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‘Legally Blonde the Musical’ offers laughs, fun and just a good time

By Steve Connelly
Special to TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com

Although the show, now playing at The Fabulous Fox, has been touted as appealing to primarily to young(er) girls, the current production of ‘Legally Blonde The Musical’ (LBTM) is really a kaleidoscope of color, fun and a really good time no matter your age.

And in a tried and true old Broadway show fashion, it gives an unlikely understudy a chance to show her talent, as Lauren Ashley Zarkin shines as Elle Woods, the show’s heroine.  She gets her chance because Becky Gulsvig, who was to have played the lead, is recuperating for six weeks with a broken toe.

 She will continue to play the role all of opening week and Thursday and Saturday matinees next week, and if opening night is any indication, she’s going to fill this role to the maximum.

LBTM in some ways is a flashback to another era—say about 18 months ago.  It portrays a perfect little world with perfect little people who want to want the perfect little….well you get the point.  In light of the slumping economy of today, and all the bad news about layoffs, companies shutting down, it’s really kind of nice to look back at the silliness, which translates into fun, of LBTM.

Consider the story line:  Elle is the California girls The Beach Boys used to sing about…the prettiest sorority girl, the one with all the style, and, of course, the handsome boyfriend who, perhaps channeling the success of a Harvard Law Graduate who just ascended to the U.S. Presidency, decides he wants something more than living the California dream and decides to enroll at Harvard to study law.

But in an unlikely blow at The Glass Ceiling, Elle strikes back, somehow mustering the ability to easily pass the Law School Admission Tests and herself be admitted to the Harvard Law School. 

This premise—Pink meets Crimson Red—is enough to let you know that LBTM is not designed to be anymore than what it is—just some light-hearted fun.  And the best way to enjoy it is to simply sit back and enjoy the ride.

I really like Ms. Zarkin.  She comes across with just the right touch of being zingy but yet a really good, albeit sometimes air-headed type that makes you believe you have seen people like her before.

One of the best moments was when Ven Daniel, a delivery man (think UPS) wearing a uniform that more than adequately displays his tremendous physique delivers a performance that had all the women in the audience squealing with delight.  I’m sure that many of them will send UPS packages to each other, hoping that life will imitate art.

The show is played for a lot of laughs.  And, that’s good.  It’s uplifting in a way that musical theater should be, providing a brief respite from the bad news, and along the way, rebuilding our spirits.