It’s wild to think that the movie Legally Blonde came out almost 25 years ago. Reese Witherspoon in her role of Elle Woods was memorable. What made her memorable was her confidence, her intelligence and her ability to stay true to herself. Theatre Calgary’s production of the musical based on the movie and the novel by Amanda Brown, with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, is a big, pink production. It captures the boldness of Elle Woods, but leaves out a crucial part of the character. The story arc of Elle is that she starts out chasing a boy and trying to win him back, but winds up in a job that she’s really good at and has an impact. She’s unsure at first, but finds her footing by believing in herself. The root of this character development is lost in the musical. It gets drowned out with glitz and glamour and musical numbers that don’t add to the storyline. Legally Blonde is like eating too much candy, it tastes pretty good at first, but it eventually hurts your teeth.
The musical tells of Elle Woods (Kelsey Verzotti) who expects her boyfriend Warner (Kaden Brett Forsberg) to propose. He doesn’t and confesses that he’s going to law school and that he wants to break up. Elle decides that she’s going to change his mind and get admitted to Harvard Law (What? Like it’s hard?) and discovers that Warner is dating his old girlfriend Vivienne (Chelsea Woodard). Elle struggles to fit in and has salon therapy where she befriends esthetician Paulette (Patricia Zentilli) and manages to give Paulette enough confidence to get her dog back from her ex and confront her feelings for Kyle, the UPS guy (Gunho Kwak). Elle applies to be an intern with Professor Callahan (John Ullyatt) where she works to acquit Brooke (Sarah Horsman) who is accused of murdering her husband. She meets Emmett (Daniel Fong) along the way and learns a bit more about what a healthy relationship might look like.
This is a large production for Theatre Calgary, with a large cast and an orchestra. It’s their season finale, their big musical production. It’s shiny and full of glitter, with some standout performances. Verzotti is an amazing lead and holds the role of Elle beautifully. Fong is also a stand out performance giving Emmett this softness that allows the relationship between him and Elle to bloom. Kwak as well as Nikko Angelo Hinayo as Nikos both have a level of energy and gusto on stage that is fun to watch. Director Stephanie Graham has the action and music move along nicely and there is a nice flow to the musical. Beyata Hackborn’s set design is creative and grand while Rebecca Toon’s costume design is peppy and sophisticated just like Elle Woods. Legally Blonde also features dogs on stage and they are the complete dog stars.
There is a lot to like about Legally Blonde the musical. It feels good and confident and positive. But you don’t remember anything about the songs other than “oh my god, you guys!” and the musical omits Elle’s growth. It’s all a little too much and a little too sweet.
Theatre Calgary’s production of Legally Blonde runs until June 15th. More information is available online.