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Walnut Creek has never been so sweet. As Elle Woods storms up the steps of Harvard Law and into your heart with her unique brand of fizzy wisdom, she’ll give you a toothache.
Based on the 2001 movie, “Legally Blonde, The Musical” runs through March 3 at the Dean Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. Featuring a cast of San Ramon Valley residents and Broadway star Bailey Hanks, the musical centers on buxom blonde Elle Woods’ trials and tribulations as she enters law school with intent of winning back her lost love. Nineteen songs later Elle discovers not just true love, but her inner strength and intelligence.
“I thought it was going to be just fluffy, but it also had a lot of heart,” Director Gia Solari said to Diablo Arts. “I was touched by the movie, and I was even more touched by the musical. I thought it had a beautiful sentiment. Our tag line for the show is, ‘Being true to you never goes out of style.'”
Neil Benjamin, Laurence O’Keefe and Heather Hatch’s musical may have dazzled audiences during its 2007 San Francisco premiere, but as the show’s overall message may encourage love-lost ladies to pursue their dreams and find their inner confidence, much of the script feels contrived. What should be a campy romp about a ditz-turned-discriminating lawyer remains an often-didactic look at modern womanhood.
But an amazing ensemble and the extremely convincing Hanks, who plays the at once confused and confident Elle with ease, saved all technical glitches and over-obvious script writing. Together, they brought an unflappable energy to numbers such as “Omigod You Guys” and “Chip On My Shoulder” that may have otherwise been a tepid slog.
Excellent and innovative choreography — particularly a fitness routine number complete with jump rope and trampolines in “Whipped Into Shape” — combined with upbeat disco and funk beats helped overpower the sparse sets and audio problems on opening night. In “Bend and Snap,” a girls-only number highlighting Elle’s signature come-hither move, choreographer Renee DeWeese and Solari create a sexy whirlwind using hip-hop and funk influences that gave supporting actors Lynda DiVito (Paulette) and Lital Abrahams (Serena) a real chance to strut their stuff.
DiVito shines as Paulette, a middle-aged hairdresser who, until meeting Elle, had been hit hard by life. At once funny and commandingly serious, she brought the house down with “Ireland,” a lonely song about longing for a different life. Perhaps the strongest actor in the show, DiVito brings balance and comic relief to the palatable hatred between Elle and her ex’s new love, Vivienne Kensington (Brenna Wahl).
“Blood In The Water,” sung by Tom Reardon as the callous Professor Callahan, stands out from other songs as a smooth, Rat Pack inspired number. Reardon croons about the merits of being a cutthroat lawyer, mesmerizing the audience with his swagger and dominion over his first-year law students. A more traditional musical number, “There! Right There!” manages to turn a homosexual witch-hunt into a funny caper, complete with a gay kiss between ensemble members.
Other highlights of “Legally Blonde” include Ian Leonard as Emmett Forrest — a new lawyer and Elle’s love interest — who provides much needed straight man comic relief to the high-pitched pink tizzy of the Greek Chorus. Less-than-PC lines such as “You can’t barge in here with your singing, dancing and ethnic movement!” jolt the audience from their great gossamer blanket of fuchsia fantasy with wry wit.
Despite its flaws, “Legally Blonde, The Musical” is an enjoyable romp through a gray, uptight world turned pink by a precocious Los Angeles native. Bailey Hank’s Elle Woods is truly emblematic of the axiom “Blondes have more fun.”
For more information on “Legally Blonde” or to buy tickets, visit http://www.lesherartscenter.org.
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Broadway’s Bailey Hanks as Elle Woods. Photo courtesy of Ben Krantz Studio/www.benkrantz.com. -
At the Delta Nu sorority house. Photo courtesy of Ben Krantz Studio/www.benkrantz.com. -
The “Greek Chorus” provided Elle with much-needed wisdom. Photo courtesy of Ben Krantz Studio/www.benkrantz.com. -
Photo courtesy of Ben Krantz Studio/www.benkrantz.com. -
Professor Callahan (Tom Reardon) croons in “Blood in the Water.” Photo courtesy of Ben Krantz Studio/www.benkrantz.com. -
The “Legally Blonde” cast demonstrates serious athletic ability during “Whipped Into Shape.” Photo courtesy of Ben Krantz Studio/www.benkrantz.com. -
Lynda DiVito shines as Paulette. Photo courtesy of Ben Krantz Studio/www.benkrantz.com. -
Cast during “There! Right There!” Photo courtesy of Ben Krantz Studio/www.benkrantz.com.
