One of the slightly unfair parts of theatre criticism is there are just some shows I like better than others. I still try and be as objective as possible when looking at any piece of theatre or film but I’m still human and have my preferences. One of my favorites is definitely Legally Blonde: The Musical. Over the years there have been so many movies turned into Broadway musicals and outside of Hairspray, Legally Blonde is the best. I absolutely adore it and the new production at Heritage Theatre in Perry does Elle and her story proud. Definitely take the time to see it if you are anywhere nearby.

If you didn’t know Legally Blonde tells the story of Elle Woods- the fashion merchandising student who ends up at Harvard Law School to try and win back her boyfriend after she is dumped by him. At Heritage I saw the Rufus cast (the casts are the same except for the 3 leads Elle, Emmett and Paulette) with Janelle Wiser playing Elle, Tyler O’Bagy as Emmett and Casie Littlefield as Paulette. All 3 are a ton of fun in their roles and Wiser and O’Bagy have a nice chemistry as our lead couple. Wiser brings the warmth and bubbly energy one needs for Elle and she makes her easy to root for.

This production is directed by Mike and Lindy Combe and they have done a great job getting the most out of each of their castmembers. It’s not perfect but a charming piece of community theater. I think what I like most about Legally Blonde as a musical is how positive and truly funny it is. It makes it completely rewatchable. If I can find the time to drive up to Perry (over an hour drive for me) I may even come back and see the other cast.

One of the most impressive aspects of Legally Blonde at Heritage is the hand-painted sets by Jess Tarbet. The last few times I’ve seen this show it has been primarily projection sets which is fine but I love hand-painted sets. Maybe it’s nostalgia talking but it just adds to the creativity of a production. They even have an RV background for the scene when they get Rufus from Dewey and that is only in the show for a few minutes. I thought they would at least do a projection for that scene but they didn’t.

The costumes are mostly great by Amber Beecher especially on the Greek chorus in their various color-coordinated looks. The only exception is Elle’s bunny outfit either didn’t fit Wiser right or the fabric is too slippery because it kept getting lower and lower to the point I was worried she might have a wardrobe malfunction. She didn’t but that’s something they could work on for the next show.

There are also times the sound-mix wasn’t quite right and the music overwhelmed the actors but again that’s something they can keep working on throughout the run of the show. Other than that Legally Blonde: the Musical at Heritage is a charming piece of community theatre. It does have some mature content (pg13ish) but if you are in the area I definitely recommend giving this pink underdog of a show a chance. It is playing through May 10th and tickets can be purchased here.

Legally Blonde: the Musical has music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin with a book by Heather Hach. Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the MGM film (2001.)

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