The Kelly Critics is a joint program of the Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh CLO's Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musicals, in which students at Kelly schools review musicals at other Kelly schools. Reviews are edited by PG senior theater critic Christopher Rawson. For the full schedule of spring high school musicals, go to post-gazette.com/ae.
In art and life, it’s tempting to think that the extra mile is a place you reach with spontaneity. You take your knowledge, your abilities, your endurance to the limit, then push a bit further. But in the case of Thomas Jefferson High School’s “Legally Blonde,” this isn’t true. On TJ’s stage, the extra mile is an accumulation of small gains — little, almost unnoticeable touches which, once accumulated, propel the show into the light-trodden territory of something unique.
The show starts with a stay-off-your-phones announcement, but not in the usual way. It’s easy to put a vice-principal on the loudspeaker to huff about food, drinks and copyright laws. It’s harder to write, rehearse and perform a skit that tells the audience as much in a non-condescending way — which is precisely what TJ did.
Like the Reese Witherspoon film of the same name, “Legally Blonde” follows ultra-feminine, seemingly clueless Elle Woods (Rachael Parsons) from breezy sorority life at UCLA to the rigors of Harvard Law School. She goes Ivy League in pursuit of Warner Huntington III, her elitist ex-boyfriend. What follows is a tumult of color and fun as Elle works, changes, grows and discovers love rooted in an unexpected place.
True to the film, the production maintains buoyancy. Creative sets and costumes, imbued with a kind of self-awareness, make the show a testament to theater and its simple joys. This ease of production, however, is made possible by an accumulation of small accents: a color-changing background, real trained dogs instead of props, Kyle the UPS driver carrying his package down the aisles to the stage. This creates a sense of freshness, paired with a sharp timing that enlivens every musical number.
“Omigod You Guys,” the opening number, crackles with dance, light and action. The lyrics are fun, following a pattern but not repetitive, and the ensemble does every line justice. After the rip-roaring opening number comes Warner’s debut, in which he shatters Elle’s hopes of a marriage proposal. In Warner’s view, it’s time to “get serious” — and Elle has no place in that picture.
At the close of the song, we see another small touch. As the orchestra dies down, an on-stage musician strikes a somber, bitter chord on the violin. Just after the sharp note, Warner asks for the check — as any heartless future senator would.
The rest of the first act soars by. We meet Harvard Professor Callahan, whose number “Blood in the Water” is set against a dark-red background; Emmett, an aspiring lawyer with patches on his elbows and a chip on his shoulder; and Warner’s new flame, Vivian, a gothic Velma-from-Scooby-Doo lookalike without the glasses. Elle suffers Vivian’s scorn and humiliation, always with poise; she maintains the self-confidence of which she is characteristic.
It would have been easy to make Elle annoying. In less adept hands, she could have become a vacuous, archetypal prom queen with a high, tinny voice. Instead she’s likable, a genuine character who, behind all the pink and glitter, harbors some moral scruples. We see these more fully in Act Two, when Elle is forced to make life-changing decisions.
At intermission, a buzzing crowd rose from their seats. Talk abounded; everyone in the audience had something to share, something to say. After two dreary years of masking and isolation, it was a pleasant sight. Even the halls outside the auditorium were filled with small, artful details: pencil-written diagrams of the set pieces and pictures of the cast, pit and crew members with their signatures beneath. At first, I thought of buying one pack of Kit-Kats; but then I thought, “What the heck, I’ll buy two.”
In the second act, we meet Brooke Taylor Windham, Elle’s client in a high-profile murder trial. In a number demanding hours and hours of rehearsal, Brooke and her fitness groupies jump-rope while singing. I watched for mistakes. I saw none. Brooke and Elle soon learn that they are part of the same sorority, and Brooke gives Elle her alibi — but demands that Elle keep it a secret.
In the courtroom scene, a hilarious song that could easily have been felled by the PC Police was “Gay or European.” The subject in question, a witness in the case against Brooke, turns out to be both. Here were more small touches: the gay European strides down a catwalk made of chairs, tries on a cop’s hat (could this be a nod to the Village People?), and walks in a smooth, side-to-side motion.
As the play advances, Elle thinks ever less about Warner. She and Emmett (Gavin Hart) draw closer, teaching each other things essential. Emmett teaches Elle about work ethic; Elle teaches him how to gain opportunities by “dressing the part.” As Warner recedes further into the background, we see Elle’s internal strength. The actress captures it well: she walks with confident posture and gives clever comebacks when insulted. Paulette also grows and changes, as does every character except the villainous Callahan.
At the close, Elle transforms. She saves Brooke from prison, proposes to Emmett and rejects Warner. This much is predictable. But more subtle nods make it extraordinary. At the opening, Warner twirls Elle into his arms. The move is quick, well-practiced, romantic. At the end, Emmett does the exact same move. This wasn’t necessary, or even convenient, but it’s a subtle nod to the focused, consistent work that went into crafting the musical.
“Legally Blonde” isn’t Shakespeare. It’s nothing brilliant or earth-shattering. But in the right hands, crafted with care and attention, it can grow into something free and fun. TJ’s production is a testament to that. The show’s tagline contains a nugget of truth: “Being true to yourself never goes out of style.” But beyond that, TJ reveals something deeper: You need to work hard, make the small, frustrating corrections, to turn something good into something great. And if this show is any indication, you can have incredible fun doing it.
“Legally Blonde” ran at Thomas Jefferson High School March 17-20.
First Published: April 12, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
