ASHBURY’S LEGALLY BLONDE WAS CHEEKY AND COMIC
Omigod, you guys! Ashbury College bent and snapped their way into the hearts of a packed house with their priceless, pink-peppered production of Legally Blonde: The Musical.
This electric stage rendition of Amanda Brown’s novel-turned-cinematic campfest chronicles the spirited trajectory of West Coast, Type-A sorority sister Elle Woods. Elle’s undeterred pursuit of her ex-boyfriend Warner — a J.F.K. aspirant who’s had his fun with Marilyn and wants his turn with Jackie — lands her at a prestigious, Ivy League school, where she and her companions discover that there just might be brains beneath the blonde after all. Penned by Heather Hach (featuring the music and lyrics of Laurence O’Keefe and Neil Benjamin), this theatrical adaptation of the similarly adapted, Reese Witherspoon-led romantic comedy opened on Broadway in April of 2007, garnering seven Tony nominations and 10 Drama Desk nods.
The contrast between Ashbury College’s effectively subdued sets and the cast’s rapturous dynamic illuminated several hidden subtleties in Legally Blonde: The Musical. This visual restraint gave way to a heightened sense of depth in the characters and the performances thereof. The absence of cloying, ambient grandeur amplified such largerthan-life spectacles as Ireland and There! Right There, exposing a charming nuance and a note of relatability to otherwise deliciously extravagant characters. Torey Guimaraes’ choreography of numbers including What You Want, So Much Better, and Bend and Snap was saucy and fluid, quelling most of the cast’s scarce apprehension. Several technical missteps aside — handled impressively by the stage crew and manager, Kaniz Williams — Ashbury College’s Legally Blonde: The Musical was illegally seamless.
Maggie McCartney was nothing short of a peppy powerhouse as Elle Woods. Her pitch-perfect projection was fabulous, particularly during euphonious numbers like Serious, What You Want, and So Much Better. Furthermore, her ethereal effervescence and layered loyalty to the role left the audience in stitches. Her operatic gestures and feverish facial contortions were comedically potent; akin to those of the character’s onscreen originator.
A standout supporting performance was Kamilah Khan’s sharp interpretation of confidante Paulette Buonufonte. Her deft comedic timing and buoyant stage presence held the crowd captive whenever she appeared. Kamilah’s solo, Ireland, was also a poised highlight of the show. The Greek Chorus (Torey Guimaraes, Karina Atanasiu, and Hannah Noll) mentored Elle along her journey, and was a rousing, tight-knit ensemble. Their enunciation, vocal fortitude, and kinetic elegance were engaging components of the songs Bend and Snap, There! Right There! and So Much Better, exponentially compounding the allure of the show. Grounding pins of realism amongst the rosy absurdity of Legally Blonde included Emmett Forrest (Klara Janowski), Vivienne Kensington (Elizabeth Ariho), Professor Callahan (Kylar Johnson), and Kyle (Devan Sharma), who all held their own with an air of authenticity.
Favouring substance over style, Ashbury College captured the hearty magnetism of Legally Blonde with their maverick execution of the vaudevillian cult classic. The self-evident efforts of the cast and crew enticingly drove home an age-old adage: don’t judge a blonde by her colour. Next review: St. Mother Teresa High School’s production of A Christmas Carol.