The wise Pamela Anderson once said: “It’s great being blonde—with such low expectations it’s easy to impress.” And so it was with low expectations that I attended a matinee of "Legally Blonde The Musical" with none other than my own proud to be blonde family who had come to London to visit me. But 'omigod you guys' I promise my change in hair color was not in any way a response to "Legally Blonde The Musical!"
The classic elegance of The Savoy and its theater decked out in pink provide an exciting setting for a production that is an overall an enjoyable experience for all audiences.
While I admittedly did quite enjoy both the Legally Blonde movie from which the Legally Blonde the Musical is based upon, the narrative’s premise is far fetched. Imagining Harvard academics as bumbling wankers and belligerent elitists whilst a bubbly blonde girl from California can only have her coming of age transformation by first capitalizing upon the male gaze rather than the intellectual prowess (dismissed as a mere knack for fashion and beauty) that ultimately allows the transformation to occur even seems quite problematic. The court case is won by outing a defendant whose sexuality has legally little to do with the innocence of the accused and badgering another defendant into a confession has legally little viability in the courtroom. "Legally Blonde" thus ultimately renders the Blonde as little. Similarly and particular to the Musical, the narrative’s fashion fetish consummates the Elle and Emit romantic relationship via wardrobe change in which Emit comes to “look like Warner” seemed to castrate the progressive ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ motif.
Yet the narrative ultimately redeems itself as Elle, with the help of both male and female foils, transforms her desire to aesthetically help others into a dedication to virtuously effect change—and in style too. Elle’s transformation allow her to go from teaching the bend and snap and giving makeovers to employing her knowledge of family law to reunite a character and her beloved dog and legal ethics that maintains her commitment to her client.
***
The Musical’s production numbers provide the upbeat and comedic force that perfectly accompany the preposterousness of the narrative in order to allow the audience to focus more on the big picture rather than the particulars that undercut an otherwise inspiring story. “Gay or European” was absolutely hilarious and the “Bend & Snap” was brilliantly choreographed, however “Chip On My Shoulder” was my favorite as it captured Elle’s coming of age in an altogether humorous and thoughtful fashion that masterfully gets at the inspiring big picture of the narrative.
Chris Witmer
UC Berkeley
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