Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Tuesday, June 06, 2023 — Houston, TX

Review: Omigod you guys, ‘Legally Blonde: The Musical’ has no set

legally-blonde-courtesy-drager-creative

Photo courtesy Drager Creative

By Sara Davidson     4/11/23 11:24pm

Rating: ★★½

Award-winning musical “Legally Blonde: The Musical” hit the Hobby Center earlier this month and will continue its run through April 16. As someone who considers “Legally Blonde” to be her favorite movie and has seen the musical a number of times, I was more than excited to see it coming to Houston. The results, however, were rather disappointing. I wanted to love this show, but there were fundamental changes and differences from prior productions in the show that ultimately made it feel less than spectacular. 

The set was by far the most disheartening element of the performance. Instead of a built set, the show opted to project various backgrounds behind the characters to show their location. They also tried to incorporate more modern technology into the show by having texts, TikToks and Facebook emojis on the screens. The result was a musical that felt cheapened by a lack of set and effort. “Legally Blonde” doesn’t need to have spectacular staging, but to barely do anything and project what felt like a Powerpoint presentation on the screen was a serious letdown. They couldn’t even get Elle a desk for her to take her LSAT on — she instead took it on turned-around bleachers that were later used as classroom seats. This simply made the production feel as though the set was rushed and the quality was sacrificed in order to get the show out on time. 



The show also made several minor lyric changes in songs, some due to the lack of related set pieces, that changed the way the show was originally intended to be perceived. In the iconic scene and title song “Legally Blonde,” Elle and Emmett are supposed to be singing to each other from either side of a door, confessing feelings to one another. The show cut the door prop entirely, instead having them sing to the audience on either side of the stage and completely diminishing the fact that they’re supposed to be making these confessions to each other.  

Beyond the set and the lyric changes, the cast members were very strong and made up for some of the disappointment. The show is dance-heavy, and all the impressive numbers were choreographed well and pulled off without a hitch. The most impressive number was “Whipped into Shape,” which includes a stage full of dancers doing in-sync choreography with jump ropes. All the characters, from Elle herself to the supporting roles of Vivienne or Paulette, are played by actors who know how to sing, and they pulled off the vocals beautifully. 

If you are someone who has watched “Legally Blonde” the movie and loved it, or someone who knows relatively little about the premise of the show but wants to be entertained with a high-energy, peppy musical, you will enjoy this production. However, those that know a bit more about the original musical songs and premise might find themselves let down by this retelling of a classic. This show is worth seeing while it’s still playing at the Hobby, just not for the outrageously high prices that tickets are currently going for. If you’re paying more than $100 for these tickets, you’ll find yourself disappointed. 



More from The Rice Thresher

A&E 4/18/23 11:44pm
Review: ‘Suzume’ is a thrilling, endearing, and at times dark ode to Japan

Makoto Shinkai clearly has a specialty — the “Your Name” and “Weathering With You” director is often said to make the same movie over and over again. It’s true that the three most recent entries in his filmography have all been fantastical, coming-of-age melodramas centered around some sort of ecological disaster, but  there’s nothing wrong with that. Audiences know what they’re getting with a Shinkai film: gorgeously-rendered anime vistas, strong female leads and an emotionally-charged storyline guaranteed to make viewers feel something. While it doesn’t reach the poignancy of “Your Name,” Shinkai’s newest film “Suzume” is one of the highlights in his œuvre.

A&E 4/18/23 11:43pm
Review: IVE embraces confidence on 'I’ve IVE’

After an incredibly successful debut year in 2022, IVE released their debut album “I’ve IVE” to the excitement of fans around the world. Last year, IVE put out two single albums, which are shorter, two to three track projects within K-pop. The sampling of Gloria Gaynor’s classic track “I Will Survive” in “After LIKE” and the moodier sound of “LOVE DIVE” show two distinct sides of the group that are expanded upon in their debut full-length release.

A&E 4/18/23 11:43pm
Review: Nicolas Cage as Dracula is a national treasure

“Renfield” is a 2023 comedy-horror film centering Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicolas Hoult as Renfield, Dracula’s loyal assistant. My comments on this movie should be prefaced by an acknowledgment of my bias; I absolutely adore Nicolas Cage as an actor. I could watch Mr. Cage do nothing but down an entire Subway Italian without him uttering a word and I would be absolutely enthralled, clinging to the edge of my seat. The subtle facial expressions, the charming yet hungry eyes, and the absolute Adonis of a body that Nicolas Cage possesses could make any film connoisseur faint at just a glimpse. Even taking into consideration my love for Cage’s acting in both his amazing and amazingly terrible works, “Renfield” is another absolute banger of a movie on nearly every level.


Comments

Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.