By Carol Davis
VISTA, California — Legally Blonde The Musical that earned seven 2007 Tony Award nominations is back in San Diego County, at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista through July 14th. It is making its Southern California Regional Music Theatre premiere and it’s not only zippy, fast paced and high-spirited; it’s also fun for the whole family.
Legally Blonde, The Musical with music by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hatch is based on the 2001 Metro-Golden-Mayer film of Amanda Brown’s novel Legally Blonde. In 2007 it moved from pre-Broadway tryouts in San Francisco to the Palace Theatre on Broadway where it grossed over a million dollars.
This one scores big. Listening to the reception it received opening night at the Moonlight; Broadway and the movies aren’t the only places it’s been appreciated. I didn’t see one frown on the face of anyone exiting the theatre. In fact both young and old alike seemed euphoric.
How can you not like our leading lady, the spunky and cheerful Elle Woods, (Emma Degerstedt) recent graduate of UCLA with a degree in fashion design/merchandizing and homecoming queen whose favorite color is pink? What’s there not to like about being rich, living in Malibu and just about one of the most popular and respected Delta Nu’s on campus? That’s our leading lady’s MO. (“Omigod You Guys”)
And what could you find wrong with her handsome and wealthy boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Anthony Carillo) who really, really loves her and is expected to propose on their next dinner date? He’s headed off to Harvard to get his law degree and then plans to run for and become a senator by the time he’s thirty. Omigod! Sounds like these two really have their act together. Or do they?
Oooops! bad news for our Elle. It seems that Mr. Worthington III doesn’t see our sweet little Miss Woods in his future because she’s just not ‘serious’ enough. (“Serious”) He needs to be with someone whose name is Muffy or Fluffy of the Vanderbilt clan that his family decides is ‘right’. So he breaks off the engagement, heads back east (where all the girls have different noses) to Harvard Law School and Vivienne Kensington (Jessica Bernard) his new girlfriend, another law student who is as up tight as Elle is easy.
Not to be out done, Elle decides she too will go to Harvard Law School and show Warner how serious she can be. With the help of her sorority sisters/ her Greek Chorus, she jams, takes the entrance exams and with a letter of recommendation from none other than Oprah (huh?) she makes the cut and is accepted to Harvard Law School under the guise of ‘cultural diversity’.
She heads off to Harvard with her pet Chihuahua, Bruiser (who was very well behaved, thank you). She is dressed to the gills sporting everything from a drum majorette costume, to a pink Playboy Bunny costume to slinky and sparkling pink costumes that one can drool over as she proceeds to make a big splash on campus. (Roslyn Lehman, Renetta Lloyd and Carlotta Malone). And while everyone else in class takes notes on a laptop, our Elle is happy with a heart shaped notebook and feather flopping pen. She later resorts to a laptop, a pink one of course.
As can be predicted, Elle scores big in her classes and even comes up with some real, honest to goodness legal terms like “I Object” when she is on her professor’s legal team. And “Exhibit ‘A’ and “Your Honor, may I approach?” She also has a new admirer, teaching assistant Emmett Forrest (Brandon Joel Maier) who mentors her through her rough personal and professional ups and downs including an incident with his boss, the lecherous Professor Callahan (Cris O’Bryon)/
The show boasts of approximately 18 musical and dance numbers, under the musical direction of Dr. Terry O’Donnell, including a River Dance look alike, and an exercise skip rope number starring Jennifer Simpson as Brooke Wyndham the workout queen, that wore me out just watching her jump rope to “Whipped Into Shape”. That was an OMG moment for me. John Vaughn directs and choreographs.
Fine support comes from Julie Cardia as Paulette the local hair (in the Harvard Yard?) salon owner on whose shoulder Elle gets to cry in a turn about is fair play when Paulette needs some help herself from her lazy ex, Dewy (Johnny Fletcher) who has custody of their dog Rufus. (Yup, there are two dogs in the show).
Dylan Pass nearly brings the house down in his Fed Ex delivery outfit, brown shorts, short sleeve shirt and really, really muscular legs. As most in the audience did, Paulette couldn’t contain herself, which let to the hilarious “Bend and Snap” number.
As for the leading lady, well we couldn’t have asked for a more convincing and gifted Elle in Emma Degerstedt. The talented Brandon Joel Maier, whose stunning performance just recently as Leo Frank in Cygnet’s “Parade” won him critical acclaim, is solid as Elle’s best friend and love interest, but his mannerisms are too fussy and distracting. Cris O’Bryon proves just sleazy enough as Professor Callahan and Anthony Carillo passes muster as the handsome social climber and shallow boyfriend, Warner.
If you love fluff, fun and lots of high energy, Legally Blonde, The Musical is just what our high-powered Harvard Lawyers ordered.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: through July 14th
Organization: Moonlight Stage Productions
Phone: 760-724-2110
Production Type: Musical
Where: Brengle Terrace Park, 1200 Vale Terrace Drive, Vista
Ticket Prices: $10.00-$50.00
Web: moonlightstage.com
Venue: Moonlight Amphitheatre
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Davis is a San Diego-based theatre critic who may be contacted at carol.davis@sdjewishworld.com