Legally Blonde is one of my all-time favourite movies and musicals. It was one of the first musicals that I watched a pro shot of and also the wonderful MTV competition, “The Search for Elle Woods,” that I was obsessed with. Legally Blonde follows Elle Woods’ journey of love and loss as she tries to win the love of a man by enacting a multi-stepped plan that also includes getting into Harvard Law School (like it’s hard). Eventually, Elle learns that sacrificing her individuality for a man is not worth the shallow happiness from a superficial relationship; instead, she finds her way by studying hard and successfully defending her client without compromising her morals. This musical is all about female empowerment and tearing down prejudices that revolve around the ideas of gender and beauty. 

Carleton Musical Theatre Society has once again pulled off another banger of a musical this year. CMTS has shown once again that student productions are a vital part of the community theatre scene and that even on a student club budget, you can pump out a show that rivals non-student productions.

The show kicks off with one of the most high-energy numbers with “Omigod You Guys”. If you’ve ever been pestered in the tunnels of Carleton University by the frat and sorority recruiters, it’s like that but on steroids. I wish that energy was carried into the following scenes; they felt a bit static and I felt like it needed something, but I’m unsure what. The show did pick back up right around “What You Want” with some of the most lively and spirited choreography. From there on out, the show only got more solid and I saw no real problems with the production, and the few that I did have to do with the delivery of certain jokes that missed their mark.

Musically, this show was extremely tight, especially with the Greek Chorus of Delta Nus. The biggest problem when it comes to a Greek Chorus is getting the parts to blend with the tricky harmonies; however, under the direction of Rebecca (Bex) White, those harmonies popped out and carried a lot of the ensemble numbers. 

I think it’s no surprise when I say I love simple sets and here is where I saw one flaw with the production. Coming from the very detailed and very beautiful set that CMTS had for Little Shop of Horrors to this, I felt whelmed. I think the sets still served their purpose as Legally Blonde takes place in multiple locations and you do need set changes to accommodate that. 

One big thing I have to applaud the show for doing is the diversity and perfection when it came to casting. From Elle to Emmett to Kyle, this is the kind of diversity in casting I want to see more of. To retell a personal story someone told me, this individual wanted to audition to be Elle but didn’t audition because they assumed that they would cast a stereotypical Elle. When they saw someone who looked like them cast in their dream role, they truly appreciated CMTS for what I think it does best: creating a safe and inclusive environment.

Shoutouts: Elle Woods (Charlotte Thompson) is a role that has seen so many iterations and I always love seeing the different interpretations that each Elle takes. Thompson played a very complex version of Elle that reminded me a bit of Laura Bell Bundy’s version; however, I felt Thompson’s iteration was much stronger in her convictions and had more confidence in herself. 

Paulette (Alana Malanga), they played the most hilarious version of Paulette. They had me in absolute stitches and normally “Ireland” is the song I skip when I listen to the soundtrack, but Malanga gave me a new appreciation for the beauty and humour behind the song. 

Prof. Callahan (Alexandru Simion) to say this was the perfect role for Simion would be putting it lightly. The moment they took the stage, that was the Prof. Callahan. 

Honestly, I would give a shout-out to the whole cast. Every part was solid in their own regard, especially the understudies. I sadly could not attend that night; however, the amount of praise and comments I’ve heard about that night is innumerable. 

CMTS truly has found its stride in creating some quality theatre and I look forward to their next season!