Legally Blond, The Musical:Think pink, but see beyond the fluffy overlay

Photo. Valleywind productions

Expecting fluff? Then your first surprise is that the script of Legally Blonde, The Musical is equipped with a few skewers and incisive comments alongside the heroine’s signature colour of pink and her dream of love and marriage to a dream guy/jerk.

Among the sideswipes at stereotypes, projecting the appropriate image, social climbing and social niceties in general are a couple of shots at lawyers and the style of musical theatre. Along the way, Legally Blonde, The Musical, book by Heather Hach, music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, laughs at itself, too. And that is why the show is so much fun.

After a somewhat tentative beginning to the opening number, the high-energy Orpheus Musical Theatre Society production captures the spirit of the show and, under the direction of Cindy Beaton, the cast give the impression that they are having a ball in every number.

The precise execution of dance numbers and the liveliness of Debbie Millett’s choreography — there is a slight and highly appropriate sense of marching to the drummer that calls for women to stick together — add one more layer to the non-fluffy side of the equation.

As California blonde Elle Woods, the girl who goes to Harvard to try to convince her ex she is an appropriate match for him, Emily Reid is jaunty and stylish. As her friend and hair stylist Paulette, Nicole Milne delivers a strong performance that is just on the cusp of going over the top and always very funny — particularly in her reactions to the love of her life (no wonder in the face of Rob Singlehurst’s superb swagger).

The contrastingly subtle characterization from Derek Eyamie as Emmett, the lawyer who values the chip on his shoulder, works extremely well, as does the eye-catching movement from Andrea Black as Pilar.

The two bad guys, Jacob Atkinson as Warner Huntingdon III and Dean Ross as the sleazy lawyer/professor, give an adequate impression of nastiness, though Atkinson, at times, seems a little uncomfortable in his role.

The words sung by the female chorus, occasionally overwhelmed by the orchestra under Wendy Berkelaar’s baton, are periodically difficult to understand — a pity when the lyrics are definitely worth hearing.

But this is a relatively minor quibble. The joyful Orpheus production of Legally Blonde continues at Centrepointe Theatre to December 1.

Legally Blonde, The Musical Music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin Book by Heather Hach Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the MGM movie Orpheus Musical Theatre Society Director                                                                     Cindy Beaton
Musical Director	Wendy Berkelaar
Choreographer	Debbie Millett
Set	Tony Walker
Costumes	Wendy Blakey, Joy Lackey
Lighting	Rob Puchyr
Sound	John Cybanski

Cast

Elle Woods	Emily Reid
Emmett Forrest	Derek Eyamie
Warner Huntington III	Jacob Atkinson
Paulette	Nicole Milne
Professor Callahan	Dean Ross
Enid Hoopes	Mahtab Sabet
Brooke Wyndham	Courtney Vezina
Vivienne Kensington	Rebecca Lantos
Margot	Hayley Doelman
Serena	Christa Cullain
Pilar	Andréa Black
Kyle / Dewey	Rob Singlehurst
Ensemble	Joy Mwandemange, Sierra Brennan, Zoe Towne, Samantha Grigsby, Jillian Conway, Tanika Johnny-G, Ariane Roy, Liane Wray, Tara Morris, Tifanni Kenny, Matthew Chin, Keith Goranson, Michael Moreau, Scott Lemoine, J.T. Morris, Brandyn Mascall, Cody Zulinski, Pino Dicorato, Graeme Parke, Jeremy Sanders