Elle Woods paints IU Auditorium pink for Broadway musical

It’s tough to truly define what a musical is — or should be.
 
There’s the traditional school of thought for musicals, where Rogers and Hammerstein thrived with sweeping epics such as “The King and I” and “South Pacific.”

It’s the realm where Andrew Lloyd Webber brought forth the literary classic “Phantom of the Opera” and turned it into an immediate icon.

Then there’s the more adventuresome school, where shows such as “Rent” call an entire culture to action by using the medium of theater to shed light on controversial issues, or “Wicked” takes one of the most tried and true stories and turns it on its ear.

Neither of these sides makes much space for dancing sorority girls, murder trials and enough pink to turn life into a rosy hue, which is where “Legally Blonde The Musical” makes itself at home.

“Legally Blonde The Musical,” the Tony-nominated adaptation of the 2001 comedy, opened its two-night run Tuesday at the IU Auditorium to an enthusiastic crowd.

“I think it’s fantastic,” freshman Scott Brown said. “I would advise everyone to go see it.”

With songs such as “Omigod You Guys” and an ensemble embodying the true spirit of sorority life — screaming, shopping and sisterhood — “Legally Blonde The Musical” bucks the very concept of the traditional shows of Lloyd Webber and Co.

The show, similar to the film, follows Elle Woods, a UCLA student and sister of the fictional Delta Nu sorority, who after being scorned by her boyfriend for another woman due to her lack of seriousness and general “blonde” nature, applies to Harvard Law School to win his heart.

The musical opened on Broadway in 2007, earning both commercial and critical approval.

The show earned seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Original Score, one of the award’s most prestigious categories.

After closing on Broadway in 2008, “Legally Blonde The Musical” found two second winds, both at London’s West End, where it’s still playing regularly and on tour throughout the United States. This is the show’s second national tour.

Freshman Lexi Lessaris said she previously saw the show in St. Louis — a positive performance that brought her back to the auditorium once again to see the show.
“I think it’s really great,” she said. “It’s so entertaining. Elle is great, and I absolutely love Emmett. I want to hug him.”

Lessaris said the tour stop here differs from her prior experience in St. Louis, a show performed by members of the Actors Equity Association, which is the American labor union for actors and state managers.

Lessaris said whereas “non-Equity” performances are sometimes less professional than unionized shows, the performance here unquestionably meets the same standards.

“The actors are sometimes less experienced [for non-Equity shows], but I think they’re doing a great job,” she said.

Sophomore Rachel Goldman, who also saw the show in St. Louis, said the show set itself apart by varying some of the lyrics and jokes to become more timely.

“It’s interesting,” she said. “I know the show pretty well, and they’ve changed the lyrics for some of the songs. It’s more current. A lot of the jokes are more current and some of the lyrics are different, but I like it.”