It's here, and it's "AN ELLE OF A SHOW" (TIME Magazine).  The hilarious MGM film is now a smash hit musical, and now LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL is coming to you.

Underestimated blonde sorority star Elle Woods doesn't take "no" for an answer. So when her boyfriend dumps her for someone “serious,” Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL has been created by a dean's list of top-of-their-class Broadway talent, including Tony Award®-winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray); composer and lyricist Laurence O'Keefe (Batboy) and Nell Benjamin (Sarah, Plain and Tall); book writer Heather Hach (Freaky Friday); and scenic designer David Rockwell (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels).

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL will take you from the sorority house to the halls of justice with Broadway's brightest new heroine (and of course, her chihuahua, Bruiser).The verdict? This much fun shouldn't be legal!

Running time: 2 hours, 25 mins, including intermission. RATING: Family friendly for pre-teens and older. Civic Theatre, San Diego Haga clic aqui para Español

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL Website

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Individual ticket prices: $18 -- $79

SCHEDULE:
Tuesday, Wednesday – 7 p.m.
Thursday – 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Saturday – 8 p.m.
Saturday matinee – 2 p.m.
Sunday – 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

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Ohmigod you guys!' Legally Blonde a hit

BY DAWN BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN : The Herald-Sun
dvaughan@heraldsun.com
Apr 16, 2009

DURHAM -- Hours after seeing "Legally Blonde: The Musical" at Durham Performing Arts Center -- days, even -- the refrain "Ohmigod! Ohmigod you guys!" echoes in your head. The perky and pesky song drives away griping in a time of plenty to gripe about.

There's no question that "Legally Blonde" is a peppy show, so audiences who go won't be bored. Plus, the cast does a good job of bringing on the laughter. You can lose yourself in Elle Woods' pink lawyerly land.

Becky Gulsvig, who was the understudy in the Broadway show, is great as Elle Woods. She has similar facial expressions and delivery as actress Reese Witherspoon in the movie, but makes the role enough of her own that by the second act, audiences see Gulsvig as Elle, not as a Witherspoon substitute. It's a wonder then that the tour poster shows the original Broadway Elle instead of Gulsvig.

In "Legally Blonde," sorority girl Elle is about to graduate from UCLA and expects an engagement ring to go along with her diploma. But her boyfriend dumps her to get serious about his future at Harvard Law. Elle follows him there, managing to get in herself. She doesn't fit in but still remains pretty perky, and learns to get over him as well as becoming a decent law student, too.

While Elle's sorority sisters don't play much of a part after the beginning in the movie, in the Broadway tour they appear regularly as Elle's "Greek Chorus," keeping the flow of the show high energy. Actor Ken Land is on point as Professor Callahan, who exudes the shark lawyer persona, especially as he sings "Blood in the Water." D.B. Bonds shows the other side of lawyering -- the less shark, more helping people kind of lawyer as Elle's love interest Emmett. He is comfortable in his role and his corduroy blazer.

In a story about fashion as much as law, the clothes are great, especially the shoes. Paulette's green heels with colorful ties are the best footwear in the show. Most of the women are wearing heels of some sort, including Elle's knee high lace-up hot pink boots. Extra credit is given to the cast for dancing in heels. Some of the clothes may have been a little too fitted, as skirts were adjusted a few times during the performance.

Paulette's green shoes were part of the colorful palette of attire worn by actress Natalie Joy Johnson, who was close to stealing the show for herself as Elle's friend at the local hair salon. Her voice is awesome and she was good at getting laughs, especially with her own love interest, UPS guy Kyle, played by Ven Daniel. Daniel's brown shorts and visible biceps certainly pleased the women in the audience, and maybe a few men, too, judging by reaction to his entrance. There were a few cheeky lines about him having a package for Paulette.

The show really hits its stride in the second act, which features Daniel and more high energy songs and laughs. The stage version of "Legally Blonde" infuses more humor into the courtroom drama scene than in the movie, like musing if Nikos is gay or European in "There Right There." The two dogs were an audience hit, too.

Opening night wasn't a sellout -- in this economy, what is? -- but the theater was filled with those looking to laugh and enjoy themselves for a few hours. That's what "Legally Blonde: The Musical" gives you. Oh, and an unexpected, fun dance number near the end that I won't tell you about so you can enjoy the surprise yourself at DPAC.


© 2009 by The Durham Herald Company. All rights reserved.