Review: Light and fluffy, Legally Blonde a perfect summer musical
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Legally Blonde The Musical could be subtitled Not So Clueless.
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When main character Elle Woods turns up at Harvard, we're supposed to be as shocked as her former boyfriend Warner Huntington III. But when we first met her, she was, after all, at a university majoring in marketing. When she set her mind to qualifying for Harvard, she made that happen, with the help of her equally astute sorority sisters.
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Emmett, who starts as her mentor and ends up being her new love interest, says it best when he points out Elle's IQ drops to 40 whenever Warner is in the room. The bimbo facade is what he wanted, so she gave it to him. We're supposed to love Elle because she doesn't drop the blond persona just because she is at Harvard. That highlights one of the themes of the musical: that you have to be true to yourself.
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Legally Blonde is two hours of silly, predictable, girl-power behaviour from stereotypes rather than characters and, under Stephanie Graham's direction, it is one of the pinkest, gayest romps imaginable.
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When Emmett first visits Elle's dorm room, he discovers she lives on energy drinks, which presumably explains her eternally effervescent behaviour. In this way, the musical is like Elle. While you're ingesting it, you feel energized and elated, but those feelings wear off quickly once it's over.
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Legally Blonde is a musical without memorable music. Say what you want about Andrew Lloyd Webber, but when you leave one of his musicals, you're humming at least one tune. Think Memory from Cats, Don't Cry For Me Argentina from Evita, or I Don't Know How to Love Him from Superstar. You don't come out of Legally Blonde humming Blood in the Water, Omigood You Guys, or Whipped into Shape. They are fun in context, but they don't live outside the musical, because they are more dialogue than songs.
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Graham, who also choreographed Legally Blonde, gives us everything from cheerleading to exercise moves, and it's always high energy.
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The fairest thing to be said about Legally Blonde is it's a genuine crowd pleaser. All the laughs and the feel-good moments are in the right places, and Graham knows how to punctuate them. There is no question that this is a fun evening, and Graham has assembled a most talented cast.
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Calgary Herald
4 days ago
- Calgary Herald
Review: Light and fluffy, Legally Blonde a perfect summer musical
Article content Legally Blonde The Musical could be subtitled Not So Clueless. Article content When main character Elle Woods turns up at Harvard, we're supposed to be as shocked as her former boyfriend Warner Huntington III. But when we first met her, she was, after all, at a university majoring in marketing. When she set her mind to qualifying for Harvard, she made that happen, with the help of her equally astute sorority sisters. Article content Article content Emmett, who starts as her mentor and ends up being her new love interest, says it best when he points out Elle's IQ drops to 40 whenever Warner is in the room. The bimbo facade is what he wanted, so she gave it to him. We're supposed to love Elle because she doesn't drop the blond persona just because she is at Harvard. That highlights one of the themes of the musical: that you have to be true to yourself. Article content Article content Legally Blonde is two hours of silly, predictable, girl-power behaviour from stereotypes rather than characters and, under Stephanie Graham's direction, it is one of the pinkest, gayest romps imaginable. Article content When Emmett first visits Elle's dorm room, he discovers she lives on energy drinks, which presumably explains her eternally effervescent behaviour. In this way, the musical is like Elle. While you're ingesting it, you feel energized and elated, but those feelings wear off quickly once it's over. Article content Legally Blonde is a musical without memorable music. Say what you want about Andrew Lloyd Webber, but when you leave one of his musicals, you're humming at least one tune. Think Memory from Cats, Don't Cry For Me Argentina from Evita, or I Don't Know How to Love Him from Superstar. You don't come out of Legally Blonde humming Blood in the Water, Omigood You Guys, or Whipped into Shape. They are fun in context, but they don't live outside the musical, because they are more dialogue than songs. Article content Graham, who also choreographed Legally Blonde, gives us everything from cheerleading to exercise moves, and it's always high energy. Article content The fairest thing to be said about Legally Blonde is it's a genuine crowd pleaser. All the laughs and the feel-good moments are in the right places, and Graham knows how to punctuate them. There is no question that this is a fun evening, and Graham has assembled a most talented cast.
CTV News
24-05-2025
- CTV News
Legally Blonde takes its case to the stage at Theatre Calgary
Kelsey Verzotti (centre) and the cast of Legally Blonde, which opens Friday at Theatre Calgary and runs through June 15. ((Photo: Trudie Lee))
Calgary Herald
21-05-2025
- Calgary Herald
Preview: Actress finds inspiration in fearlessness of young female characters Elle and Dorothy
Article content Kelsey Verzotti is legally brunette. Article content To play the heroines of Anne of Green Gables and Legally Blonde, Verzotti has had to rely on wigs. Article content For the Maritime orphan in Anne of Green Gables, which she played last summer, Verzotti donned the girl's trademark red pigtails, and for Elle Woods, the heroine of Legally Blonde, whom she plays for Theatre Calgary until June 15, Verzotti goes blond. Article content Article content 'The wigs and costumes help me drop into the characters. It's always a big transformation, but they are what make me feel like Anne and Elle,' says Verzotti. Article content Article content 'I've learned so much from playing Elle. She doesn't think badly about herself. I'm inspired by that. I've seen a mindset coach to help me do what Elle does naturally. My coach helps me understand why I am so hard on myself. There is none of that in Elle. She believes in herself. That's something I have to learn to do. Article content 'When Elle decides to go to Harvard, she has no negative feelings. She just takes her dog, and away they go. She knows she can do it. That's what's so great about her. That was the great thing about Anne in Anne of Green Gables, also. She was completely unafraid to speak her mind. She was so different than the rest of the uptight town.' Article content Verzotti says the character of Elle teaches her arch rival, Vivienne, an important lesson: Do not try to make yourself look better by making someone else look bad. Article content Article content 'Nobody benefits. It's a beautiful truth. At first, Vivienne tries to undermine Elle, but eventually they become the best of allies. They end up fighting for each other, not against each other.' Article content Article content Verzotti remembers having some of Elle and Anne's fearlessness when she was in Grade 12 at William Aberhart High School in 2012. CBC was running a contest called Over the Rainbow to find a girl who would play Dorothy in the Toronto version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz. Verzotti was one of 20 finalists who went to the Dorothy Boot Camp, as it was called. Article content 'I was 17 years old. Very bright-eyed and inexperienced. But I had parents who believed in me. Article content 'That 20 was whittled down to 10, and I was one of them. I got eliminated, but not before I got to meet Andrew Lloyd Webber in his house in Barbados. One of the other girls was studying at Sheridan College in Toronto. She told me about the program and said that I should apply. I had already been accepted at the University of Calgary to study psychology, but after the experience with Over the Rainbow, I knew that what I really wanted to do.'
