By Dale King
Summer theater offerings are often a mixed bag, with top-notch productions generally saved for the return of Florida’s seasonal visitors.
Not so with Lake Worth Playhouse. The play selectors there have chosen a delightful and surprisingly entertaining show, Legally Blonde, the Musical, which plays through July 27 at its downtown venue.
Don’t go running like scared rabbits from this production. Yes, it is based on the insipid 2001 non-musical film of the same name that starred Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a Malibu babe who manages to enroll at Harvard Law School to get back her ex-boyfriend, but ends up an attorney on a par with Clarence Darrow. The musical version maintains much of that fantasy plot, but surrounds it with new characters and interesting story lines. The songs, penned by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, are generally up-tempo and even toe-tapping, lifting the whole production like a rising tide lifts all boats.
The songs are particularly bouncy, likely because most are performed by groups of players. Elle, portrayed with gleeful charm by tall, slender (and blonde, of course) Caiti Marlowe, has her own Greek chorus in the background. So, the whimsy is passed around, and the dancing is particularly well adapted to the vocals and action on stage. Plaudits to director-choreographer Ricky Nahas.
Legally Blonde, the Musical demands the presence of many humans — and two dogs — to work properly. And even with a large cast, some performers end up doing double or triple duty.
The play pays homage to Elle’s Valley Girl roots as it kicks off with “Omigod, You Guys,” a vocal that grows and grows as various young women assemble in the courtyard to await Elle’s arrival. Marlowe doesn’t seem to depend as much as Witherspoon on the presence of her dog or her pink ensembles, so she’s a tad more serious.
But not enough for boyfriend, Warner (Joel Miller), who wants to break up because Elle isn’t serious enough (told in the song, “Serious”). Elle swears she’ll follow him to Harvard and get him back. The transition is told in gang vocals, “What You Want” and “The Harvard Variations,” where she meets some Harvard students and a grad student, Emmett (Brian Varela), who befriends her.
The show sails through her shaky arrival, negative early reactions (“Chip on My Shoulder”) and vast improvements (“So Much Better.”) Elle becomes an intern for tough Professor Callahan (Michael Cartwright) who underscores his harsh attitude about the lawyer business in the insightful tune, “Blood in the Water.”
Act II amps up the laughs with fitness instructor Brooke (Jamie Cleary) teaching the cast some intricate exercises and fancy rope-jumping moves. Facing a charge of murdering her husband, Brooke confides some confidential information to Elle, which causes her a moral dilemma. In a chucklesome sidebar, Elle teaches her new friend, hairdresser Paulette (Diane Tyminski) how to attract guys by doing the “Bend and Snap” maneuver. It works really well on the UPS guy (Austin Carroll).
The Legally Blonde, the Musical cast is young and energetic, filled with dance ability and fine vocal qualities. There’s not a bad note in the song batch.
Marlowe, last seen on the LW stage as a Laker Girl in Spamalot, doesn’t allow Elle to become a total airhead, so the plot is believable, even though contrived. The actress herself says she plans to attend Emerson College in the fall. (That’s just across the Charles River from Harvard.)
It’s great to see Richard Iverson in three small, but significant roles, including Elle’s father. He has such a sad sack demeanor that you’ll laugh just looking at him. And Mela Vargas turns in a fine performance as Vivienne, Warner’s new love, whose immediate dislike for Elle takes a serious turnaround. Vivienne is a tough role, and Vargas handles it well.
Varela’s portrayal of Emmett is soft and understanding, not the type of person you’d expect to find in Harvard Yard. And Cartwright’s Callahan is puffy and threatening, but he’s really a softy — much like his portrayal of King Arthur in Spamalot. Tyminski, who played the wife of P.T. Barnum in that play, kvetches delightfully in her hairdresser role. And all that makeup can’t hide a great voice.
And we can’t forget Mouse, who plays Elle’s dog, Bruiser, and Rufus, who transgenders into Esther the dog.
Legally Blonde, the Musical plays through July 27 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 561-586-6410.