Legally Blonde: The Musical

Ovens Auditorium

April 21, 2009

The Deal: Legally Blonde: The Musical opens at Ovens Auditorium.

The Good: Legally Blonde: The Musical will boost your spirits, leaving you singing along — Omigod, Omigod, you guys! — long after the show is over. You’ll be genuinely enthused over the ditsy drama with a deeper message. Despite being a spoiled, good-looking Malibu gal, Elle Woods — the lead character played by Becky Gulsvig — decides to apply to Harvard Law School in a desperate attempt to win her shallow, quick-to-drop-her boyfriend Warner — played by Jeff McLean — back. She gets in through hard work and determination, as well as the outlandish intrusion by herself and the cheer squad, which ultimately seals the deal on her acceptance. Yet, Woods still doesn’t come close to winning back her heart-throb, who has already found a more “serious” suitor in Vivienne – played by Megan Lewis.

This is where the plot thickens, as Woods’ character remains at the school, instead of immediately leaving to go home and back to a life of little worry and a lot of fun. She pushes on with the full force that hardcore shoppers possess when they bust through department store doors on Black Friday. Her energy doesn’t go unnoticed and ultimately she accomplishes much more than she bargains for.

The cast of Legally Blonde: The Musical is marvelous, with each character enriching the show, from giddy girlfriends and salon drama queens to the more buckled-down law students and even two well-trained dogs (a chihuahua and bull dog). The whole performance is exciting, fused with humor and a positive message: to be true to yourself and proud of who you are. In my opinion, Legally Blonde: The Musical surpasses a lot of the musicals I’ve seen, including the more popular Rent.

The Bad: What can I say? In all honesty, this show was great. Cast, band and stage props were on target and I left thoroughly impressed.

The Verdict: I’d recommend you go see it. It continues at Ovens Auditorium through April 26.

Anita Overcash, Associate Editor at Creative Loafing, has toiled in journalism for nearly a decade. She' a former arts and entertainment editor for The University Times at UNC Charlotte, where she graduated...

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