Legally Blonde The Musical at Burnsville Summer Theater

If you want to support community theater and young artists, grab a ticket to Legally Blonde The Musical at Burnsville Summer Theater performing at the Mraz Center!

Courtney, take your break.

Legally Blonde The Musical is an adaptation of the iconic 2001 movie, following Elle Woods in her attempt to win her ex-boyfriend back by attending Harvard Law School. 

This production is a great example of a community coming together to put on a show that the cast and crew clearly love. There are lots of fun moments, and some truly stellar talent.

Erika Sasseville directs this production with a lot of heart; it’s clear that she loves this show. Her blocking is a strongpoint of the show - she obviously understands how to present things clearly to the audience. 

The set could’ve benefitted from more simplicity - Paulette’s hair salon took awhile to set up, but I did really enjoy the stage when it just had the two pink stair platforms.

Kacie Riddle plays Elle Woods, and it is rare to see such an amazing vocal performance in community theater. Seemingly effortlessly, Riddle hit every single note, and this is a notably hard role to perform. She invokes the original Broadway recording with Laura Bell Bundy while still making the role her own and adding her own nuances. Her bubbly personality shone through - it’s hard to imagine a more perfect casting choice. She was funny in What You Want, hopeful in “So Much Better” (where she holds a very high note for an astonishing 14 beats), pulls at your heartstrings in “Legally Blonde,” only to lift you right back up for the “Legally Blonde Remix.”

Other notable standouts from the cast are Emmett, played by Riley Webster. He wavered on the notes from time to time (see music director note below), but I think he was perfectly cast. He absolutely slayed the ending of “Chip On My Shoulder”, and he and Riddle had great chemistry. He truly invoked the spirit of Christian Borle!

Paulette, played by Jennifer Jacober, was another highlight. She has a powerful voice and I loved her portrayal of this hilarious character. Her voice got a little too thin at the end of “Ireland”, but she really showed she has pipes in “Bend and Snap.” 

Michael Goettl played Warner - they had a great voice, I just wish they had played up the smarmy-ness of the character a little more.

Dan Stephans II as Professor Callahan brought things to another level with his stunning voice - I only wish his eventual creepy-ness was hinted at throughout the show instead of being seemingly out of nowhere.

I was also a big fan of Brett Wagner who played Serena (she especially shone during her solo in "Bend and Snap,") and Luis Ventura, who played multiple parts, but most notably Kyle the UPS delivery man with perfect comic timing.

Also, there are two dogs in this production! Bucket and Mimosa as Bruiser Woods and Rufus respectively are adorable and both great actors.

The choreography, by Zack Anderson, was fun, but the same moves were used throughout, and it ended up being a little bit stale by the end. The stage pictures made at the end of each song were always fun!

The band is a weaker spot in the show. While it was clear there was some talent in the band, overall, it just fell flat. They often sounded off-key, and sometimes there was seemingly no music when there should’ve been. They also seemed to struggle to keep the beat during certain songs. This seemed to contribute to some of the problems with a few of the vocal performances. 

I think this cast could’ve benefitted from a more hands-on music director (directed by Caleb Hubbard), because a lot of them were trying to emulate the cast recording in a way that just didn’t fit their voices. For example, when trying to reach certain notes that are belted in the cast recording, some people had to switch into their head voices, which ended up sounding lackluster. If they had been directed to find another way to hit the note, or to hit another note, it could’ve sounded as good as the recording, just in a different way. 

A lot of the wording used in this show is quite dated. There are lots of fatphobic comments and even some questionable references regarding people’s ethnicity. I assume this could not be changed due to licensing, but just a heads up to viewers, some of the language used will make your jaw drop. 

The costume design was a standout - Elle’s MANY costumes were great, and overall, everyone looked very put together.

The sound design was very good - we could hear almost every performer very well.

Overall, this production is a lot of fun, and leaves the audience feeling uplifted. At the end of the day, it’s a show about embracing yourself exactly as you are, and what is a better message than that?

This is community theater, so there isn’t a lot of money to be put into it, but there is a lot of heart and some great talent.

The show runs through August 5th at the Mraz Center for Performing Arts in Burnsville.

You Should See This Show If:

You want to support community theater and young talent, you are a girls' girl, you love the Broadway show or the movie - this is also a great show to see after you see the Barbie movie!

Content Heads Up:

Language, fatphobic comments, discussion of murder, unwanted advances

Rating:

3/5 Scones

-Review by Raspberry White Chocolate Scone