The Walnut Street Theatre is ending their 2018-2019 season with a bang— a pink and sparkly bang that is. The theatre’s production of “Legally Blonde” opened on May 22 and has recently been extended for another two weeks due to popular demand.
Walnut Street Theatre’s production of Legally Blonde: The Musical totally rocks
The production is hilarious, smart and of course, a lot of fun. Whether you’re a fan of the movie or you’re just curious to see what all of the fuss is about, “Legally Blonde” will undoubtedly have you leaving with a smile on your face.
“Legally Blonde” follows the story of SoCal princess Elle Woods and her quest to win back her ex-boyfriend who broke up with her for “not being serious enough”. Although it may seem like the beginning of a juvenile rom-com or a teenage blockbuster, “Legally Blonde” throws in a curveball and has Elle apply and get into Harvard Law School. The blonde bombshell goes through trials (literally) and tribulations throughout the story, but ultimately learns a lot more about life than just the law-focused curriculum. The movie starring Reese Witherspoon as Elle was a smash hit in 2001, and soon after the feel-good story was moved to the stage in 2003.
In the Walnut’s production of “Legally Blonde”, the starring role of everyone’s favorite blonde heroine is played by Kathryn Brunner, who fits into the part better than a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. Brunner is smart, sweet, sassy and everything that we could ask for when imagining such an iconic role being portrayed up on stage. The role of Warner, her Harvard-bound self-serving boyfriend is played by Sean Thompson, and Thompson makes the role of Elle’s ex funny and almost even likable while still being egocentric–a hard task that Thompson knocked out of the park.
Emmett, Elle’s tutor and adorable love interest is played by Elliott Styles, Styles is well known to the Walnut Street Theatre and most recently starred as the Doctor in Roald Dahl’s “Matilda”. The stern Professor Callahan is played by Paul Schoeffler who is recognizable from NBC’s “The Blacklist” and Amazon’s new animated series, “Bug Diaries”. Warner’s new “serious” girlfriend Vivienne is played by Lindsey Bliven, and Elle’s entourage of sassy sorority sisters are played by Lina Lee as Pilar, Adena Ershow as Margot and Caroline Chisholm as Serena.
The most colorful and hilarious characters in the show Paulette, played by Rebecca Robbins, and her packaged love interest (the UPS guy) absolutely steal their scenes. The dynamics, the setup and the over-the-top “Bend and Snap” seal the deal on making this show one for the books.
The other scene-stealing entities are two furry canine co-stars, Frankie and Myrtle, playing Bruiser and Rufus. According to the official release, this is not Frankie’s first time on the Walnut stage – he could be spotted as the captured mutt in last season’s production of “Annie”. Both four-legged stars make the production more adorable than it already is, if that is even possible.
Walnut’s “Legally Blonde” certainly has its moments. Moments where you laugh, moments where you feel inspired, and moments where you are impressed with the capabilities of the cast and crew who make this feel-good story relatable, influential and overall very compelling. “Legally Blonde” is light-hearted and fun but it also showcases incredible feats of singing, staging and comedy. If you haven’t had the chance to witness the spectacle for yourself, bend and snap your way to the Walnut Street Theatre as soon as possible.
The Walnut Street Theatre is located at 825 Walnut St., for more information, showtimes and tickets visit walnutstreettheatre.org
