Posts Tagged ‘nell benjamin’

Well-Cast “Legally Blonde” Entertains With Energy and Heart at Tesseract

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Legally Blonde: The Musical
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Book by Heather Hach
Directed by Will Bonfiglio
Choreographed by Jo Palisoc
Tesseract Theatre Company
December 7, 2025

Jonathan Hey, Grace Seidel and Cast
Photo: Tesseract Theatre Company

It seems like Legally Blonde: The Musical has only increased in popularity since its Broadway debut in 2007, having been staged all over the world and now becoming popular in regional and community theatres. I’ve seen it twice at the Muny, in large, glitzy productions, and it is generally thought of as a big, glitzy show. Now, Tesseract is staging a scaled-down production that might have a smaller cast than most productions, but is still big in energy and heart, and even bringing out a bit more substance to the show than I’ve seen before.  Featuring a great cast and clever, efficient staging, this is a show that’s as fun as ever, but perhaps even more meaningful.

The story has become a familiar one–Malibu-raised UCLA fashion student Elle Woods (Grace Seidel) has enjoyed her undergrad years of sorority parties, popularity, and spending time with her upwardly mobile fiancé Warner (Mason Ramsey), fully expecting a proposal. Warner, however, informs her that she’s not “serious” enough to fit into his goals, as he plans to attend Harvard Law School and embark on a career in law and politics. Elle, determined to prove Warner wrong and win him back, applies to Harvard and is accepted, whereupon she soon learns that achieving her goal is going to be a lot harder than she thought. At Harvard, Elle meets Emmett (Kevin Corpuz), her law school mentor, and the two soon form a friendship as Emmett helps Elle adjust to law school and perhaps set her goals higher than “getting the guy back”, while Elle helps Emmett to loosen up and find more fun and style in life. She also makes friends with unlucky-in-love  hairdresser Paulette (Marsiya Miller), helping her learn to be more assertive, while navigating the cutthroat law school atmosphere led by ruthless Professor Callahan (Jonathan Hey), whose law firm offers a prestigious internship for which the students all vie. Soon, they’re enlisted to help in the defense of famous fitness guru Brooke Wyndham (Dawn Schmid), and Elle finds her goals and values tested more than ever. 

It’s a fun show, and not the deepest in terms of themes and message, although this production finds more substance in the material than I’ve seen before. Much of the credit for this meaningful interpretation goes to the cast and director Will Bonfiglio for thoughtful staging and heartfelt performances. There are still the fun production numbers, the memorable characters, and lots of pink, but the characters seem a little deeper in this version, and while still larger-than-life, they’re not quite as over-the-top as in other versions I’ve seen.  The reduced cast size with ensemble members playing various characters as needed also contributes to this approach.

Corpuz’s smoother, almost conversational vocals, and Seidel’s earnest persistence even amid her perky style and fantastic vocals, are among the highlights of this production, and the two have believable chemistry. There’s also a scene-stealing performance from Miller, who exudes likable stage presence as Paulette. There’s also an especially energetic turn from Schmid as Brooke, leading the high-octane “Whipped Into Shape” number with athletic gusto. Other standouts include Natalie Sannes, Lillie Self-Miller, and Evan Lee as Elle’s sorority sisters-turned Greek chorus Serena, Margot, and Pilar. There’s also a fun performance from Katie Orr as Elle’s Harvard classmate Enid, and fine turns from Ramsey as the image-conscious Warner and Aditi Seetharaman as Warner’s new “serious” girlfriend Vivienne. Hey makes a suitable, oily adversary as Callahan, as well, and there’s an excellent ensemble including Ella Drake, Martin Ibarra, Molly Stout, Kyle Rudolph, Loren Goudreau, and Aadi Kadam, all playing a variety of roles as needed.

The physical production is simplified from the usual, but especially efficient in that the black box space at the Marcelle is divided into areas with much of the set decoration along the walls. The set, designed by Brittanie Gunn, consists of the decorated walls and two raised platforms along with a few furniture pieces as needed. This economic approach adds a dynamic element as the pieces are moved around to fit the story, contributing to the overall energy of the show. Carly Uding’s costumes are fantastic, from the pink tones and bright colors of Elle and her UCLA friends to the more subdued Ivy League attire of Harvard, and Sarah Gene Dowling’s wigs also contribute to the overall look and tone with style.  There’s also excellent lighting by Morgan Brennan and sound by Jacob Baxley, as well as a great band led by music director Larry D. Pry, who perform live in a different room, helping the music to not overwhelm the vocals, as can happen so often in this space. 

Overall, this Legally Blonde is as energetic and fun as ever, but it brings even more in terms of substance and heart. It’s another example of Tesseract’s thoughtful approach to staging that’s been apparent in so many of their productions. In the words of one of the show’s most prominent songs, this production is “so much better than before”.

Kevin Corpuz and Cast
Photo: Tesseract Theatre Company

Tesseract Theatre Company is presenting Legally Blonde: The Musical at the Marcelle Theatre until December 21, 2025

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The Muny Brings Energy, Enthusiasm, and Heart to “Legally Blonde”

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Legally Blonde: The Musical
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Book by Heather Hach
Directed by Maggie Burrows
Choreographed by William Carlos Angulo
The Muny
July 28, 2022

Kyla Stone (Center) and Cast of Legally Blonde
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Muny

Legally Blonde is at the Muny, but not without some troubles due to the weather. Still, despite one rescheduled performance as a result of flooding and a bit of a delay before the Thursday night performance due to technical checks following more rain, the show went on. And it was worth the wait, because this show is full of energy, and is a whole lot of fun. 

The story, based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the 2001 MGM movie, centers around Elle Woods (Kyla Stone), a UCLA fashion student who follows her college boyfriend Warner (Dan Tracy) to Harvard Law School after he dumps her just before graduation because the perky, pink-clad, Malibu-raised Elle doesn’t fit his “serious” ideal. Elle, with support from her peppy Delta Nu sorority sisters, is determined to prove Warner wrong and win him back. So she applies to Harvard and is accepted, making the journey East to Boston and, for Elle, to a whole new world that isn’t entirely ready for her. Here, she makes some new friends, like her law school mentor Emmett (Fergie L. Phillippe) and hairdresser Paulette (Patti Murin), as well as some rivals, like Warner’s “serious” new girlfriend Vivienne (Olivia Kaufmann), while struggling at first to adjust to the Harvard atmosphere and earn a prestigious internship from cutthroat Professor Callahan (Sean Allan Krill). After a few trials (pun intended) and tribulations, Elle gradually learns more about herself and her own intelligence and inner strength, all the while finding out who her real friends are and how to navigate the law school world as her unique “legally blonde” self. 

This production is, simply put, a whole lot of fun. With a great cast led by the energetic, vocally strong Stone as Elle, the story never has a dull moment. Stone is clearly enjoying herself as Elle, and her chemistry with the also great Phillipe as Emmett is palpable, and their scenes are a highlight of this production. Also strong is Murin as the kind but self-doubting Paulette, showing off great stage presence and vocals on her showcase “Ireland” number. There’s also excellent support from Kelsey Anne Brown, Gabi Campo, and Khailah Johnson as Elle’s “Greek Chorus” of sorority sisters Margot, Serena, and Pilar. Krill makes an ideal villain as the self-serving, creepy Callahan, and there’s a fun turn from Hayley Podschun as fitness guru and murder trial defendant Brooke Wyndham. There’s strong work all around, from the leads to the energetic ensemble, and even including two adorable dogs–Ricky as Elle’s dog Bruiser, who has some scene-stealing moments; and Myrtle as Paulette’s dog Rufus. There’s vibrant choreography by William Carlos Angulo, and the staging is brisk and lively. 

What’s also lively and impressive is Tim Mackabee’s set, which features some surprising elements like an actual pool onstage in the opening scene, and several versatile set pieces. There’s also eye-catching video design by Kylee Lorra, and excellent atmospheric lighting by Rob Denton. Leon Dobkowski’s costumes also impress, suiting the characters well, and managing to help tell Elle’s story as she navigates her law school career. The Muny Orchestra, led by music director Lon Hoyt, sounds great, as well.

Legally Blonde is a fun show, especially when the cast is as enthusiastic as this one. While it’s not the strongest score and book I’ve seen, it’s certainly a crowd-pleaser, and this production finds a lot of emotion and heart. It’s another entertaining success in the 2022 Muny season. 

Fergie L. Phillipe, Kyla Stone
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Muny

The Muny is presenting Legally Blonde in Forest Park until August 1, 2022

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“Mean Girls” Entertains at the Fox

Posted in St Louis Theatre, USA Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Mean Girls
Book by Tina Fey, Music by Jeff Richmond, Lyrics by Nell Benjamin
Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw
The Fox Theatre
February 15, 2022

Cast of Mean Girls
Photo by Jenny Anderson
Mean Girls North American Tour

Mean Girls, the movie, is one of those films that I feel like I’ve seen even though I haven’t. It’s become so ingrained in the culture, especially for people who were high school age when it came out, that it’s been the subject of much quoting and meme-ing over the years since it was first released in 2004. I’ve heard so much about it since then, even though I’m a little older than its main demographic. Now, the tour based on the 2018 Broadway musical, adapted by original film writer Tina Fey along with Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin, is onstage at the Fox, which is my first time actually seeing this story directly. For the most part, it’s an entertaining production that certainly makes the audience happy, and features some excellent performances in its lead roles. There’s also a whole lot of energy, if not necessarily a lot of story elements that haven’t been done before.

It’s a high school story, and as such the musical contains a lot of the typical “high school movie” tropes, with cliques, quests for popularity, teenage romances, and more. The action here centers on Cady Herron (Danielle Wade), a newcomer to North Shore High School after having been raised in Kenya and homeschooled. The story is narrated as “A Cautionary Tale” according the show’s opening number, by artsy kids Janis (Mary Kate Morris) and Damian (Eric Huffman), who take it upon themselves to befriend Cady and help her find her place at the school among its many social groups. Soon, however, she is introduced to the “Plastics”, a group of influential but manipulative girls led by the self-centered Regina George (Nadina Hassan), who along with the insecure Gretchen (Olivia Renteria) and ditzy Karen (Jonalyn Saxer), tries to dominate the social scene at the school. Cady is soon immersed in the world of the Plastics, sitting with them at lunch and being adopted into their group while still trying to maintain friendships with “outcasts” Janis and Damian, as well as trying to court the attention of calculus classmate and Regina’s ex, Aaron Samuels (Adante Carter), to whom she is attracted. Inevitably, Cady learns that all this trying to reinvent herself doesn’t exactly pay off, and lessons are learned by all about the nature of friendship. authenticity, and acceptance.

Mean Girls, as staged on tour, is a fun show with some memorable numbers and an energetic cast, but there’s not much here that hasn’t been done in a variety of high school stories going back decades. Also, for anyone who hadn’t seen the film, the story is somewhat hard to follow especially in the first act because so much of the story is told in the songs, which the uneven sound mixing made difficult to understand. Still, the cast gives their all, with some impressive performances especially from Wade as the likable but conflicted Cady, Carter as the sweet-natured but also conflicted Aaron, and Huffman and Morrissey who are quirky and ideal narrators as Damian and Janis. There’s also a sweetly goofy performance from Lawrence E. Street as school principal Mr. Duvall, and a versatile multi-role turn from April Josephine as Cady’s mom, Regina’s mom, and influential math teacher Ms. Norbury. The Plastics are also memorable, with excellent comic timing from Renteria (the understudy) and Saxer, and a strong sense of presence from Hassan as Regina. The singing is strong throughout, and the dancing, choreographed by director Casey Nicholaw, is enthusiastic and full of energy. There’s a strong ensemble filling out the cast, as well, and all seem to be having fun with this somewhat busy but entertaining story.

Technically, aside from the aforementioned sound issues, the show dazzles. There’s a bright, colorful, and versatile set by Scott Pask, as well as fun and clever video design by Finn Ross and Adam Young and lighting by Kenneth Posner. The colorful costumes by Gregg Barnes, hair design by Josh Marquette, and makeup by Milagros Medina-Cerdeira also contribute to the overall bold and whimsical tone of the production. 

If you’re expecting Mean Girls to be fun and full of energy, you won’t be disappointed. I can’t say anything about the adaptation from the film because I haven’t seen the movie, although this show did make me want to see it. This show isn’t world-changing or deeply profound, but it’s got a great cast, vivid characters, and a fun sense of humor. It’s an entertaining way to spend an evening at the Fox.

Adante Carter, Danielle Wade
Photo by Joan Marcus
Mean Girls North American Tour

The North American tour of Mean Girls is running at the Fox Theatre until February 27, 2022

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