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WPCNR Theatrical Review by John F. Bailey. March 31, 2012

 

 

 

The very LEGal Blonde  (impetuously athletic and beyond perky Kelly Felthous) presented her opening arguments at Westchester Broadway Theatre Opening Night Friday night  at Westchester Broadway Theatre Court representing WBT’S new Broadway 7-TONY revival, LEGALLY BLONDE. All Photos by John Vecchiolla, courtesy WBT

 

 

The WBT jury and enthusiastic gallery returned the intrepid barristerette-to-be and ingenuous cast a unanimous verdict of “Not Guilty of Impersonating a Lawyer,” with bravos and standing “O’s” for presenting an ambitious legal premise in Act One, followed by a hoot of a cross examination exposing a witness on the stand, worthy of Perry Mason in ACT II that returns a plea of Nolo Contendre from this critic and clears fitness icon Brooke in a most amusing manner.

 

In the process it skewers Harvard Law to the obvious delight of the audience. The delightful Ms. Felthous even has two hunk lawyers to choose from– believable Christopher deProphetis in the role of Emmet who persuades Elle Woods to stay with her legal career or Warner Huntington III.

 

LEGALLY BLONDE definitely passes the  bar!

 

Act One finds Elle deciding to follow her obnoxious boyfriend Warner Huntington III (played with impeccable superciliousity by faceman Robert Patrick Ryan –he has the pompous lawyer attitude precisely right) to Harvard Law School and when Elle is accepted her sorority girls of Delta Nu break into “Oh My God!” an ode to the anthem of surprise and joy typical of the high school/college girls of the last fifteen years. The rambunctious number with precise confusing joyous chaos (designed by choreographer Leisa Mather, (who dances in the ensemble) that is the big number of the first act. Any parent of a college coed of the 90s will go into hysterics at this parody of coed enthusiasm.

 

 

Lauren Blackman (left) as Vivienne, telling Robert Patrick Ryan as Warner Huntington III she no longer loves him after Professor Callahan fires Elle (Kelly Felthous), back left while Christopher DeProphetis (Emmett) works to convince her to stay on the case.

 

After this coup in Elle’s life, she shares the good news with Mr. Ryan tells Elle that he is breaking up with her for some woman more appropriate, the perfectly cast Lauren Blackman as the more appropriate woman, Vivienne, whose comedic sense of timing and a belting voice on Legally Blonde Remix in the second act recharges Elle. The believability of the supporting actors and interaction make you buy into this legal musical fairy tale for adults. Lawyers, law students will love it and those who hate lawyers should love it. It’s a hit.

 

Nevertheless Elle goes to Harvard anyway,  where she meets the imposing legal sage, Professor Callahan – (played with lurking menace, dripping with swarm, Aloysius Gigl, who carries the foil in this show). He transmits the mantra of the law school and its mission to dehumanize the idealistic law student, the wonderfully wicked Blood in the Water.

 

 

 

Along the way we meet Paulette  (Jacquelyn Piro Donovan above) of The Hair Affair salon who befriends Elle,and conducts a romance of her own with the extraordinary tall Timothy Hughes (above). His turn as a UPS delivery man just cracks the audience up—the funniest cameo bit I’ve seen in sometime. Hughes gets the biggest laughs in the show with his schtick. Stealing the show above is Paul Newman as the basset hound Rufus whose role is that he reminds Paulette of her former boyfriend who was Irish. (I can’t explain it either.)

 

 

The two canines in the show appear to be thrown into LEGALLY BLONDE sheerly for cuteness enhancement – Roxy the fox terrier and Paul Newman the basset hound romp through the proceedings as complete non-sequiturs. They endear themselves to the  gallery! But they have no actually protagonist role. I scratched my head figuring out how these two dogs drove the plot. But, hey it is a cute musical and the dogs raised the cuteness to dangerously high levels, jumping into arms, romping across the stage for no apparent reason. I think I’m going to bring a dog onto my newscast.

 

The stage is set for Act Two when Elle and her law class rivals are being considered for intern on a major case – defending a sexy fitness icon on a murder charge.

 

 

In Act Two the show cranks it up a notch with Brooke the fitness guruette and suspected murderer, played by Maria Logan  (foreground,above),performing Whipped Into Shape, a parody of fitness videos whetting the audience appetite as the musical moves into the drama of truth, justice and the American Way.

 

Elle and her Callahan interns are assigned to interview the very fit Ms. Logan to find out her  alibi. Brooke rejects the interrogations, but Elle discovers Brooke and she are Delta Nu sorority sisters. Elle swears on the Delta Nu oath not to reveal Ms. Logan’s alibi…seems she was having a — well I can’t reveal it.

 

Meanwhile, Professor Callahan says he wants to make Elle his intern, and busts a move on her. When she resists, he dismisses her.

 

CHEERLEADERS DEMONSTRATING THE BEND AND SNAP KEY to a Man’s Attention

 

 

Back at the Hair Affair, Paulette’s romance with Mr. UPS is not going well until the sorority girls former UCLA cheerleaders teach her the move cheerleaders use to attract the attention of the crowd, Bend and Snap – to attract and rivet his attention. And it does. (Side note: Lot of great actress watching is in this show.)

 

Into court we go, with Brook enlisting Elle as her defense attorney. Will the rookie lawyer without a law license in the pink suit and high heels (so high they should require a walker’s license) be allowed to defend in court? Will she breakdown the star witness against Brooke? Brooke and the cast stage a funny but politically incorrect interrogation set to music in Boston Municipal Court, Gay or European? In a cross examination as clever and funny as it is outrageous. You will laugh until you plotz.

 

 

Will Elle graduate with her law degree? Swing by to Westchester Broadway Theatre Court with the next 4 weeks to find out. LEGALLY BLONDE is so much more fun than Law and Order.

 

Steve Callaran, the most entertaining warmup man in show biz, reminded the audience to tell their friends LEGALLY BLONDE is playing only for three more weeks. Information on show dates is on www.broadwaytheatre.com or call the box office at 914-592-2222

 

Ladies and gentlemen, the jury has reached a verdict. The evidence is overwhelming. I find in favcr of LEGALLY BLONDE. Case Dismissed!

WPCNR MR. AND MRS. AND MS. WHITE PLAINS POLL. MARCH 31, 2012: 

One way of assuring that the public has the opportunity to know about agreements or the potential for agreements between developers and the city is for the city to make all meetings with developers to discuss changes in properties that would affect neighborhoods, city blocks, etc., or grant special privileges for developers is for the city to make such meetings public or televised. No exceptions.

For years developers come in, charm commissioners see what their objections are and tailor plans accordingly, the public is the last to know, except for possibly some neighborhood association personalities. It is a clubby atmosphere with representatives interacting with city officials in a cooperative, “chummy” way and reasons not to do things not considered too carefully so as to block the project.

The public (as the city argument for private developer meetings goes), has its chance at public hearings.

But, sadly many proposals such as the 5-day  “accelerated” approval of  city $17 Million to rebuild the Lyon Place garage for the Esplanade at taxpayer expense, never get weighed in on by the public. Not once did the city even say this garage had an average of  x amount of spaces occupied when it was open, and generated this amount of dollars — to prove the garage was needed. Instead the city just decided to do it. l The garage has been closed two years. All the bars on Mamaroneck and merchants on East Post Road can easily use the Maple Garage. That’s what people have been doing. We do want a walkable city don’t we?

Perhaps the most hilarious aspect of this burning of $17 Million is the city is electing to pend $17 Million on a new garage it is leasing for 99 years and will have to be rebuilt in 25 years maybe. This is a leadership in the city that felt spending $9 Million to buy a country club (of 100 acres) and retaining control over what happens there was not a good idea.

The country club was resellable — no one is going to buy that garage. If the garage is such a profitable concern why doesn’t a major parking concession offer to put it up for the Esplanade? If the city is so concerned about parking, why not tell Esplanade to buy parking from the Westchester and the Westchester Pavilion or close?   Where is the whistle blower on this deal?

Well, too often lately we are just deciding to do things “for the good” of whomever without rational thought. How is the debt service going to be paid?

A way to get plans out from the cloak of secrecy before they slide on past a naive and lazy common council (who if they have knowledge beforehand are just not doing their due diligence), with careless Common Council review, if the council reviews them with a critical eye at all, is to make these developer “hey, we want to do this meetings” public. Ideally such meetings should be televised and made available on the website.

By the way, the $17 Million Esplanade bailout is going to be approved Monday evening,so FOILING for the garage numbers…would be too late.

What does Mr. and Mrs. White Plains think? Tell the city fathers what you think in the poll at the right.