Legally Blonde The Musical

Legally Blonde The Musical
Music & Lyrics: Laurence O’Keefe & Nell Benjamin. Book: Heather Hach. Engadine Musical Society. Sutherland Entertainment Centre. May 13 – 17, 2015.

Haven’t seen the 2001 movie starring Reese Witherspoon? Don’t know the plot? Archetypal blonde Elle Woods qualifies for Harvard Law solely to pursue the guy who has dumped her for a more suitable fiancé. After finding her own brand of legal smarts, which stretch well beyond dusty law books, she makes her mark, finds academic success, and finally love with the right guy.

The musical version of this feel-good story is played out with snappy enthusiasm in this production.

From the exuberant, well-drilled opening number, ‘Omigod You Guys’, Craig Nhobbs’ inventive choreography is the shining hallmark of Engadine Musical Society’s Legally Blonde. There are many non-dancers in the large, mostly youthful ensemble, I’m told, so all the more power to Craig for again creating routines that disguise this so splendidly, making his novice dancers look so fabulous. He’s quite a master of stage formations and patterns. The Harvard admission number ‘What you Want’ had several moments to rival the professional version.

For all its apparent frothiness, Legally Blonde strikes me as a deceptively challenging musical to stage.  Director Rod Herbert, Darren Hutchinson and Paul Oscuro have come up with a design which is both attractive and functional in moving the show along, a couple of open night glitches excused. The design is complemented by some attractive lighting choices.

Costuming is a bright, regularly changing treat, in a very big wardrobe show.

Diminutive Jennifer Parbery is an appealing Elle, bringing out the many qualities essential for audiences to love this off-beat heroine, including spunkiness, vulnerability, zaniness and warmth, as she plays Elle’s stereotype-trashing character arc to self-esteem endearingly. She sells Elle’s big songs convincingly, though occasionally her dialogue scenes were perhaps played a little too intimately for this huge venue.

Just how has Elle’s quirky legal logic chimed with Jennifer’s own day job as a lawyer, I wonder.

She is well supported by the two men in Elle’s life. Daniel O’Connor has ajust the right superficial charm as Warner to appropriately put audiences off-side with him the moment he drops Elle. Tim Watson lands Emmett’s awkward, serious sincerity, winning hearts in the audience long before capturing Elle’s. Both have highly pleasing voices.

Tanya Boyle’s vibrant, larger–than-life Paulette takes the comic honours, yet she also layers the character with some very engaging, poignant moments. Tanya is also blessed with the chops to really land her vocals.

James Jonathon nails delivery guy Kyle, Paulette’s love interest, with delicious physical comedy, also working brilliantly with Rufus, the Bulldog (Stella), who really is the canine star, with the incredibly cute Chihuahua Bruiser seeming a little stage struck on opening night.

Is Julian Batcheor perhaps a little young for the lecturer and high-flying lawyer Calahan? For mine yes, but he carries off the role with conviction.

Lynley Fuller makes the role of Brooke her own, leading the big skipping routine in ‘Whipped Into Shape’ with aplomb – has there ever been a better combination of choreography with fitness regimen for community theatre. Congratulations to the ensemble member who lost his skipping rope, yet maintained perfect form for the rest of the scene without it, semphasising that the drill for this number has obviously been intense and precise.

Angela Hanna (Vivienne) chips in with some terrific vocals too, particularly when she turns from Elle’s nemesis to her ally.

Elle is well supported throughout by her effervescent Greek Chorus, while Meg Day’s quirky character cameos top off the fun.

In the end, Legally Blonde only fell short of a top community theatre experience on opening night because the sound balance between the orchestra and smaller solo singing voices / underscored dialogue missed the mark. It’s always high order among the trials amateur companies face with just a few rehearsals to add all the bells and whistles as they transfer a show from a rehearsal space to a large venue.

While some great community theatre voices as pit singers bolster the ensemble very effectively, smaller solo voices couldn’t quite compete with the louder instruments in the band, in a venue without the sound control of an enclosed pit, while a underscored dialogue including some terrific gags, was also obscured at times. Lots of radio mics were evident, so with a mix of restraint in the pit, more confident vocal projection and adjustments at the sound console, I’m optimistic that Legally Blonde will reach its full, highly enjoyable potential as the season progresses.

Neil Litchfield

Images: Perfect Images Photography.

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