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LEGALLY BLONDE - THE MUSICAL, IS LIKE, WORTHWHILE, AT THE PANTAGES!
By Tony Reverditto

Legally Blonde -The Musical is a smash hit from Broadway; having earned seven 2007 Tony Award nominations and ten 2007 Drama Desk Award nominations. Based on the MGM blockbuster film starring Reese Witherspoon, it has become somewhat of a cult classic. Now, they have assembled a very capable national touring company that brings it on, and pleasantly surprises, by smoothly translating from screenplay to a song and dance production. I attended the exciting opening night performance and the Pantages rolled out the red carpet, while celebrities walked the walk with the paparazzi clicking away. The audience was filled with fans of all ages; many dressed in a wide variety of pink fashions, signifying that a huge fan base from the Legally Blonde movies were in attendance.

For non-die-hard-fans, here's the storyline . . . Elle Woods has it all; she's President of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic girl, Miss June in her campus calendar, and, above all, a natural blonde Oh, I forgot to mention, momma to her pampered Chihuahua, Bruiser. If that wasn't enough, she falls for the "cutest" frat boy on campus and dreams of being his Mrs. Warner Huntington III. But, there's one thing stopping Warner from popping the question--Elle just is not "serious" enough for him. So, he dumps her, counts his losses and packs up to continue his studies at Harvard Law. Elle rallies all of her "resources" and manages to get into Harvard. She puts it all out there to Warner, not privy to the fact that he has already reunited with his former blueblood girlfriend. This unexpected shocker, combined with law school pressures, proves to be a far cry from the comforts of Elle's cushy life. Conflicted, she wages a battle to make her mark, not only for herself, but for all blondes suffering from endless stereotype. Showing that she is not to be underestimated; through trials and tribulations and revelations, Elle proves everyone wrong in that being true to yourself and others never goes out of style.

The syrupy Broadway production engaged in an unprecedented partnership in October 2007, when MTV aired a television broadcast of Legally Blonde-The Musical in its entirety. Over 12.5 million viewers took advantage of a front row seat for the performance, catapulting the event to number one in its time slot. The special included a behind-the-scenes look at the musical and was hosted by the cast of The Hills live from the Palace Theatre, in New York City.

Following the success of the broadcast- -cha-ching, MTV and Legally Blonde once again joined forces creating a competition reality show, Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods. The purpose was to find a talented young actress to take over for Tony-nominated star Laura Bell Bundy. Emerging as the winner was Bailey Hanks, who performed in the role, following the announcement until the end of the engagement. As far as the touring show, the adorable Becky Gulsvig, who was an assemble member already in the original Broadway Company was cast and she excels and shines, capably filling the Prada shoes of the irrepressible Elle Woods.

The co-stars are challenged as well, they must conquer the tricky feat of imitating another actors' (immortalized on film) portrayal of the character. Natalie Joy Johnson stands out as Paulette, the seasoned hair stylist, delivering a great performance, while managing to make the part her own. DB Bonds as Emmett, Jeff McLean as Warner, and Megan Lewis as Vivienne, all give good impersonations of the film characters. Rounding out the talented company are Coleen Sexton as Brooke, Ken Land as Professor Callahan, Cortney Wolfson as Serena, Crystal Joy as Pilar and Gretchen Burghart as Enid.

The ensemble includes Sara Andreas, Ward Billeisen, Joshua James Campbell, Nick Dalton, Ven Daniel, Alex Ellis, Jay Garcia, Paul Jackel, Sarah Marie Jenkins, Leslie McDonel, Brian Patrick Murphy, Mamie Parris, Stacey Sargeant, Tally Sessions, Josh Walden and Adam Zelasko.

Directed and choreographed, with all the right moves, by Tony Award-winner, Jerry Mitchell. The music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin are ingenious and most definitely rise to the challenging cross-over. An enthusiastic shout-out goes to the contemporary seamless production features and scenic design of David Rockwell. Special attention was given to costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Paul Miller, and orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke.

For disciples of the Legally Blonde 1 & 2, this is a must see. For those of all ages who want to have a light-hearted-feel-good theatre experience this is highly recommended.

PANTAGES THEATRE
6233 Hollywood Blvd, Los
Angeles 90028

Performances through September 6, 2009
Tuesday's through Friday's at 8pm
Saturday's at 2pm & 8pm
Sunday's at 1pm & 6:30pm

Ticket Prices $25.00 to $150.00

Online: www.BroadwayLA.org

Phone: 1-800-982-ARTS (2787)

In Person:Pantages Box Office (Opens Daily at 10am)

All Ticketmaster Ticket Centers

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