REASONABLE DOUBT?
NOT ABOUT LEGALLY BLONDE‘S PINK POWER
Let’s get one thing straight. Legally Blonde: The Musical is not highbrow theater. It is not Sweeney Todd with meat pies and too-close shaves. It is not The Light in the Piazza with yearning strings and emotionally repressed tourists. This show is pink, peppy, and rides a relentless sugar rush of pop energy. At La Mirada Theatre, every beat hits like a gumball to the teeth—sweet, sharp, impossible to ignore.
Kathryn Brunner
The musical doesn’t just borrow the film’s spirit. It grabs it, slips it into stilettos, and fires it through a pop-powered megaphone. Where the movie leans on charm and subtle winks, the stage version barrels forward with sequins, sweat, and zero restraint. It’s actually funnier and more enjoyable than the film, with the story’s less-than-realistic twists feeling more at home in a world where people burst into song. The musical’s heightened reality turns what might seem far-fetched on screen into pure, irresistible fun.
The cast of Legally Blonde
The story launches in sunny SoCal with Elle Woods, a fashion merchandising major and reigning sorority queen, whose life seems airtight until her boyfriend Warner ditches her for someone more “serious” (translation: beige). Elle doesn’t wallow. She packs up her pinkest heels and heads to Harvard Law to win him back. Cue chaos. Tanning oil gets replaced by textbooks, and suddenly she is knee-deep in tweed and smug intellects, from the icily smug Professor Callahan to Emmett, the only one who seems remotely human.
But this isn’t about chasing a boy, no matter what Elle thinks at first. It’s about knowing your worth, finding your voice, and turning doubt into a weapon. That message still sparkles, but its meaning has shifted with time.
Kathryn Brunner with the cast
In 2025, Legally Blonde hits differently than it did at its Broadway debut. What once felt like a cheeky jab at early 2000s gender norms now reads as a pop-feminist time capsule. Elle’s rise from underestimated blonde to legal powerhouse still resonates, but in a world constantly negotiating privilege, identity, and who gets to lead, her story feels both comforting and a little neat. There’s something refreshing about that simplicity. When many narratives now aim to unpack everything, Legally Blonde chooses to keep its message clear: self-belief, even wrapped in rhinestones, still counts.
Kathryn Brunner with the cast
This lightness is exactly where the script makes its mark. It embraces absurdity with open arms, following Elle’s wild ride with confidence and a generous dose of glitter. The dialogue snaps, the jokes land, but nuance often gets shoved aside. Characters flirt with caricature, and depth sometimes takes a backseat to spectacle. Elle’s transformation still works, though, even if some of her big moments race by too quickly. The script rarely pauses, yet the relentless energy keeps the charm intact.
Nicholas James McDonough and Kathryn Brunner
Heather Hach’s book doesn’t aim for groundbreaking, but it knows exactly what it’s about. Sharp, self-aware, and built for speed, the script keeps the laughs coming and the story racing forward. It trades deep character exploration for pure fun, serving up a breezy, crowd-pleasing ride that never pretends to be more than a glittering burst of joy.
Aurelia Michael, Bella Hicks, Kathryn Brunner and Grace Simmons
The cast runs with it and never looks back. Kathryn Brunner’s Elle is sharp, fearless, and impossible to sideline. She storms through the high-octane numbers like they are a warm-up, while still pulling out honest growth beneath the sparkle.
Dahlya Glick’s Enid cuts through the noise with dry wit, while Anna Mintzer’s Vivienne thaws believably over time. Nicholas James McDonough’s Warner strikes the right mix of charm and suspicion.
Kathryn Brunner and Anthea Neri Best
Then there is Paulette, Elle’s loyal, chaotic hairdresser. Anthea Neri Best gives her a heart that is equal parts tough and tender, steering clear of parody. Her tacky wardrobe might scream “no gay friends,” but when she belts out “Ireland,” an ode to Celtic masculinity (!) where her dream of love is as hilariously misplaced as it is sincere, it surprisingly ends up striking a chord.
Cristyn Dang, Rodrigo Varandas, Jane Papageorge, Davon Rashawn and Callula Sawyer
Ab-tastic Jane Papageorge as celebrity personal trainer Brooke Wyndham nearly sets the place on fire with “Whipped into Shape,” jump-roping and belting with athletic precision. Michael Thomas Grant’s Emmett brings a calm, steady presence that balances Elle’s whirlwind. And Little Ricky, playing the part of Bruiser, the canine scene-stealer, wins over the audience with every trot.
The Delta Nu sorority sisters are not just a chorus. They are a glittering force, a cheerleading army that keeps the pace sky-high. They sing, shout, and strut with unstoppable verve, bouncing through every scene like a sparkly current that never lets up. The show’s triple-threat ensemble sings and dances up a storm, driving the show’s energy sky-high with every step and note.
Kathryn Brunner with the cast
Director Cynthia Ferrer keeps the chaos in check, allowing the humor to soar without flattening the characters. Every moment feels intentional, every beat considered. Dana Solimando’s choreography pulls from Director/Choreographer Jerry Mitchell’s original flair—part aerobics, part Broadway, and all-out fun. Bend and snap meets jazz hands with an edge of workout video intensity.
The band, led by Ryan O’Connell, delivers Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin‘s score with precision and polish, keeping everything bright and electric without stepping on the vocals. Josh Bessom’s sound design slices cleanly through the mix.
Michael Thomas Grant and Kathryn Brunner
Yet it’s not just volume driving this show, it’s momentum. The score takes the whole production and launches it forward. Forget sweeping ballads or lush orchestrations. This is all pop punch and syncopated hooks. “Whipped into Shape” is part musical number, part endurance test. “Ireland” swings from absurd to oddly heartfelt. “Gay or European” plants itself in your head and refuses to leave. The score does more than support the action, it fuels it. When the script wavers, the music steps in, refusing to let the energy falter. Every sugary, high-octane moment rides this musical engine.
Michael Thomas Grant and Kathryn Brunner
The orchestration leans heavily on keyboards and bright guitar riffs, layering in synthetic textures that amplify the show’s relentless energy. Drums drive every scene like a runaway convertible, making sure the pace never sags. It’s a sound built for instant gratification, all shine and surge, perfectly matching Elle’s world of fast decisions and faster comebacks.
The sets, rented from Front Row Theatrical Rental, splash plenty of pink where it counts, but that’s about where the flair ends. While they echo the Broadway original in spirit, they fall short of the jaw-dropping spectacle. These sets do their job and clock out, solid and serviceable, but missing the “wow” factor that might have matched the show’s over-the-top energy.
Anthea Neri Best, Jane Papageorge, Kathryn Brunner, Anna Mintzer, Dahlya Glick
Adam Ramirez’s costumes make up for it with bold strokes. Every outfit shouts personality, from Delta Nu glitter to Harvard cool. The sorority sisters turn every scene into a fashion show with attitude. Anne McMills lights the whole thing with precision, shifting smoothly from sunny California to ivy-draped academia.
Ed Staudenmayer (center) and the cast
By the time Elle is reclaiming her power in a courtroom, you’re strapped in and loving every second. Subtlety has long left the building, and frankly, I don’t miss it.
Legally Blonde knows exactly what it’s doing. This production gets it too. Every laugh, every leap, every glitter bomb lands. This is not theater that tiptoes. It stomps, sparkles, and dares you not to grin. It trades in broad strokes and bubblegum beats, and sometimes that’s exactly what leaves a mark. Legally Blonde doesn’t ask for permission. It already knows it has your attention and it runs full speed with it.
The cast
So don’t expect subtlety. Expect noise, expect color, expect pink-fueled punch at every turn. Expect a show that flips every preconception, not with quiet defiance but with a cheer, a high kick, and a wink. And just like Elle, it doesn’t need to be taken seriously to leave an impression. It already has.
Anthea Neri Best
photos by Jason Niedle/TETHOS
Legally Blonde The Musical
McCoy Rigby Entertainment
La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada
2 hours 30 minutes, including an intermission
Thurs at 7:30; Fri at 8; Sat at 2 & 8; and Sun at 1:30 & 6:30
ends on May 18, 2025
for tickets, call 562.944.9801 or visit La Mirada Theatre
for more shows, visit Theatre in LA
