“Omigod You Guys” Legally Blonde the Musical at Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre is like a totally fun evening! The musical is full of laughs, lessons and a lot of pink. The songs are so catchy that you will find yourself humming them the next morning.
Legally Blonde the Musical (with Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin) is based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the 2001 movie of the same name. Elle (Victoria Meyers), a sorority girl at UCLA, is expecting her boyfriend, Warner (Marc Pavan) to propose. Instead, Warner dumps Elle for not being “Serious” enough. Elle decides to follow him to Harvard Law School to prove that she has brains as well as beauty. When Elle arrives at Harvard she discovers that Warner is already dating the stuck-up Vivienne (Elizabeth Andrews). At first Elle does not succeed at first, but with the help of Emmett (Zac Brightbill), a teaching assistant, Elle is able to succeed both in class and in landing a major internship. The musical takes a more adult tone than the movie, but most jokes will probably fly over the heads of younger children.
As Elle, Victoria Meyers is stunning. Ms. Meyers manages to make a spoiled rich, Valley Girl sympathetic. Victoria Meyers is also a very capable singer with some serious stamina as Elle sings in almost every number.
Julie O’Hara plays Enid Hoops, a Harvard Law Student, expertly. This is performance is particularly impressive considering she is a high school student in a Montgomery College apprenticeship program. Her theater career will be one to watch.
Professor Callahan, Elle’s fearsome law instructor, is played by Audrey Tchoukoua. He plays Callahan in a very crisp manner, which is fitting for an uptight lawyer.
One of the best performances of the show is Ellie Rabinovitz as Brooke Wyndham. Ms. Rabinovitz first appears on stage jump roping and singing. She is able to sing and sing excellently while performing some impressive fitness routines. Ellie Rabinovitz is amazing to watch especially when she holds some very uncomfortable looking poses for long amounts of time.
The actors who stole every scene they were in and the audiences’ hearts weren’t even human; they were dogs. Bruiser Woods, Elle’s purse-sized dog, was played by BB-Q. Rufus, Paulette’s mutt, was played by Pop Tart. Both dogs were adorable and very well behaved. Both dogs are also up for adoption. Pop Tart and BB-Q appeared as part of D.C. Actors for Animals outreach efforts. Lisa Carrier Baker, founder of D.C. Actors for Animals, was also Legally Blonde the Musical’s General Manager and Orchestra Supervisor.
The set designed by Scenic Designer Elizabeth Jenkins McFadden was very charming. The Delta Nu Sorority House was a particularly complex and involved piece; especially, considering that it only appears in a few scenes at the beginning of the show. This very pink, very involved concoction is indispensable to building Elle’s fairy tale world. Later scenes at Harvard, full of brick and sharp edges, come across as jarring in comparison.
Throughout the show, Elle parades around in a variety of adorable, pink confections. Whether Elle is wearing a pink dress, a pink tracksuit or a pink skirt suit; it’s all thanks to Costume Designer, Peter Zakutansky. He deeply understands that Elle’s signature color is pink. Lynn Joslin provided the excellent lighting.
This production also features some beautiful and entertaining wigs. Victoria Meyers’ Elle wig is everything you want from a Barbie doll perfect blonde. The most outrageous wig of the production perches on Chutney’s (Kit Flaherty) scowling mug. In the words of Elle’s gal pals, Chutney suffers from T.P.P. (Totally Tragic Perm).
Mark Minnick pulls double-duty in Legally Blonde the Musical as both the director and choreographer, and ably fills the entire space and keeps the audience enthralled the entire run time of the show. Summer Dinner Theatre is performed in a surprisingly large space. Sound Designer Christopher Baine is able to fill the space without it feeling overly loud.
There’s a lot of fun going on at Montgomery College’s bubbly and very pink Legally Blonde the Musical. Omigod you guys – don’t miss it!
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Running Time: Two hours and thirty minutes, with one 30-minute intermission.
Legally Blonde plays through August 2, 2015 at Montgomery College’s Summer Dinner Theatre, at the Montgomery College Rockville Campus – 51 Mannakee Street, in Rockville, MD. For tickets , contact the box office at (240) 567-7676, or purchase them online.
Note: The food at Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre is prepared and provided by Chartwells, a catering company that services the D.C. public schools among others. Their cuisine was rather delightful and is served buffet style. Doors open for dinner at 6:30 pm. I recommend arriving early and enjoying dinner with a bottle of wine.
RATING: 
