Kathryn Brunner with the company (photo by Jason Niedle/TETHOS)Reviewed by Katie Buenneke
La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
Through May 18RECOMMENDED
Ohmigod, you guys! Legally Blonde is in La Mirada! It’s time to break out the pinks that have been hiding in your closet since Barbenheimer and get yourself down to the Los Angeles/Orange County border to see Elle Woods and company sing and dance through Harvard Law.
This production, directed by Cynthia Ferrer, stays pretty true to what I remember of the Broadway production when I saw it in 2007, with a handful of updated lines and lyrics in Heather Hach’s book and Lawrence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin’s lyrics, as well as some selfie-friendly choreography, courtesy of Dana Solimando.
For those unfamiliar with the plot of the incredibly charming 2001 movie of the same name, Elle Woods (Kathryn Brunner) is the blonde president of her sorority, Delta Nu, at UCLA. Sure that her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III (Nicholas McDonough) is going to propose at dinner, she’s blindsided when he dumps her because she’s not “serious” enough for his life that will start when he attends Harvard Law in the fall. Elle wants to get him back, so she studies, applies, and is accepted to Harvard Law, where she’s the sole blonde in a sea of brunettes. She quickly befriends TA Emmett (Michael Thomas Grant), who encourages her to keep working hard, earning herself a prestigious internship for professor and prominent lawyer Callahan (Edward Staudenmayer). As part of the internship, she and her fellow interns are asked to prepare a case to defend fitness tycoon Brooke Wyndham (Jane Papageorge), accused of killing her husband.
A story doesn’t have to be serious or self-important to get its point across, and Legally Blonde is proof positive of that. The heart of the story still works as well in 2025 as it did in 2001, though I doubt anyone would be surprised to see a blonde lawyer these days. It is amusing to see that the trends have cycled enough that Adam Ramirez’s costumes for the ensemble are remarkably reminiscent of the outfits from the movie (Elle is, of course, dressed in her iconic pink looks throughout, aside from her final courtroom dress).
The performers here are all capable, if hindered by some technical and musical errors. I’m not sure what was going on in the booth at the performance I attended, but there were multiple cues that were mis-called, and soloist microphones weren’t always on, which compounded the muddiness of the sound mix. If I didn’t know the lyrics to the songs pretty well already, I would have been struggling to follow what was happening in the musical moments.
Legally Blonde isn’t a show that’s likely to be classified as high art any time soon, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun to watch. I’ve seen the movie countless times, but I still got shivers when I saw Brunner’s Elle realize that her name is on the list for Callahan’s internship. O’Keefe and Benjamin’s score is full of ear worms that may cause you and your theater companion to sing or hum on your way out of the theater. La Mirada has put forth a solid production of a solid show, and in times like these, a pink, frothy confection might be exactly what you need to decompress.
La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada, Thursdays at 7:30 pm; Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 2 pm & 8 pm; Sundays at 1:30 pm & 6:30 pm.; through May 18. https://LaMiradaTheatre.com. Running time: two and a half hours, including a 20-minute intermission.
