys—Legally Blonde The Musical is here! Based on the popular movie that made blonde the new pink, this Tony-nominated Broadway hit is touring the country and makes its Seattle stop at the 5^th Avenue Theatre. With music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach, this adaptation is both faithful to its source and freshly entertaining.

The entire cast (right down to the highly trained canines that perform as Bruiser and Rufus) is packed with talent. Becky Gulsvig plays Elle Woods with just the right amount of perky naiveté to charm the audience entirely. Jeff McLean as Warner Huntington III exhibits some of the best pop-vocal control that has ever come to Seattle. As Vivienne Kensington, Elle’s erstwhile rival, Megan Lewis goes from uptight conservative to impressive belting pop soprano in the drop of a magazine. And we can all look forward to the next production in which J.B. Bonds (Emmett Forrest) comes to town as well. His stage presence is captivating and I only hope that he is given more freedom in the future to really let loose the power he clearly has.

Cast of Legally Blonde the Musical. Photo by Joan Marcus, 2010.

Jerry Mitchell’s direction is light but precise, and his choreography splashes across the stage, full of cheerleading inspired moves as well as classic Broadway stylings. The dancing is fully playful enough to keep up with O’Keefe and Benjamin’s clever songs, which make use of word play and pop references to keep the audience laughing. The design team behind Legally Blonde pulls out all the stops; Gregg Barnes’ costumes run the gamut from colorful California girls to corduroy-clad law students, and David Rockwell’s scenic design transports the audience between two coasts without a hint of jetlag.

Legally Blonde: The Musical joyfully takes stage in Seattle for the next three weeks. Big, sassy and glitzy, this production is the epitome of a Broadway musical, and possibly the most purely entertaining thing you will see all year.

Review by Kenna M. Kettrick