New Trier’s production of “Legally Blonde” on March 3-6 didn’t fail to transport the audience into the fantastical world of Elle Woods, a sorority girl turned successful lawyer, complete with perfect hair and all-pink dorm room and wardrobe.

For all of those who are big fans of the 2001 movie with the same name, the musical did not disappoint. The same characters made appearances, including kooky Paulette, exercise queen Brooke Windham, creepy Professor Callahan and the lovable teacher’s aid, Emmett Forrest.

The story is more or less the same. A naive Elle Woods follows her ex-boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, to Harvard in an attempt to win him back and show him that she’s serious about their relationship.

The peak of Elle’s independence is shown in act two when she cracks the murder case she’s working on by outing the pool boy, Nikos, as gay on the stand. She makes it seem like a victory for the entire audience.

The leading lady, Elle Woods, was played by senior Sacha Appel and junior Katherine Melulis, who both stayed true to Elle’s bubbly and sugary-sweet personality.

As Elle, Appel and Melulis were in almost every scene of the musical. The only time they were ever off-stage was for their impressively rapid quick changes. You could blink and miss one of Elle’s unique all-pink outfits.

The show’s music exhibited a variety of genres, from sugary pop-rock of “Omigod You Guys,” from the girls of Delta Nu, to a classic show-tuney “Blood in the Water,” sung by Professor Callahan. There’s also a sprinkling of slower, heartfelt songs such as “Legally Blonde” in act two, when Elle decides she’s giving up her law career and going home.

For anyone who says that actors onstage don’t break a sweat as much as athletes in the field, there is the number “Whipped into Shape.” The energetic act two opener is staged as a jump rope workout video by the accused murderer, Brooke Windham.

In the number, she and an ensemble of women and police officers from the prison jump rope and sing simultaneously—it was very impressive.
And who could forget about “Bend and Snap”? The iconic move from the movie has an entire song dedicated to it in the musical, where Elle’s three best friends from the greek chorus, Serena (Emma Alter and Jennesse Pono), Margo (Lily Piekos and Emma Fitzgerald) and Pilar (Donna Kang and Adrianna Lauber), get to show off their moves.

The song is empowering to all women, which is the goal, and made me want to stand up and join the dance onstage.
Overall, the variety of music allowed everyone in the audience to enjoy at least one song, but the show was ultimately dominated by pop-rock themes that originate from the first and most catchy song “Omigod You Guys.”

The most outstanding part of the set was a contraption called a revolve. The revolve was center stage and was the source of many of the scene changes during the show.

For example, in the first song, “Omigod You Guys,” the revolve acts to shift from the Delta Nu sorority house to the shop where Elle is finding the perfect dress for her dinner with Warner.

It was well utilized throughout the show, creating strong stage pictures and allowing the majority of the shifts to occur while the show was progressing, instead of blackouts, where the audience pretends they can’t see the students on stage changing the set. It made the show move quicker, contributing to the run time of just over two hours.

Beneath all the cotton candy pink and fun upbeat songs, there is an important message for all: you can do almost anything you set your mind to. Elle’s transformation from a bronzed and blonde sorority girl to a powerhouse in the courtroom is a great example of defying stereotypes and what a determined woman can do if she sets her mind to it.

I saw the show three times this past weekend, twice with friends and once with the girls I babysit for. Each night I found something new to appreciate in the show, from the intricate set and well-executed lighting to the upbeat tunes from the orchestra and high energy from the cast.

Needless to say, I will be listening to the original cast recording on Spotify for the next week to try and get rid of all the songs playing on repeat in my head.