Legally Blonde: The Musical – Review – Village Theatre

@showsiveseen "Legally #Blonde: The #Musical" by Village Theatre starring @Betsy Stewart as #ElleWoods. Strong choreography. Quite possibly *the* show to see this season. Don't forget to wear your #pink! #theatre #showsiveseen #legallyBlonde ♬ So Much Better (Live) – Sheridan Smith & The "Legally Blonde the Musical" Original London Cast' Company

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Legally Blonde: The Musical by Village Theatre starring Betsy Stewart as Elle Woods. Strong choreography. Quite possibly *the* show to see this season. Don’t forget to wear your pink!

Recommendation:
See it, especially if you enjoyed the movie.


My Synopsis (No Spoilers): A ditsy SoCal UCLA sorority blonde follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School for love.

Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: Don’t judge a blonde by her cover! Elle Woods appears to have it all. But her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend dumps her so he can attend Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, Elle ingeniously charms her way into the prestigious law school, and soon she discovers — and proves to the world — the power of being legally blonde. Based on the beloved movie, Legally Blonde The Musical takes you from the sorority house to the halls of justice in fabulously fun, blonde-tastic style. With an infectious score, dazzling dances, and a hilarious script, this ebullient musical is so much fun, it should be illegal!

Type: Musical

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) or Dynamic Set: Dynamic

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but you’ll probably enjoy this more if you saw the movie.

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes

Union Actors: 13

Total Actors: 20

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed

Was there an intermission? Yes

Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.5 hours

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? No, this is far from my first time seeing the show. As one of my top three favorite musicals, I’ve had the opportunity to experience it at least seven times, across various community, professional, and touring productions. The quality has varied greatly—some performances were outstanding, while others were terrible. Having seen many underwhelming versions, I’ve realized that staging a decent production of this musical is quite challenging. Only professional companies like Village Theatre are equipped to do it justice.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? Absolutely

Mainstream Appeal: Medium to high

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above

  • Choreography: Katy Tabb (choreographer) and Richard Peacock (dance captain) crafted a vibrant and dynamic choreography repertoire. It was particularly strong in “Legally Blonde Remix (especially with the Irish Stepdance), “What you Want” (especially with the impressive splits and heart pom poms), “Bend and Snap,” and the physically challenging “Whipped into Shape.”
  • Kyle: Speaking of Richard Peacock, although he didn’t visually present as Irish, I loved his flamboyant (and slightly gay) interpretation of Kyle, the sexy “walking porn” UPS man.
  • Scenic Design: I previously saw two national touring productions of this show that overly relied on video as a crutch to depict scenery. It was refreshing to finally attend a professional production that utilized more physical sets. Lex Liang (scenic designer) designed sets for Villiage Theatre reminiscent of the original Broadway production.
  • “Take it Like a Man” Song: This scene was cute and well-executed especially when they added last-minute clothing/style accessories to Emmett (played by Coleman Cummings) at the end.
  • Casting: The cast was a strong collection of mostly local professional actors like Mark Emerson (Professor Callahan), Cy Paolantonio (Brooke Wyndham), and Danny Kam (Ensemble). Cassie Kohl was perfect for the lesbionic Enid Hoopes. Ironically, Cassie’s Instagram username is “thunderdyke!” Additionally, Betsy Stewart (who isn’t local) well-portrayed the ditsy energy and look of the original Reece Witherspoon from the movie.

Rant(s)

  • Microphones and Sound: The lead singers needed better sound balancing on their microphones. A messenger bag mishap also cut out one major character’s microphone during half of their duet Additionally, the vocals in the first act were a little shaky, but the second act showed significant improvement. With a few more performances to stabilize, the vocal and sound issues should resolve.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

  • Script and Lyric Changes: There were a couple deviations from the original script and lyrics. I wonder if it was just Seattle being overly woke and politically correct. For example, they replaced “ethnic movement” with “Gen-Z enthusiasm” in the line “You can’t just barge in here with singing and dancing and ethnic movement.” Why did they change the royal classmate’s name from Sundeep Agrawal Padamadan? Why did Enid no longer lead a protest march against culturally insensitive cartoons? Why was Paulette’s baby no longer named “Shamus?” Why did they change the lyrics in “Positive” to something like “hit her with a stick of wood?”

Theatre Company: Village Theatre

Venue Physical Address:

  • Village Theatre’s Francis J. Gaudette Theatre: 303 Front Street North, Issaquah, WA 98027
  • Everett Performing Arts Center: 2710 Wetmore Avenue, Everett, WA 98201

Price Range: $44-123

Ticket Affordability Options: See the theatre’s official page about discounts and pay-what-you-can performances

Dates:

  • Issaquah: November 12 to December 22, 2024
  • Everett: January 4 to 26, 2024

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking:

  • Issaquah: Free street parking and certain free parking lots. Lot parking availability is very difficult to find though. I’ve basically given up on that. I usually end up parking on Rainier Boulevard North. As a last resort, you can always find parking at the library but it’s a little far. Remember, there’s a bottom floor parking lot under the library’s main parking lot that mostly only locals know about.
  • Everett: Free street parking and some paid parking lots/garages.

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Pictures: See production pictures below by Auston James.

Cast and Production Team: See pictures below.

Betsy Stewart in Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Betsy Stewart and the company of Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Betsy Stewart in Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Trina Mills and Roxanne in Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Trina Mills and Betsy Stewart in Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Coleman Cummings, Lauren Paris, and Betsy Stewart in Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo by Auston James (2024).
Credits for Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo from Encore Spotlight program.
Credits for Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo from Encore Spotlight program.
Credits for Legally Blonde The Musical at Village Theatre. Photo from Encore Spotlight program.

Preview Post – Blithe Spirit – Play – Seattle Rep

Congrats Seattle Rep on the opening night of their Blithe Spirit play production. Closes 12/22/24. Look out for my full review soon! #medium #psychic #ghost #poltergeist #seance #exorcism #comedy #supernatural

Tickets: https://www.seattlerep.org/plays/202425-season/blithe-spirit/

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Preview Post – Mary Poppins – Musical – The 5th Avenue Theatre

Happy opening night to Disney & Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre. On stage till 12/26/24. Keep your eyes peeled for my full review! #Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Tickets: https://www.5thavenue.org/shows/2024-25/mary-poppins/

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Shubert Brothers & Beyond – Tour – Review – Broadway Up Close

@showsiveseen "Shubert Brothers & Beyond" walking #tour from @Broadway Up Close. A mix of history & storytelling w/ an insider's interesting perspective on #NYC's rich theatrical heritage. The 1st stop of my 1st (gasp!) pilgrimage to #Broadway. #showsiveseen #theatre ♬ Ok I Like It – Milky Chance

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Shubert Brothers & Beyond walking tour from Broadway Up Close. A mix of history and storytelling with an insider’s interesting perspective on NYC’s rich theatrical heritage. The first stop of my first (gasp!) pilgrimage to Broadway.

Recommendation:
See it.


My Synopsis: A walking tour of the Broadway theatres primarily owned by the Schubert Organization located in the middle portion of the theatre district.

Synopsis from the Company: Our SHUBERT BROTHERS & BEYOND TOUR will explore all of the Broadway theaters in the middle of the Broadway theatre district from 44th Street to 46th Street. As Times Square transformed from an area full of manure and horse stables to one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world, a battle for Broadway was brewing between a group of theatrical titans and three scrappy brothers with the last name of Shubert. Set against the backdrop of Broadway’s most famous theaters, tour-goers will hear about the Shubert Brothers who monopolized Broadway against all odds with the help of an awkwardly named architect. Add in the true origins of the Tony Awards and rarely heard stories from famous musicals ranging from Oklahoma! to Hamilton and we promise you’ll walk away with a new appreciation for just how far Broadway has come over the past 100 years. Utilizing iPads chock full of rarely seen photographs and videos from years of research, tour-goers will see Broadway’s past and present merge before their eyes. ​ Each Green Team Guide is a professional actor or stage manager who will interweave their personal stories to provide an up close glimpse at the life of a theatrical artist.

Type: Walking Tour

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but it probably makes more sense sequentially to start with their Broadway Beginnings tour.

Union Actors: One – The tour guide was a member of the Actor’s Equity Association

Perceived Pace: Medium speed

Length: 1.75 hours and 0.5 miles

Was This the First Time I Attended This? Yes

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? I would attend a different tour from this group. I’m particularly interested in the first tour of the series Broadway Beginnings or the interior theatre tour Hudson Up Close.

Mainstream Appeal: Medium

Company: Broadway Up Close

Location: The Theatre District at 44th, 45th, and 46th streets starting at Lyceum Theatre and ending at Times Square

Price Range: $41 for the regular public tour. Additional price options are available for children and for private tours.

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Pictures: See pictures below by Sascha Reinking.

Photo by Sascha Reinking.
Photo by Sascha Reinking.
Photo by Sascha Reinking.
Photo by Sascha Reinking.
Photo by Sascha Reinking.
Photo by Sascha Reinking.
Photo by Sascha Reinking.

Preview Post – Happy Christmas, Jeeves – Play – Taproot Theatre

Congrats to Taproot Theatre on the opening night of their Happy Christmas, Jeeves world premier play. Performing until 12/31/24. Stay tuned for my full review! #xmas #holiday #holidays

Tickets: https://taproottheatre.org/shows/2024/happy-christmas-jeeves/

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