Blue Canoe Productions presents Legally Blonde: The Musical
“There is no limit to ‘womanhood’—we can be feminine, intelligent, queer, and any combination of identities.” In her director’s note, Carolyn Bayley clearly states why she is drawn to Legally Blonde: The Musical, saying that the show can teach audiences a lot about “the power and strength of women.”
Blue Canoe’s production of Legally Blonde: The Musical is the second show of its summer season, and features a team comprised entirely of youth (and one dog). The show is based off of the movie Legally Blonde, which in turn is based off of a book of the same title. It follows Elle Woods (Gloria Digby), a rich sorority girl who follows her ex-boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Jacob Denofreo) to Harvard Law School in an attempt to win him back, but along the way, finds a true passion for law and begins to take control of her own narrative. All three iterations of Legally Blonde (the musical, the movie, and the book) are written by women, and Blue Canoe’s production featured a heavily female cast.
“There is no limit to ‘womanhood’—we can be feminine, intelligent, queer, and any combination of identities.”
I’ll be the first to admit that the script has its limitations in terms of intersectional feminism—Elle and her friends all come from a privileged upbringing, and the text makes it easy for many productions to utilize the overtly LGBTQ characters as the butt of the joke. Despite this, Bayley does a good job of working with the pros and cons of the script to deliver a production that is heavily invested in girl power. I especially appreciated moments that emphasized women standing up for each other—particularly, Elle’s triumphant return to the courtroom in the number Legally Blonde (Remix), where the show’s leading ladies stood together downstage as they rooted for Elle.
Blue Canoe Theatrical Productions presents Legally Blonde: The Musical
The set (designed by Blair MacMillan) was minimal yet aesthetically pleasing, featuring predominantly pink and white tones. While, on the surface, this choice of colour scheme can be written off as fun, bright, and simple, it conveys a deeper meaning. Just as Elle learns that she doesn’t have to stop dressing in pink to be taken seriously by men, the femininity of the set brings all of the characters, including the male ones, into Elle’s world, forcing them under a female gaze.
On their website, Blue Canoe states that their mission is to provide opportunities for youth in Kingston and the surrounding area to get involved with theatre. Their production of Legally Blonde: The Musical does all this and more by allowing young women to be the heroes of the story while also providing a fun piece of theatre for Kingston audiences to enjoy.
Legally Blonde: The Musical plays at The Domino Theatre until August 11.