Book by Heather Hach
Produced by Gordon Frost Organisation & ATG Ambassador Theatre Group
Princess Theatre, Melbourne, until Sept 29, 2013 (or later)
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on May 11
Stars: ****1/2
This review was also published in Herald Sun NEWS on line on the night of Sat, May 11 at 10.20pm, and on line in ARTS page on Mon, May 13. KH
On a scale of 1 to 10 for
perkiness, Legally Blonde is an 11 on the perk-o-meter, and Lucy Durack as Elle
Woods, the relentlessly upbeat, candyfloss pink, California gal, hits a 12.
Durack
is perfectly cast as the ditzy, vivacious, seemingly brainless blonde, who
emerges as a clever, capable young law graduate and amounts to more than her
platinum curls, cheerleading smile and gaudy dress sense.
There’s
plenty of high voltage song and dance numbers
so, if you thought Glee was chirpy and saccharine, wait until you see this
show!
The
effervescent Australian production bounced into Melbourne with a glitzy opening
night attended by musical theatre and media celebrities including: Lisa McCune,
Eddie Perfect, Anne Wood, Teddy Tahu-Rhodes, Tony Bartuccio, Caroline Gillmer, Patti
Newton, Brian Mannix and Colette Mann.
For
those unfamiliar with the plot of the movie on which this musical is based, Elle
chases her self-absorbed, UCLA college boyfriend, Warner (Rob Mills), to
Harvard Law School to win him back after he dumps her to find a smarter gal.
In
Durack and Mill’s early duet, (Time to Get) Serious, the dislikeable cad,
Warner, played with smug, swaggering arrogance by Mills, deflates Elle’s
buoyant nature when he unceremoniously and unexpectedly drops her.
Durack’s
vibrant vocal tone with its bright, musical theatre twang, lends energy and
poignancy to songs by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, and the title tune is
eminently singable.
Elle’s spirited opening chorus of Omigod You Guys– with her cheerleading gang of UCLA, Delta Nu, sorority sisters (Ashlea Pyke, Chloe Zuel, Shaye Hopkins) in their mini-skirts and even mini-er shorts – is a lesson in colour and vitality.
In
another bonanza of sassy chorus and choreography, What You Want, Elle presents
the stuffy Harvard entrance committee with her three-dimensional, all-singing,
all-dancing “personal essay”.
O’Keefe
and Benjamin’s song list includes chirpy, funky choruses and smooth ballads
with clever, satirical lyrics that illuminate the story and cunningly expand
the characters’ intentions and feelings.
Heather
Hach’s book makes Legally Blonde a morality tale for teenage girls that will
also appeal to families, and it is riddled with cheerfully silly dialogue and
acerbic humour about college kids and their idiotic obsessions.
Elle
learns that she can be accepted for her own style, that her street smarts and
fashion tips can be applied to the law, and that she is more than a lolly-pink
heroine.
David
Harris is warm and charming as Emmett, the scruffy law graduate (and the
thinking woman’s hottie) who overcame adversity, loves Elle and helps her
fulfil her capacity as a lawyer and be true to her self.
Erika Heynatz is a delightful revelation as Elle’s client, Brooke Wyndham, Cameron Daddo makes a boo-able villain as the unscrupulous legal shark, Professor Callahan, singing the chilling song, Blood In The Water.
Zoe Jarrett as Enid the lesbian-feminist lawyer is a hoot, and Mike Snell received clamorous applause for his cameo as Kyle, the sexy postie.
Jerry Mitchell’s direction is slick and swift-paced, his choreography athletic, feisty and energetic, and the costumes (Gregg Barnes) and set design (David Rockwell) feature vivid, high-gelato colours.
If sweet, shiny, girly-pink things and cute puppies make your teeth ache, then this show may not be your kind of cupcake, but it is a fairy-floss of flamboyant fun.
By
Kate Herbert
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