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Longing For A Place
Already Gone
Original Cast Recording
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NY1 Theater Review
May
02, 2007
Sorority sister-turned-Harvard Law student Elle Woods is now shaking
things up on Broadway. NY1 Theater Critic Roma Torre filed the
following review of "Legally Blonde."
As an east coast mother of an 11-year-old girl, it's hard to buy
into the entrenched materialism and superficial values of Legally
Blonde's California sorority sisters. And yet the musical based on
the hit movie is so infectiously exuberant and good-natured, it's
equally hard to dismiss it. To be fair this is not the sort of work
that can stand intense scrutiny and yet as musicals go, there's so
much style in this adaptation, it doesn't much matter that the
substance is lacking.
Like Red Bull, the show's drink of choice, it starts with a jolt of
energy and never lets up. Famed choreographer Jerry Mitchell, making
his directorial debut, deserves high marks for keeping this plot
heavy show on its happy feet. It's a vision that's shared by the
entire company, including David Rockwell who's designed a terrific
array of whirling, versatile set pieces. The songs by Laurence
O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin are catchy and clever if uninspired; and
book writer Heather Hach adds some nice touches to the film story by
fleshing out some of the characters and injecting more edgy humor.
The stage version matches the film almost scene for scene. Elle
Woods, a clothing-obsessed UCLA sorority president is devastated
when the Harvard Law School-bound beau fails to pop the question.
She decides to follow him east and make him see that she's more than
a pretty-in-pink clothes horse. No bimbo she, Elle gets into Harvard
but stumbles amid a culture clash, eventually impressing her
hardened law professor, played to shark-ish perfection by Michael
Rupert, and winning the affections of a much better guy.
Laura Bell Bundy is a quadruple threat, singing, acting, dancing and
looking fabulous all at the same time. She injects loads of
personality, impressively evoking Reese Witherspoon's sweet-natured
perkiness while adding some lovely grace notes of her own.
The entire supporting cast is exceptionally strong. Christian Borle
as Elle's fashion-challenged boyfriend Emmet scores big with a
natural understated charm.
Orfeh as Elle's hair salon buddy is a hoot with a powerful set of
pipes. Together with her UPS guy, real-life hubby Andy Karl, they
deliver a first-class subplot.
Given “Legally Blonde's” target audience, it's fitting, I think, to
share my daughter's reaction. She loved it declaring the musical
“better than the movie.” So, alright it's pink cotton candy as I
wrote in my notes, empty calories, yeah, but it works. If you've got
a theatrical sweet tooth, “Legally Blonde” certainly fits the bill.
Source:
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=238&aid=69317 |
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