Blondes have all the fun in ‘Legally’

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David Larsen, Chelsea Packard and Chico (who plays Bruiser), in "Legally Blonde." | Photo by Peter Coombs and the Marriott Theatre

Updated: February 1, 2012 8:29AM

Suspend disbelief and enjoy the wonderful antics of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, playing at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire through March 25.

Chelsea Packard, who can sing, dance and act, embodies Miss Elle Woods, the ultimate California girl, pretty in pink and as bright as a new penny. Oh, and one smart cookie, when she puts her mind to it.

The story, true to the 2001 movie “Legally Blonde” with Reese Witherspoon, tells of Elle, president of her Delta Nu sorority at UCLA, who expects a proposal from her long-time boyfriend Warner Huntington III, played by Cole Burden.

He, however, is headed to Harvard Law School and harbors political ambitions. So he tells her he is looking for a wife more serious than Elle, whose major is fashion merchandising.

Broken-hearted, she decides to enroll in Harvard Law to show Warner that she is a serious person. She studies for and passes the LSATs, but when she gets to to Massachusetts, she not only faces his new girlfriend Vivienne, played well by Stephanie Binetti, but also scorn from her classmates who think she is a blonde bimbo.

She evolves, however, with the help of Emmett Forest, the ultimate good guy, played by David Larsen, and together they provide legal help to her manicurist Paulette, the sensational Christine Sherrill. By the end of the story, they win acquittal for Brooke Wyndham, Elle’s Delta Nu sister accused of murder, played by another super-talented blonde cutie, Summer Naomi Smart.

This musical romp opens with “Omigod You Guys” performed by the highly caffeinated Delta Nu gals. The show’s laurel-laden choreographer/director Marc Robin makes Marriott’s arena stage seem like Radio City Music Hall with dance numbers that include gymnastics and synchronized jump rope routines, so precise that the opening night audience burst into applause.

Hyperactive Delta Nus provide a Greek chorus. Veteran actor Gene Weygandt plays Callahan, the tough law professor, whose number “Blood in the Water” gives a clue to his legal philosophy.

There are even two live, thoroughly professional dogs, Elle’s tiny, beloved Bruiser and Paulette’s big bulldog Rufus, which Elle and Emmett reclaim from Paulette’s former boyfriend.

As for Elle and Emmett, they bond over their outsider status in the number “Chip on my Shoulder,” and provide the perfect Hollywood ending, as we knew they would.

Even Paulette finds love, in the person of Kyle, the UPS delivery man, played with manful glee by Steve Calzaretta, who stops the show with his Michael Flatley moment.

If you enjoyed the movie “Legally Blonde” you’ll like this musical, which boasts an Elle as lively and cute as the original.