Legally Blonde, already as perfect a musical adaption of a hit movie as any romcom lover could wish for, proves just as perfect a vehicle for a couple dozen UC Irvine student performers with bright professional careers ahead.

 Tony-nominated book writer Heather Hach sticks closely to Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith’s smash film adaptation of Amanda Brown’s novel, which has jilted UCLA Fashion Merchandising grad Elle Woods (Madison Dietrich) acing her LSATs, winning over the Harvard University Admissions board, and entering Harvard Law School in a bid to win back the heart of ex-boyfriend and future political hopeful Warner Huntington III (Tristan Turner), who’s dumped her in favor of Vivienne Kensington (Isabelle Beckmann), someone “less of a Marilyn and more of a Jackie.”

Naturally, Elle finds herself in for a lot more than she bargained for both in and around hallowed Ivy League halls peopled by (among others) her upper-class law student mentor Emmett Forrest (Connor Marsh), her Machiavellian Professor Callahan (Gavin Mueller), her hairstylist/new best buddy Paulette (Lilian Wouters), and fitness guru Brooke Wyndham (Milan Magaña), on trial for murdering her much older multimillionaire spouse.

 Also along for the ride are Elle’s three best Delta Nu sorority sisters Serena (Eriel Brown), Margot (Alexi Ishida), and Pilar (Alyssa Corella), left behind in SoCal but still very much present as Elle’s “Greek Chorus.”

Suffice it to say that the road to a Harvard Law Degree and (hopefully) Warner’s hand in marriage is a rocky one, filled with unexpected twists and turns, and this time round with song and dance as well.

 Legally Blonde The Musical adds to the movie’s proven crowd-pleasing plot one of the brightest and best Broadway scores in recent years (Tony-nominated music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin), one rousing dance number after another, and performances that honor the movie originals without carbon-copying them.

All of this is to say that not only is Legally Blonde one of the past dozen years’ most crowd-pleasing musical treats, few shows are a more ideal fit for a university to produce, and with Myrona DeLaney directing, choreography by Broadway’s Andrew Palermo, and an all-around fabulous cast delivering the goods, this year’s fall musical is one of UC Irvine’s best.

 Petite fireball Dietrich gives Elle perkiness, pep, perspicacity, and punch, in addition to Broadway-caliber pipes and a mean high kick, making it no wonder “little Miss Woods, comma Elle” takes Harvard Law School by storm in addition to winning the heart of a never-more-charming Marsh as Emmett, the undying friendship of a feisty and fabulous Wouters as Paulette, or the admiration of song-and-dance dynamo  Magaña as Brooke.

Turner’s handsome but heartless Warner, Beckmann’s statuesque ice queen of a Vivienne, Mueller’s slickly smarmy Callahan, and Brown, Corella, and Ishida’s triple-threat trio of Elle besties give any professional supporting cast a run for their money.

 Memorable featured turns are delivered by Jesse Bourque as both trailer-trashy Dewey and sex-on-a-stick UPS guy Kyle, Veronica Renner as tomboy terror Enid Hoopes, Emily Johnson as Malibu-meets-Jersey Shores Chutney, and Isaiah Tadros as bust-a-moving Grandmaster Chad and oily pool boy Nikos, the latter opposite Max DeLoach’s deliciously gay and European Carlos. (Renner doubles as Veronica, DeLoach as Lowell, and Johnson as Kate.)

 Indeed, there’s not a weak link among the multitasking Kent Burns (Aaron, Waiter), Harry Cho (Kiki), Trystan Colburn (Pforzheimer), Zoe Godfrey-Grinage (Gabby), Eleni Kutay (Leilani, Mom), McKay Mangum (Dad, Winthrop) Shahil Patel (Padaman), Ciarra Stroud (Kristine, Whitney), and Sydney Wesson (Store Manager, Judge), not only acing their multiple cameos as law students, parents, profs, boutique and department store staffers, and more, but proving themselves (as do their castmates) masters at executing choreographer Palermo’s refreshingly original dance moves throughout.

These include including Elle’s “personal essay” to the Harvard Board Of Admissions (featuring the entire UCLA Marching Band or a close facsimile thereof); an R&B celebration of a 99% effective man-catching move known as the “Bend And Snap”; the thrilling (and hilarious) Riverdance legwork of “Legally Blonde Remix.”

 Nikki Snelson (Legally Blonde’s original Brooke) recreates “Whipped Into Shape,” a taeboe/jump rope aerobics class with some of the most physically exhausting choreography in memory.

 Director DeLaney makes UCI’s Legally Blonde as fresh as a Legally Blonde can be, with a student design team giving the production a look that is the furthest thing from a retread, from Tyler Scrivner’s sleek, stylish scenic design to Marissa Diaz’s vibrant lighting to Jack Bueermann’s crystal-clear sound design.

 Professional designer Mark Koss’s costumes are rented from Broadway at Music Circus, but considering that they number in the hundreds…and look fabulous to boot…the decision not to build from scratch makes perfect sense.

Last but not least, Benet Braun follows Musical Theatre West’s Guys And Dolls with some equally bang-up musical direction/orchestra conducting.

Sarah Nearhoff is production stage manager. Stephanie Lim is dramaturg. Francesca “Frankie” DeLaney appears as Bruiser and Henry Yankee-Hill as Rufus.

No matter how many times you’ve seen Legally Blonde (and I’ve seen ten), Elle Woods’ coming-of-age tale never gets old. At UC Irvine, it couldn’t feel more fresh and new.

Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine.
http://drama.arts.uci.edu/on-stage

–Steven Stanley
November 14, 2018
Photos: Paul R. Kennedy

Tags: Heather Hach, Laurence O'Keefe, Orange County Theater Review, UC Irvine