I had no idea what to expect from Legally Blonde: The Musical, and wow, it did not disappoint. Pretty sure my stomach will be hurting for a few days from laughing so much. Seeing the show outdoors, however, wasn’t exactly what I expected. Walking through Regent’s Park was an experience. Everywhere roses, everywhere sunlight, and people talking in tune with the rhythm of their feet. Even the ground was covered with a sort of mist of white flowers and feathers from the ducks and geese roaming by. And the sound of the water sifting back and forth inside the many bridged streams…there’s only so much my heart can handle.
Once we were inside the auditorium, though, it felt like a completely different world. The stage was covered in curtains printed with close-ups of hair, which was an interesting choice. It was almost hard to tell at first because the stock photos that they used were so zoomed in. It wasn’t until the curtains started swaying and tangling in the wind that I realized that the whole stage was essentially cloaked in blonde hair. I could see where subtle touches like this (even something as small as the wind blowing through curtains) might add to the overall experience of watching a play.
There was one moment where Paulette’s character was waxing poetic about Ireland being the place of love, and just as she paused for effect, a couple of geese flew by as if to add to the melodrama (way to go Geese, I’m here for it). Overall, I think that staging the play outdoors added a kind of communal, concert-esque feel to the show. You could feel the energy and the laughs in the closeness of the space. However, I’m not sure if those small effects were worth staging the play in an open-air venue. The performers, for instance, were almost difficult to hear sometimes because the sound had trouble carrying. Elle Woods’s mic even cut out a bit abruptly during one scene where she was reading a text from another character.
Legally Blonde also seems to be a show that’s built on materialism: Elle Woods is surrounded by neon pink and designer clothes and excess everywhere she goes, which was odd to see next to the green, natural space of Regent’s Park. Hearing the catchy pop rhythms of the musical thudding in the park just as the day was slowing down almost took away from the overall atmosphere of the park itself. Then, there was the issue of weather. It was supposed to rain for most of the day, and a third of the way into the show, it started to mist. For the most part, there was little disruption to the actual show. Halfway through, however, they did have to pause to dry the stage, so that the actors could perform safely. I can’t even begin to understand how many challenges like this go into staging an outdoor production, so all things considered, the show went on pretty smoothly.
Another question I had was about the final courtroom scene. For some reason, I seem to remember it being longer in the movie. Maybe that’s just my imagination, but in this production, the whole courtroom drama was wrapped up in about one song. Then, Paulette went into a kind of montage to summarize what happened in the years following Elle’s win in the courtroom, which just doesn’t seem like the best way to conclude a story? A summary, in a way, feels a bit like a cop out, but I’m also not well-versed in theatre. Overall, I would say I really enjoyed the show. It was big and loud and overtop in the best way, but I’m not sure that I understood all of the decisions behind this particular production, especially in regards to staging it outdoors.
More later,
Kath
Theatre in London U of A 
Thank you!
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