By Olivia Borgstroem
What better way to start off the legacy that is the new Union House Theatre than by bringing back a 2000’s classic. The Newman Theatre Association took to the brand-new stage with the iconic Tony-nominated Broadway musical Legally Blonde based on the 2001 movie with Reese Witherspoon. Under the direction of Jessica Elfick and Saul Kavenagh, the cast brought to life the pink powerhouse Elle Woods (Sophie Kennedy). And omigod you guys—they delivered a total banger, the audience left cheering and roaring with laughter.
Legally Blonde centres around Delta Nu president and fashion merchandising major Elle Woods, who, in the quest to win back her college boyfriend Warner (Browning Mummery), gets into Harvard Law School. What, like it’s hard? Elle is faced with both a new rival to Warner’s heart, Viviane (Eliza Griffin), and the overwhelming workload of law school. In an effort to perform better academically and, more importantly, be taken seriously, Elle manages to secure a competitive internship and ends up representing fitness queen Brooke Whyndham (Aleisha Corrigan) in a murder trial. And as an added cherry on top, she befriends the TA Emmet (Michael Tassone) and forgets all about Warner.
Fitted in the titular blonde wig, Kennedy was a confident and sassy Elle, delivered through her strong power poses and impressive belting. She was expertly supported by the remarkable Griffin and Aria Andriopoulos (as Paulette), both of whom provided strong and grounded solo vocals with additional vibrato. Andriopoulos’ performance of ‘Ireland’ was heartfelt and simply tear-jerking, carried by the actress’s pure voice, soft misty lighting and minimal choreography.
The twelve-person strong ensemble ensured that the high energy of Legally Blonde was achieved, enhanced by their commanding stage presence and distinctive role changes. Pru Anderson changed from store manager and perfume connoisseur to Elle’s golf-obsessed father to a sorority girl with ease, showcasing the versatility of the ensemble. While scenes like Elle’s personal essay to Harvard were scaled back from the original broadway production—most likely due to the challenging cheer elements—the second act’s ‘Whipped Into Shape’ exceeded my expectations. The skipping rope section was performed as its full original routine, with Corrigan and the ensemble perfectly timing the challenging circle-circle-under-over-through-around sequence while wearing bright orange prison scrubs. Off-stage cast members supported the vocals during this scene, a wise decision considering the demanding choreography.
The stage space was used efficiently throughout the show, altering between the downstage area and opening the back curtains to for scenes set in larger spaces, such as the prison and court. A backdrop with altering colors was used to further immerse the audience in each location, with the prison displaying the jumpsuit orange colour and the law court a navy blue. Overall, the set was minimal yet versatile, with two standing wall screens on either side of the stage that were rotated to show different backdrops for each scene. A long black runway resided along the center stage and was cleverly used for seating the judge’s stand during the trial, as well as to elevate ensemble members during crowded scenes with over 20 cast members.
The team faced some technical microphone issues during the show, but love saw them through and the cast carried on professionally as if nothing was wrong. The actors’ vocals were well balanced with the live band, and Jack Seskis on the drums expertly kept pace with the rapid musical numbers. Miffy Braniff Condie’s violin was beautifully incorporated during ‘Ireland’, adding to the overall magic of the scene.
The costumes were an inspired mix of early 2000’s and 2020’s fashion, which was a clever creative decision by Amelie Melbourne and Samantha Peters amidst the return of Y2K fashion trends. Contemporary references were added to the script to match this, with Elle’s dog Bruiser being a keen follower of Euphoria. The Delta Nu sorority girls wore the most modern outfits, accentuating their superior fashion taste. Elle’s quick dress change during ‘Omigod You Guys’ was impressively smooth, with the old hot pink dress disappearing beneath a smarter light pink dress for her date. Of all the costuming, the Newmanite audience seemed to particularly enjoy the prison guard clad from top-to-toe in Newman merchandise, which was a particularly creative comedic fingerprint.
While primarily providing a motivational you-can-do-it spirit and journey of self-realization, Legally Blonde offered an array of comedic moments that were truly memorable. Donned in a baggy rugby jumper, backwards cap and make-up giving the illusion of stubble, Ella Lithgrow’s rendition of a badass frat bro was hilarious during her rap in ‘What You Want’. Paulette’s dog Rufus was a soft toy dog with a wild stage life, being lobbed in spectacular arcs to clearly signal Rufus’ exit from each scene. Finally, Campbell Jordan perfectly captured Kyle’s (Paulette’s love interest) relaxed and confident walk, making sly sexual references by maneuvering through hilariously suggestive prop placements.
With the Newman Theatre Association’s most recent performance in 2019 being The Pineapple War—thanks for that covid—the Legally Blonde cast truly brought new blood to the stage and, in the words of Emmet, “I’m loooving it”. With standout talent, ingenious scene setting and trendy Y2K costumes, this show was a true musical feast—giving the audience everything they wanted and more.
The Newman Theatre Association’s production of Legally Blonde ran August 5th to 7th 2022 at the new Union House Theatre.
Olivia Borgstroem (they/them) is an Environmental Engineering student based in Naarm/Melbourne who likes to escape from the world of STEM by immersing themselves in all things theatre.
The Dialog 