Considering that movement is so important to Mitchell, it's odd that the cast contains just one first-rate dancer, Ven Daniel, who plays Kyle, the UPS delivery guy. When Daniel performs a few spectacular leaps and flashes his gams, it's eye-opening. No wonder Elle's manicurist friend, Paulette, falls for the big lug.
The score by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin varies from forgettable to derivative, alternately echoing Chicago, Wicked and The Little Mermaid.
Only two numbers excel. Exhibit A is the jazzy "Blood in the Water," performed with oily brio by Ken Land. Exhibit B contains a welcome jolt of social commentary in "There! Right There," in which a witness' sexual orientation becomes a key plot point. Courtroom officials wonder, hilariously, of Nikos the pool boy, "Is he gay or European?"
Too often, the stage show gets bogged down with extraneous numbers such as Ireland, though the ballad has the advantage of allowing Natalie Joy Johnson, as Paulette, to show off her powerhouse vocals. Johnson, a Maryland native, is a brassy, appealing presence. She conveys an entire comic monologue with a single, droll twist of her mouth.
As with all shows, the ultimate arbiter of success will be the ticket-buying public. Legally Blonde: The Musical ran for 18 months on Broadway by trading on audiences' fond recollections of the film. It's hard to imagine that 20 years from now the musical will still find customers.
Just like a bad dye job, memories fade.
if you go
Legally Blonde: The Musical runs at the Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, 12 N. Eutaw St., through Oct. 12. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets $22-$67. Call 410-547-7328 or go to france-merrickpac.com.
