LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL
LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL, Lyric Theatre, The Star, to 16 December 2012. Photos by Jeff Busby: above - David Harris, Cameron Daddo, Lucy Durack and company; right: David Harris and Lucy Durack.
Reviewed by BRYCE HALLETT
JERRY Mitchell's production of Legally Blonde is light and fun, and zips along at an appropriately breathless pace given the lack of dimension and reverie in the wish-fulfilment tale. In its transition from screen to stage, the show has retained its vibrancy and bright colours, along with the big, bold and brassy playing style in which the blonde heroine Elle Woods (Lucy Durack) disarms her detractors, discovers her worth and dismantles the blonde myth.
Well, at least up to a point, because Legally Blonde doesn't weigh heavily into the politics of Girl Power or the hard work, sacrifice and effort that makes a Harvard high-achiever. That, of course, would make Elle - and the musical - a very dull girl and the joy of Heather Hach's book and the lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin is that they offer parody and witty asides with a shrewd lightness of touch rather than anything too leaden or earnest.
The tone and spirit of Legally Blonde is akin to a raucous cheer squad. There's a whole lot of shouting and screaming, and without
fail the girls in the chorus are on the sidelines cheering for the outsider or the underdog, always remaining true to their faith and, no matter how high the stakes, devoted to their cause.
In her journey from girly Southern California college student in pink to a womanly, confident lawyer in navy, Elle knows a thing or two about fashion and the basic message of Legally Blonde is to not judge a book by its cover or to misconstrue through ignorance, prejudice or fear. If only, however, its story about superficiality, chauvinism and artifice were a little less shallow.
Best of all, the seamlessly-executed production designed by David Rockwell and Gregg Barnes looks and works a treat while musical director Kellie Dickerson never lets the rhythm and pulse waver. The cast is first-rate. Durack, who made Glinda such a memorable presence in the musical Wicked, is ideally cast as Elle. She is seldom off stage and firmly reveals the necessary pluck, charm and pizzaz to not only engage an audience but to carry the entire show. She is a shining force and her astute comic timing and bright, secure vocals add enormously to the musical's appeal.
Robs Mills, who was almost a newcomer when he played Fiyero in Wicked, has become a more skilful performer and he is in fine form as Warner Huntington, the self-admiring fratboy who Elle is desperate to win back. In the role of reliable, trustworthy Emmett Forrest, David Harris excels through a warm and winning combination of natural authority and an agile and appealing voice, notably in the songs Chip on My Shoulder and the quick-change Take it Like A Man in which the characteristically dishevelled Emmett becomes brand spanking shiny and new.
Cameron Daddo looks every bit the part as the urbane Professor Callahan, who gives the impression that he has the aspiring Elle's best interests at heart. His big song Blood in the Water is more murky than melodic through no fault of his own. It's a very strange tune.
Two of the most dazzling performances in the show are delivered by Helen Dallimore as the earthy salon owner Paulette and Erika Heynatz as the fitness queen Brooke Wyndham.
Although the music of Legally Blonde doesn't stick in the mind too long after the curtain comes down, the scenes involving these singer-actors add considerably to the charisma and heart of the story, Dallimore invests Paulette with grit and determination, as well as a glimpse of the disappointment and rejection that she seeks to valiantly hide. Her big number Ireland is funny, spirited and when the stage is all but cleared for the reprise, Dallimore gives the musical vocal clarity and force.
The Act II opening number Whipped into Shape is visually striking and dynamic, and enables the whole company to display its precision and verve while Heynatz absolutely looks the part as the incarcerated instructor.
Legally Blonde doesn't break new ground but it is slick, open-hearted and savvy in its own deliriously uncompromisingly, brightly engaging, MTV kind of way.
