WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Aug. 17, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Here are some fun facts about the rose-colored world of “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” playing at West Valley Performing Arts Center through the end of this month.
There are more than 160 costumes among 25 cast members, and in excess of 50 wigs featured in the production. There are 575 light cues and 95 sound cues, along with 227 wheels on set pieces and furniture, and 10 different shades of pink on the stage alone.
The show also features two adorable real live dogs, Itty Bitty and Nova.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for a couple of decades, chances are you’ve heard of the movie “Legally Blonde,” starring Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, which was released in 2001 and is based on a novel by Amanda Brown.
The outline of the movie originated from Brown’s experiences as a blonde going to Stanford Law School while being obsessed with fashion and beauty and frequently clashing with the personalities of her peers.
“Legally Blonde: The Musical,” with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and a book by Heather Hach, first opened in San Francisco, California. In April 2007 the show moved to Broadway, receiving seven Tony nominations and 10 Drama Desk nominations before it closed the following year. The West End production, which opened in January 2010 at the Savoy Theatre and closed in 2012, was nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards and won three, including Best New Musical.
This production, presented by West Valley Arts, plays at West Valley Performing Arts Center at 3333 S. Decker Lake Drive from Aug. 9 to Aug. 31, with performances Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets are available here.
The show follows the transformation of sorority girl Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Her life is turned upside-down when her boyfriend Warner dumps her so he can attend Harvard Law.
Determined to get him back, she ingeniously charms her way into the prestigious school. With the support of some new friends, she quickly realizes her potential and sets out to prove herself to the world. She discovers how her knowledge of the law can help others, and successfully defends exercise queen Brooke Wyndham in a murder trial, thus defying expectations while staying true to herself.
I was actually very surprised to read reviews of other productions that were not particularly positive; my husband and I loved this version from start to finish. Director Brooklynn Pulver Kohler told Gephardt Daily in an interview last month that she was inspired by the “Barbie” movie in her staging of the show, and what makes it even more fun is that it is set in the early 2000s, with plenty of Y2K fashion, music, and pop culture references.
If you imagine that the show is a beautiful pink cupcake, then the material gleaned from the movie, which includes the most revered scenes and oft-quoted lines (bend and snap, anyone?) is the cake itself. Then add to that a big dollop of delicious icing that the stage version brings; lots of big, belty, incredibly catchy songs, fantastically fun dance numbers which include one with jump-ropes, another with a hilarious Riverdance spoof, and one more featuring a fake-Greek chorus dressed as cheerleaders.
Then on top of the cake and the icing, Pulver Kohler has sprinkled a generous dose of fun over every aspect of the production. It’s bursting with pizzazz, but that actually serves to make the more grounded moments even more touching as Woods teaches us about staying true to your core values at all costs.
Pulver Kohler has assembled an absolutely outstanding cast here. Without exception, every actor is a triple-threat, with great vocal and dance abilities as well as acting chops. There was a palpable sense of joy emanating from the cast on opening night, and excellent ensemble work that kept the show moving at just the right pace. Those in larger roles communicate crystal clear character arcs, so we can see how they change and grow from the beginning to the end of the show. There are many standouts, but Rachel Martorana as Woods deserves a particular shout out; her dancing and singing is flawless and she has created a character that is bubbly and ebullient without ever seeming vacuous.
Martorana is nicely matched with Geoff Beckstrand as Emmett Forrest, a law student and teacher’s assistant who falls for Woods. His character has perhaps the biggest emotional journey in the show, as he learns from his sparkly new friend that being proud of who you are on the outside really just means you take pride in your internal self. Madison Archibald takes on the role of Paulette Buonafonte, made famous by Jennifer Coolidge in the movie, and makes it absolutely her own. She has good chemistry with Jeremy Egan, who plays roles including Kyle, the hunky UPS delivery guy, with a good deal of panache.
Two other standouts for me were Teaira Burge as Woods’ nemesis Vivienne Kensington and Bryn Campbell as Brooke Wyndham, the former sorority sister of Woods who is accused of murdering her own husband. Burge has an absolutely show-stopping singing voice and the ability to really communicate her character’s journey from nemesis to ally. And Campbell, who by the way actually is a fitness teacher, killed her vocals on “Whipped into Shape” while simultaneously nailing choreography that includes vigorous jump-roping throughout and doing push-ups while her legs are balanced on a spider web-like group of other cast members, who are all doing push-ups as well (don’t try this at home, folks).
Which leads us on to the rather brilliant contributions of the production team. Benjamin Roeling wears the hats of choreographer and assistant director, and oh, he’s also in the ensemble as well. I honestly can’t remember a show I’ve seen recently in which I enjoyed the choreography more. Every single musical number is endlessly inventive and intricate, from those set in classrooms and courtrooms that involved benches on wheels that were incorporated into the choreo, to Woods’ Harvard “essay”, a brassy drum majorette number called “The Harvard Variations.” The music direction by Karin Gittens is polished and slick, highlighting individual voices beautifully but also succeeding in creating rich layering in the group numbers.
The production values lend themselves well to the theater the show is performed in, which is the old Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley City. I’ve always liked the space, and it’s very well-utilized in this case. The seats are in the round, and it’s not a huge theater, so it felt rather exciting to be so close to the stage (we were in the second row) and you really feel as if you’re part of the action. Scenic designer Mauri Smith makes the many elements of the set easily moveable, so wherever you’re sitting, you don’t miss a moment of the action, and there are no clunky scene changes. The lighting design by Michael Gray also helped to create a world of bubblegum perfection, with a disco ball heavily featured, of course. Costume designer Alicia Kondrick does a brilliant job, adorning Woods and her friends in shades of pink, lavender, and blue, with plenty of sparkle and shine, while the more stuffy Harvard types contrast in tweeds or cordories in black and drab tones of gray, brown and crimson. I’m not totally convinced that every single one of the 50-plus wigs by designer Savanna Finley were absolutely necessary, but heck, this is a production where everything is bigger and bolder.
A special shout-out needs to go to Itty Bitty and Nova, the two sweet doggies who play Bruiser and Rufus. Itty Bitty, who is a chihuahua, is just cool as a cucumber with his sparkly pink bandana, while Nova, a bulldog, honestly seems to be playing to each and every audience member, particularly when she shows off her snazzy little sailor costume. I don’t often say this, but I honestly felt a little sad at the end to be leaving the rose-hued world that this talented team has created. I’d definitely go back and see the show again, and I highly recommend it. It’s one of my top three favorite productions I’ve seen this year, and about as much fun as you can have, legally.
For more information about “Legally Blonde: The Musical” and for tickets, click here. The production is rated PG-13 for mild language and innuendo.
