“Legally Blonde: The Musical”
Show closed at Golden Gate Theatre, San Francisco; it will open on Broadway in early April.
***1/2

THE STORY: The accomplished Laura Bell Bundy (of “Hairspray” and “Wicked” fame) stars as Elle Woods in this movie-turned-musical comedy. Woods, seemingly a “typical” air-headed resident of Malibu with a degree in fashion from UCLA, expects her longtime boyfriend Warner Huntington III (played by Richard H. Blake) to propose to her at a fancy dinner. Instead he breaks up with her, claiming that she is in the way of his ambitions to be a senator before he's 30.

Warner leaves for Harvard Law School and Woods follows in his tracks, hoping to regain his affections despite her father's protest that “law school is for boring, ugly, serious people.” At Harvard, Elle has to deal with Warner's icy new girlfriend, Vivienne Kensington (Kate Shindle), a moral-free law shark of a professor (Michael Rupert) and the distressing absence of pink from the average person's wardrobe.

(Photo: Laura Bell Bundy stars as the Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde: The Musical." Credit: Paul Kolnik)

THE GOOD: Bell Bundy channels all of Reese Witherspoon's energy, enthusiasm and “blonde-ness.” She adds a clear, strong voice that is tailor-made for musical theater to play a dynamic, extremely lovable Woods.

The show’s music and the book aren’t particularly amazing, but scores of clever, funny moments counter the lack of depth, for example, the courtroom number, where Woods’ legal team wants to know if a pool boy is gay -- or simply European.

The show also features a gorgeous set and sublime lighting design. (The lights were designed by Kenneth Posner, a 30-show veteran whose resume includes hits like “Hairspray,” “Wicked” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.”)

THE BAD: The male leads didn't impress as much as their female counterparts. In the number “Chip On My Shoulder,” Woods’ suitor Emmett Forrest gives off more of an “annoyingly superior” vibe than a “cute, likable, trying to help” feel, and my opinion of him didn't really improve. Also, the law professor's number, “Blood in the Water,” was more of a slightly creepy dirge than the hilarious, loud, flashy number that it could have been.

For audience members who haven't seen the movie, certain details of the plot could be hard to follow. Too much of the plot is exposed with lyrics that aren't always clear.

THE BOTTOM LINE: While numbers like “Ohmigod You Guys” may never rank among the most meaningful in Broadway history, they were catchy enough to get stuck in my head for a good few hours after the show. What the show lacks in substance, it more than makes up for with talent, energy, technical eye candy and hilarious moments. “Legally Blonde: The Musical” is a truly enjoyable show that can “bend and snap” with the best of them.

-- Keenan Weatherford, Aptos High