The dog days of summer have arrived with Diamond Head Theatre’s "hot" offering, "Legally Blonde the Musical" — complete with a four-legged scene-stealer. Pomeranian pooch Bobby Gorgeous is undoubtedly the cutest actor ever to grace Honolulu’s boards, hitting his marks as the pampered pet of protagonist Elle Woods.
Not that he outshines his human co-star Jody Bill, who seems to have been destined to fill Elle’s pink pumps. Bill skillfully blends sweetness and spunkiness, vitality and vulnerability, while delivering rock-solid vocals in the majority of the show’s numbers.
The plot transports Elle, a perky blond Valley Girl and UCLA sorority president, to Harvard Law School to pursue her boyfriend after he derails her hoped-for marriage proposal to seek a "serious" relationship to improve his chances for a political career. Elle’s eventual success as a savvy legal intern is predictable, given a story that advocates staying true to oneself and expressing personal power.
Capping off DHT’s female-focused season, "Legally Blonde the Musical" is even more fun than the 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon, which was drawn from Amanda Brown’s novel. The 2007 Broadway musical, with book by Heather Hach and music and lyrics by the husband-and-wife team of Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, embellishes the dialogue and adds action-packed numbers.
Screen-to-stage adaptations, popularized by Disney and other major studios, satisfy a theatergoer’s desire to see favorite stories and characters come alive. DHT has offered several recently, and "Legally Blonde" is the perfect vehicle for slick, clever performance numbers.
Guest director Andrew Sakaguchi, who grew up in Hawaii and now lives in New York City, and former Broadway dancer and local choreographer Christine Yasunaga amp up the witty show, using their supercharged cast to deliver the goods. A Greek chorus of Elle’s Delta Nu sorority sisters arrives for each minicrisis. Energy erupts in dance numbers that feature cheerleading, rope jumping and "bend and snapping," Elle’s signature move to get a man’s attention.
Musical director Alethea Train and her instrumental ensemble solidly support the continuous whirl of activity. On opening night, July 19, the band’s volume level occasionally obscured the stage voices for patrons seated in the theater’s right section. Hopefully that problem has been fixed.
Stereotypical characters need consummate performers to pull them off. Laurence Paxton as the pompous and unethical Professor Callahan, and Megan Mount as the lovelorn but lustful hairdresser Paulette, delight the audience with their acting and vocal talents. David Bachler as Elle’s good-looking though shallow boyfriend Warner, and Joel Libed as the sharp, sensitive legal assistant she ends up with, turn in solid performances.
As the exercise queen suspected of murdering her rich husband, Samantha Stoltzfus performs the high-energy "Whipped into Shape," much of the time while jumping rope. Brittany Browning is believable and nuanced as Warner’s uptight fiance.
The design team adds just the right amount of pink to showcase Elle. Willie Sabel unveils an utterly pink Harvard bedroom, and Karen Wolfe glamourizes the character in the color from boots to sweats and suits. Wolfe’s costumes identify who’s who onstage, with the sorority sisters awash in bolds or in muted neutrals as the "invisible" Greek chorus, the Harvardians in "camouflage chic," and other creative homogeneous groupings. Friston Ho’okano’s hair concoctions are cute and campy, particularly in the beauty parlor and courtroom scenes.
Sakaguchi and many former DHT Shooting Stars have returned for the production to showcase high-caliber local talent and offer an irresistible treat for all ages. Indulge.
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Jane Kerns is completing a doctorate in musicology, holds degrees in theater and vocal performance, and has performed as an actor-singer in New York City.
