Review: Legally Blonde the Musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre
Well let me come out and lay it down right from the beginning. Legally Blonde the Musical is the most entertaining and funny thing I have seen at The 5th Avenue Theatre in years. As far as getting the most entertainment and ticket value, I have to go all the way back to Miss Saigon, and that was a drama that the 5th Avenue Theatre presented several years ago.
And if audience laughter alone was the measure, Legally Blonde would come out on top of the rest. For a movie concept that is nearly a decade old the material is surprisingly fabulous and fresh. The performance and lines are crisp, witty, and presented with Broadway’s big style and professionalism from this national touring production.
Legally Blonde the Musical tells the “famous” story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl from UCLA, who tries to win back her ex-boyfriend by enrolling at Harvard Law School. “What? Like, it’s hard?” she quips.
Following in the footsteps of Reese Witherspoon are difficult (and expensive) shoes to fill but Becky Gulsvig is believable as the perky pink princess from Malibu along with her tiny Chihuahua Bruiser, played by Frankie.
And when the law students are asked to help defend a famous exercise queen named Brooke Wyndham from a murder rap, it’s Elle’s Gaydar that comes through and saves the day for everyone in the most hysterical scene of the entire performance. I’ll save the details for when you see the musical, but trust me, it’s worth the price of admission alone and if I leave it as a surprise you won’t be able to stop laughing.
When Elle discovers her law professor is actually interested in a lot more than her legal briefs she must grapple with some hard realizations about the direction of her life. Beyond her Malibu blond exterior we learn (and so does she) that there is so much more to Elle and to life in general. And in the end, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.
Legally Blonde the Musical runs until March 14, 2010 at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. Tickets start at just $25 and can be purchased at www.5thavenue.org.
