Review: LEGALLY BLONDE – THE MUSICAL at Esplanade Theatre Celebrates Ingenuity, Community, and Joy

Singapore – With high-energy numbers, incredible singing, and hilarious material, Legally Blonde – The Musical is an infectiously joyous show perfectly suited to make all kinds of audience members leave with a smile and a pep in their step. Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) has mounted a production with genius direction and production design. At the heart of this show is Nathania Ong. She expertly takes on the mammoth of a role that is Elle Woods, while being supported by a strong Singaporean ensemble. 

Legally Blonde is a beloved tale of the underestimated. Elle Woods (Nathania Ong) is an exceedingly sweet blonde sorority president from UCLA. Her boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Nathan Hartono) plans to go to Harvard Law before eventually becoming a senator by 30. To achieve this, he needs a partner with a “serious” image and ambitions. In his words, a Jackie Kennedy and not a Marilyn Monroe. On a quest to win him back, Elle is determined to get into Harvard Law. As she embarks on this journey, Elle discovers that her dreams, wants and capabilities go beyond what she initially felt limited to, and we watch as she finds her way. 

Legally Blonde demands us to not limit people by their looks, and tells a story of how determination, kindness, and community win the day. Elle uplifts her community and we watch as her community uplifts her in return. These universal themes make the material and the character of Elle Woods so timeless and compelling. The 2001 movie starring Reese Witherspoon became an enduring cultural phenomenon, as Elle continues to be a role model for young women. The musical first opened on Broadway in 2007 and was professionally recorded and aired on MTV later that year, becoming a beloved staple for many musical theatre fans. 

Arguably one of the best written film-to-stage adaptations, Legally Blonde – The Musical retains the soul of the film while expanding on its themes, characters, and relationships. The book by Heather Hach and music and lyrics by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O'Keefe effectively translate the plot to stage while being witty and memorable. The writing of “What You Want” is a masterclass in moving the plot forward efficiently. We go on Elle’s entire Harvard admissions journey in a single song. The writing of this show is utterly campy, over-the-top and hilarious, while still being full of heart as we are swept away by Elle and feel overjoyed watching her entire community root for her. 

This musical is an ambitious choice to put on, but the team assembled by Singapore Repertory Theatre rise to the challenge. The ingenious direction by Kate Golledge, appropriately extravagant production design by Diego Pitarch, and energetic choreography by Simon Hardwick do justice to this material. It upholds the vibrant spirit of the show, milks the fantastic material, while showcasing Singaporean talent. Together, this production creates the lively, campy world that Legally Blonde deserves. 

The set transports you immediately into the Southern California environment. It serves as fantastic scaffolding for the whole show, and the arches make way for the other practical setpieces and help with quick-changes. The practical setpieces are abundant, like a massive changing room mirror, Paulette’s nail salon, and the larger-than-life Harvard emblem in “What You Want”. These make for such a vivid world that feels fashionable and lived in. 

Notably, there is extremely clever use of props in the direction and choreography of the show. In “What You Want”, the massive surfboard used for partying also doubles as Elle’s study surface as she goes on her Harvard admissions journey. “Blood In The Water” featured students on their laptops for most of the number when suddenly the students transformed into sharks with laptops that doubled as jaws that chewed Elle and spit her out, that then transformed into fins that swarmed her body. 

This vivid world is further brought to life by Hardwick’s choreography that dazzles in energy. From cheerleading-inspired moves to girl-group-esque numbers to intense jump-roping to the silliest Irish jig, the varied choreography keeps the audience on its feet and appropriately immerses us in each song.

The costume design pays homage to what we know and love while providing beautiful original designs. Elle’s fabrics and colors felt true to what we would expect from this style icon, with cuts that are modern takes on her character’s look. A tweed vest with a cute pink pleated skirt, or even her incredibly cute sweats, these choices are fashionable, wearable, and would be envied by today’s theatregoers. Her extravagant outfits, like an extremely sparkly pink band uniform, are also perfectly on brand while being a shimmering memorable highlight. The Greek chorus was also dressed in colourful modern cuts, evoking K-Pop’s take on Y2K fashion exhibited by groups like NewJeans. These translated well when they appeared in Elle’s mind while she was at Harvard, clearly separating them from the real-world preppy look of the Harvard students.

Notably, the show featured many exciting quick changes that were well-executed and garnered a lot of love from the audience. “Omigod You Guys” starts the show with an onstage quick change that happens incredibly fast. Elle holds up her perfect engagement dress, her friends gather around her, and suddenly she emerges wearing her flowing hot pink dress. Other less obvious quick changes happen off-stage as she constantly reappears in new fabulous pink ensembles. Truly, the costume department worked hard to give us surprise after surprise.

However, one quick change felt a little underwhelming, which was Emmett’s in “Take It Like A Man”. The fashionable Elle repays Emmett’s kindness by giving his wardrobe a glow-up. The whole song builds to his transformation, and he appears in a standard blue suit that you would see if you walked by any law firm. This choice could have been to reflect him in his most true-to-lawyer-form, or the simplicity was intended to embody who Emmett really is. However, knowing Elle’s sensibilities, you can't help but hope for something a little more special. 

As a whole, the clever direction and a lively production design are further made to sparkle by the strong Singaporean cast. 

The driving force of this show is none other than West End actress Nathania Ong. Elle Woods is such a difficult role and does not get enough recognition for its steep demands. It requires a true triple-threat actress. She needs to make us empathise with Elle while being utterly charming and funny. She needs to belt so much for so long while doing a lot of choreography. It also demands a lot of stamina as she is almost never off-stage.

Ong is the perfect pick for this massive undertaking. Vocally, she is the strong contemporary belter of your dreams. The admittedly difficult vocal demands sound easy on her, and it allows us to be fully immersed in the storytelling while being floored with her vocals. Her flawless "So Much Better" alone is worth the price of admission. In this show, she also got to showcase her very strong dancing. She leads the company with high energy and brings such sharpness in her dancing that makes the choreography look even better. Her performance in "What You Want" is the perfect encapsulation of these skills, as she executes cheerleading-inspired choreography so cleanly, complete with stunts and a split.

We have previously witnessed her great dramatic chops, but this musical allowed her to showcase her comedic skills as well. She has consistently fantastic comedic timing, and finds new moments to create fresh comedic choices, especially some great physical comedy choices. In Serious, the way she switches the hand that Warner holds, or even the way she carries her body as she is desperate for him to propose elevates the comedy of this number even more. The comedy is essential to the role of Elle Woods and is part of why the audience is so endeared to her. Through Ong's consistent execution of these moments, it's easy to understand Elle's charm and to want to root for her. 

Now for Elle’s romantic lead – Emmett Forrest. One of the most major improvements the musical makes to the film is developing Emmett’s character and his relationship with Elle. In the musical, Emmett is far more involved in Elle’s arc. We see how they both sincerely support each other, and in the process sparks start to fly. 

Benjamin Chow’s Emmett is direct and determined. Occasionally in interactions with Elle, especially in Act 1, this characterisation read as condescending. As we go into “Chip On My Shoulder”, instead of exercising gentle curiosity at a crying girl in a bunny costume, Emmett comes across as judging Elle’s choices with incredulity.

He certainly invested effort in pushing Elle to do better academically, but we aren’t sure if he truly “saw beyond the blonde to [Elle’s] mind”. When placed opposite Ong’s Elle who is the personification of sunshine, their chemistry faces an uphill battle. In the flowy fabric paradise that is a department store, romantic tension eventually takes shape in "Take It Like A Man". However, as they sung the titular song "Legally Blonde", there was a mismatch of emotional tone between Ong and Chow, which made the emotional and dramatic climax of their arc land oddly funny instead. 

Nathan Hartono is a suave and self-assured Warner, with a smooth voice that fits the bill. While being a misogynistic pompous law freshman, he somehow also contains a certain sweetness to him. Despite his family’s disapproval, his Warner is still drawn to Elle, but spinelessly follows his family’s wishes. The sweetness that undergirds his Warner is fascinating because it is not common across other productions. Opposite Ong’s sweet and genuine Elle, their past relationship becomes immediately understandable. 

Portraying his new partner Vivienne is Vanessa Kee. With biting delivery, her Vivienne was exceedingly mean and territorial. Later, she undergoes a massive character arc in a really short amount of time. For those familiar with the material, this arc makes sense, but for the uninitiated, unfortunately the moment that triggers the transformation may go unnoticed amidst the other major plot points going on at the same time.  

Rounding out the world of Harvard Law is Professor Callahan played by Dwayne Lau. This law professor carries the signature villain tune “Blood In The Water” with great flair.

A notable standout was Suhaili Safari as Enid Hoopes. The role as written in 2007 had the character’s sexuality as the butt of many jokes. Script changes in the current licensed version have done away with a lot of these, but some of these lines still remain. She consistently managed to find ways to deliver these previously problematic jokes in a way that changed its meaning and became funny in a fresh way. Safari also covers Paulette and I’m sure those who get to see her in that role will be in for a treat. 

A stunning highlight of this show was Siti Khalijah Zainal as our iconic and endlessly supportive Paulette Buonofuonte. She has fantastic stage presence and is extremely charming and funny. She has the audience in the palm of her hand from the moment she walks on, and she keeps us engaged with her great comedic timing and delivery. “Ireland” is a kooky retelling of her backstory which Zainal does endearingly well. Smart direction from Golledge supports the comedy of this number further by making the Greek Chorus sing the salon’s “Celtic Moods” playlist, and the hilariously grand ending with the colors of Ireland waving in the air as Zainal belts her final lyrics. 

Her love interest, Kyle the UPS guy portrayed by Pierre Png, has a short but memorable time on stage. He exists almost solely to strut and he garners some of the biggest cheers of the night. In the short time he and Zainal have on stage together, their shared all-out commitment to the gags help build a steamy electricity that the audience clearly enjoyed.

Sandra Riley Tang played the fitness queen Brooke Wyndham with incredible athleticism. In the ambitious Act 2 opener “Whipped Into Shape”, she embodied the confidence of a fitness empire owner as she led this demanding number while jump-roping. She did so with great composure and stability in her singing. 

Last but certainly not least, the Greek Chorus comprises three fun characters that lead the ensemble of Delta Nu women. Nadya Zaheer who plays Margot is a fantastic comedic actress who makes Margot delightfully lovable. Atiqah Roslee brings a certain coolness to the role of Serena, and a hip-hop edge to her dancing that is well appreciated. Victoria Lam who plays Pilar is a fantastic vocalist. She has great enunciation, consistently strong belting, and even brings some soul and body to her sound especially in “Bend and Snap”. These three women bring a lot of personality and sugar-high infectious energy to this musical. 

SRT’s Legally Blonde – The Musical is a production not to be missed. The well-written material is done justice by some of the best direction I have witnessed from a homegrown production and is executed by strong Singaporean talents. If you are looking for a night filled with non-stop laughter that also leaves your heart full of hope and joy, this is the show for you. 

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.

Need more Singapore Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...