Legally Blonde at 5th Avenue Wins You Over with Unapologetic Entertainment

I was not looking forward to Legally Blonde. I thought it would be juvenile, so instead of inviting a friend as my plus-one, I took my nine-year-old niece to the show. Saved me from asking a favor of a friend, and served in furtherance of my Uncle of the Year campaign. But a funny thing happened: I liked Legally Blonde more than my niece did.

Yup, I was pretty skeptical too. (Photo: Joan Marcus)

The show, a national touring production that plays at the 5th Avenue through March 14, is tons of fun. It drew me in from the first, with the peppy ensemble piece "Omigod You Guys." (I know--sounds horrible, huh? It's not.)

I remained dubious, though. Any show can have one good number; just check out a Don McLean concert. But the next song, "Serious," a romantic duet that kickstarts the story, was good too. Pretty soon I stopped assaying every song and just let this classic American tale of optimism triumphant take me away, Calgon-style.

Legally Blonde really is a throwback. It's unapologetic entertainment, a musical in the vein of those of the 1920s and '30s, which were pure fun with songs like "Boomps-a-Daisy (I Like a Bustle that Bends)" and "Yula Hicki Wicki Yacki Dula."

The humor was broad enough to keep my niece interested, but much of it went over her head--I know she didn't get the Richard Simmons reference (?!) or the lawyer jokes, and I'm presuming that the allusion to faking orgasm was incomprehensible to her. I know I laughed more than she did.

Legally Blonde puts a smile on your face and compels it to stay there--through the first act, the intermission, act two, and finale. I know it wasn't just me. When niece and I made our way out into the lobby after the compulsory standing ovation, everyone was smiling.

If they were anything like me, they were smiling all the way back to the car and on the drive back to drop their niece off at their sister's. (Also part of the Uncle of the Year campaign--not trying to force conversation on the ride back, as niece was very focused on some game on her Nintendo DS. Instead I thought about what it would've taken for me to play video games in a car when I was nine: a video game console, a television, and a gas-powered generator to power them both.)

Let's talk performances!

Becky Gulsvig as Elle Woods: Perfect. Brought it throughout the 150-minute show. Funny, great voice, terrific energy--can't see how she could've been any better.

D.B. Bonds as friend-zoned Emmett: This guy's a really good comedic actor. I kept thinking Neil Patrick Harris while watching him.

Rhiannon Hansen as Margot: Niece said she was the funniest.

Tiffany Engen as Serena: My pick for funniest.

Candace Marie Woods as Pilar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5EmnQp3V48

That's all I've got, besides a malformed theory that Elle Woods' story is a thinly-veiled reference to the experience of early America itself. Her boyfriend dumping her: The Intolerable Acts. Getting into law school: The Revolutionary War. Getting kicked out of class on the first day: The Whiskey Rebellion. Buckling down and getting serious: Ditching the Articles of Confederation and establishing The Constitution. No? Yeah, probably not.

Legally Blonde runs through March 14 at the 5th Avenue. It shows every night but Monday, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets! Looks like the best seats are gone, but you can still get on the main floor for around $75. Tix are slightly more for the Friday night show, the two Saturday ones, and the Sunday matinee.