Ohmigod you guys! Welcome back to From Silver Screen to Spotlight: the only blog that reviews, critiques, and rates movie musicals! Based on the content on this passion blog, it’s pretty clear that I love theatre, but another activity I love (that may not be as clear) is mock trial! In fact, I have a mock trial competition this week that I have been preparing for, so I thought it was only fitting to review one movie musical that encapsulates both my love of theatre and law into one—Legally Blonde! So, this week, I will be trading in my Penn State navy and white for some Harvard crimson and black.

Quick Facts

          Legally Blonde opened on Broadway on April 29, 2007, at the Palace Theater and closed a year and a half later after 595 performances. During its tenure, Legally Blonde grossed a total of $56.3 million, filmed an MTV pro-shot, and produced an MTV reality competition show called The Search for the Next Elle Woods (both of which can be found on YouTube). Thanks to the pro-shot and reality show, Legally Blonde continues to attract new fans every day, thus ensuring that the legacy of Elle Woods will live on forever!

 

Legally Blonde the Movie

            As an aspiring attorney, I absolutely love Legally Blonde; not only is it a fun and light-hearted comedy about Harvard Law School, but it exemplifies that stereotypes can be rewritten. The character of Elle Woods—brought brilliantly to life by Reese Witherspoon—reinvents the classic but tiresome underdog trope. Instead of a team, we have one woman who, through self-motivation and determination, proves to everyone that a blonde sorority girl can become the Valedictorian of Harvard Law School. Elle Woods is the heart of Legally Blonde. She is kind, positive, resilient, funny, hard-working, and incredibly intelligent. I know that she has been a huge source of comfort and inspiration for not only me, but for any woman who has ever been underestimated.

Elle Woods is truly a film icon, but she isn’t the only notable character. Side characters like Paulette (Jennifer Coolidge), Vivienne (Selma Blair), Emmett (Luke Wilson), Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis), and Professor Callahan (Victor Garber) give the film its complexity and humor, especially Coolidge as Paulette. And of course, we can’t forget about Bruiser and Rufus (who doesn’t love dogs?). For the entire cast and crew, check out Legally Blonde (2001) – Full Cast & Crew – IMDb.

If I were to criticize the movie on anything, it would be over the relationship between Elle and Emmett. Since the movie focuses primarily on Elle’s independence, the budding friendship (and eventually romantic relationship) between Emmett and Elle seems like a secondary thought. But overall, Legally Blonde is a great movie! Even after 21 years, fans still quote the movie or dance using the Bend and Snap.

 

Legally Blonde the Musical

When I first heard that Legally Blonde was turned into a musical, I had my doubts. After all, the movie is amazing on its own, so a musical just seemed unnecessary. I was wrong. In fact, Legally Blonde might be one of the best movie musicals to ever exist. With a high-energy and light-hearted comedy like Legally Blonde, it is often hard to capture the liveliness and freshness that the camera can. However, the musical does this brilliantly through extravagant dance numbers, upbeat songs, and a comedic book. In fact, I would argue that the musical does an even better job at transmitting energy and positivity to their audience. Director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell blocked and choreographed the show in such a way that every number is bigger and more energetic than the last. However, Mitchell is careful not to overshadow the rather serious (no pun intended) scenes of the musical like Callahan sexually assaulting Elle.

Additionally, I find that the musical does a much better job at developing the relationship between Emmett and Elle. In the musical, Emmett acts more like a best friend to Elle than just a friend. As Elle navigates through Harvard, it is Emmett that guides her and inspires her to pursue a love for law, not a love for Warner. And throughout the musical, it is evident that Emmett loves Elle, but finds it difficult to muster the words and tell her. This creates another layer of complexity for the characters and audience as we watch with bated breath. But the relationship between Emmett and Elle is not the only redefined relationship in the musical; side characters like Serena, Margot, and Pilar (rather unimportant in the movie) are given a new role as the Greek Chorus—Elle’s personal chorus that motivates her through her journey.

That being said, I still have some qualms with the musical. For instance, I dislike how dependent Elle is on others. In the movie, Elle is completely self-driven, but in the musical, she is guided by Emmett and the aid of the Greek Chorus. Furthermore, I dislike the execution of the final trial scene. In the movie, the trial is moving and suspenseful, but in the musical, it is just childish and silly (the trial actually takes place in a bathroom).

 

The Cast

Just like the movie, the cast of this musical is absolutely incredible. Laura Bell Bundy plays the titular character opposite of Christian Borle who plays Emmett. With a role like Elle Woods, especially when originated by Reese Witherspoon, there is a lot of pressure and expectations, but Bundy cleverly makes the character her own while still paying homage to Witherspoon. Borle, on the other hand, does an arguably better job at portraying Emmett than his predecessor. Unlike Wilson, Borle makes the character loveable, nerdy, and charismatic (the male Elle, if you will). Together, Bundy and Borle create magic on the stage with their acting, chemistry, and singing, but that is not to say that their castmates are any less magical. Orfeh (Paulette) and Annaleigh Ashford (Margot), for instance, steal the show with their comedic acting. Conversely, Kate Shindle (Vivienne) creates the perfect foil character for Elle and antagonist to the story (until the end of course). Furthermore, Nikki Snelson (Brooke) always, without fail, blows me away in the act two opener “Whipped into Shape” where she simultaneously sings and jump ropes.

 

Book and Score

Overall, the book—written by Heather Hauch—is fairly accurate to the movie. There are some noticeable changes, but nothing too drastic; the story has the same ending and keeps the same jokes but focuses on character development more. But the true star of the show is the bouncy, up-tempo score with lyrics by Nell Benjamin and music by Laurence O’Keefe (the same composer of Heathers). These songs are infectious and so easy to dance to (quick, do the Bend and Snap). To Benjamin’s credit, the lyrics are witty, funny, and certain to keep an audience intrigued. Some notable songs to listen to are “Ohmigod You Guys,” “What You Want,” “Positive,” “So Much Better,” “Whipped into Shape,” “Bend and Snap,” and “Legally Blonde Remix.”

Here is a link to the full soundtrack: Omigod You Guys – YouTube

 

Set Design and Lighting

           Legally Blonde is a musical I did get to see in person, so I will speak to the set and lighting I experienced. The set and lighting design for the show was pretty standard. Given that Elle’s signature color is pink, one should expect to find a lot of pink lighting and sets. The set itself wasn’t boring or lackluster by any means (a courtroom for trial, a sorority house for the beginning, Elle’s dorm, etc.), but it didn’t leave a long-lasting impression on me (at least the set at the Walnut Street Theatre didn’t leave an impression. The Broadway set is more thought out, but still isn’t the grandest set I have seen before). If anything, it captured what needed to be displayed. The energetic score and complicated choreography, on the other hand, overshadow the set and lighting design by a long shot.

Movie or Musical

For the first time since starting this blog, I would have to say that the Legally Blonde musical is on par to its filmed predecessor. Overall, there are choices I like better in the movie and choices I like better in the musical, so it is unfair to say that one is better than the other when they balance out pretty evenly. Furthermore, both versions feature stellar casts, funny jokes, and quotable lines that enhance their specific version. While the movie pathed the way to the musical, the musical has made its own name for itself and can stand alone and still be great. If it was not obvious by the length of this week’s blog, Legally Blonde has consistently been one of my favorite musicals since I first watched it in 2019. Whether you like theatre or not, I highly suggest watching the pro-shot of Legally Blonde on YouTube. It is a decision you won’t regret!
So, in the battle of the blonde lawyers, it looks like both have won the fight!

To watch the Legally Blonde pro shot, check out the YouTube link here: Legally Blonde The Musical (Pro-shot MTV) – YouTube

To watch the reality show, Legally Blonde: The Search for the Next Elle Woods, check out the YouTube link here: Legally Blonde the Musical – The Search for the Next Elle Woods – Episode 1 – YouTube