Reverend's Reviews: No Dumb Blonde

Legally Blonde: The Musical had its southern California premiere last week at the fabled Pantages Theatre in LA. Despite the Pantages' equally-fabled acoustical problems — which rendered some lyrics unintelligible — the opening night performance cast a crowd-pleasing spell over the packed house.

Adapted from the 2001 film that made a star of Reese Witherspoon, Legally Blonde follows the efforts of Malibu-bred, UCLA sorority girl Elle Woods (played here by the winning Becky Gulsvig) to get into Harvard Law School and win back her ex-boyfriend. This cheerful, brightly-colored show had a successful run on Broadway in 2007, and had its popularity among young people sealed by an MTV telecast. The tour recently won several special Tony Awards for touring productions including Best Musical, beating Wicked and critical favorite Spring Awakening.


While its plot may seem feather-light, Legally Blonde: The Musical has intelligent things to say about women, ambition and personal empowerment. It probably helps that a woman, Heather Hach, wrote the show's book and another woman, Nell Benjamin, wrote its score, the latter with Laurence O'Keefe. The score is excellent, packed with tunes both appropriately perky ("Omigod You Guys," "What You Want" and "So Much Better" are but a few) and, on those rare occasions when called for, more meditative ("Chip on My Shoulder," "Find My Way" and the title song).

Jerry Mitchell's high-energy choreography is impressive — especially during the Act II opener, "Whipped Into Shape" — but his direction is even better. The pacing is brisk and there isn't a sluggish moment to be found. Though this is Mitchell's Broadway directorial debut, his sharp eye and sure hand ensure future directing assignments.


The touring cast is uniformly strong. In addition to Gulsvig, standout performances are given by Natalie Joy Johnson as the unfortunate-in-love beautician, Paulette (memorably played by Jennifer Coolidge in the film); D.B. Bonds as Emmett; Ken Land as the smarmy Professor Callahan; and Megan Lewis as Elle's bitchy rival, Vivienne. And one mustn't neglect to mention the cute and talented canines Frankie and Nellie, who play Bruiser and Rufus, respectively.

There are gay and lesbian characters and camp moments galore to please GLBT theatregoers. Aside from Wicked, no other recent musical offers as much sheer joy and entertainment as Legally Blonde: The Musical. It is running at the Pantages through September 6, then transfers to the Orange County Performing Arts Center September 8-20.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Virginia Davis: 1918-2009

Virginia Davis, Walt Disney's first star as the leading lady of his early series of silent Alice Comedies, passed away yesterday at the age of 90.

Reel Thoughts: Fly Me to the Moon!

Seattle is the best place to go to see fantastic shows before they blast off for Broadway, and Catch Me If You Can is the 5th Avenue Theatre’s latest hit. Based on the 2002 Steven Spielberg film that chronicled the amazing-but-true larcenous life of teenager Frank Abagnale Jr., who convinced people he was a Pan-Am pilot, a pediatrics doctor and a Louisiana lawyer, Catch Me If You Can is a retro-smooth musical cocktail that defines “cool.”

Hairspray composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman’s incredibly witty and lush score mixes perfectly with iconic playwright Terrence McNally’s book to hit all the film’s high points, especially in the first act. Director Jack O’Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell bring their best talents to the production, giving it a glossy, fun-filled 60’s TV variety show feel that is the perfect way to make the film sing and dance. The production design is absolutely breathtaking, like stepping into a Mad Men episode as scored by the Rat Pack.

Aaron Tveit, recently voted Broadway’s hottest man, is amazing as Frank Jr., all but erasing Leonardo DiCaprio’s long shadow in the role. He sings like the best of the crooners and he has charisma enough to power David Rockwell’s fantastic light show. From the moment he takes over the stage with his backup dancers to sing “Live in Living Color!”, you will not be able to take your eyes off him ... unless he’s making one of his many escapes from the FBI.

Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz, playing Tom Hanks’ dogged Agent Carl Hanratty, creates a whole new musical hero, the super schlub, a man with no life who nonetheless commands the stage whenever he appears. Carl is determined to bring down the elusive Frank, until he discovers that he’s only a kid. “Here I Am (To Save the Day)” is the perfect anthem for Carl’s dull-but-thrilling way of life, and the mile-a-minute patter never trips up the wily Butz.


Tom Wopat, resisting the urge to Christopher Walkenize his Frank Abagnale Sr., takes the role of a man with big dreams and little success and makes him heartbreaking. He sends Frank Jr. off to a life of crime with the tender “Fifty Checks”, a father-son bonding moment marred by the fact that he’s telling his son to spend until the checks run out, a lesson too many people have followed these days. Frank Sr. and his wife Paula (the gorgeous and glamorous Rachel De Benedet) do the unthinkable and divorce, sending their son’s perfect life crashing down and driving him to run away in search of “Someone Else’s Skin” he can inhabit.

Frank’s first miracle job snatch is also the show’s most fun. He becomes a Pan-Am pilot smothered in swingin’ stewardesses, leading to the fabulous production number “The Jet Set”. Every time Hanratty gets close, Frank escapes, racking up 2.8 million dollars in rubber checks along the way.

As act two opens, Frank has graduated to playing doctor, literally, among (as he puts it) a bunch of horny nurses. There he meets Brenda, a sweet candy striper played by Broadway belle Kerry Butler (taking over for the film's Amy Adams). The show drags at this point, if only because nothing involving Brenda’s N’Awlin’s family (Nick Wyman and Linda Hart) is half as entertaining as Frank’s high-flying Pan-Am adventures were. However, the drama of Carl discovering Frank’s broken childhood and becoming a pseudo father figure, as well as Frank Sr.’s sad downward spiral, have an emotional heft that is truly moving.

If tweaks can be made pre-Broadway, I would rewrite the entire Strong family outing part, including the odd number “Bury Me Beside the One I Love”, and give Butler, Wyman and Hart something more fun to do (and for the audience to watch) . Butler gets the “Eleven O’clock Number”, a soaring ballad called “Fly, Fly Away”, but because her part is under-developed, it packs no punch.


Still, Catch Me If You Can is a “Strange But True” tale that has become pure magic on the Seattle stage. I hope you’ll catch it, either there or during its sure-to-be triumphant Broadway run. The handsome Tveit may not sing “Come Fly With Me”, but you’ll definitely want to fly his friendly skies as he becomes a huge Broadway star.

Review by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Reverend's Reviews: A Nazi-Fighting Danish Cocktail

I was immediately intrigued by the title, Flame & Citron, chiefly because its second part is my fave flavor of Absolut vodka. Whatever the setting, Citron always catches my attention!

I was therefore edified to learn that Flame & Citron (opening in LA this Friday and expanding nationally) is a cinematic tribute to two Danish freedom fighters who took on the occupying Nazis for the better part of 1944. It is a very well-made and engrossing film, full of twists and turns and no shortage of double- and triple-crosses.


On April 9, 1944, Nazi forces marched into Copenhagen and immediately imposed martial law on those citizens they didn't imprison or kill for resisting them. Bent Faurschou-Hviid (played by Thure Lindhardt, mostly recently seen as the Vatican Archives' chief protector in Angels & Demons) and Jorgen Haagen Schmith (Mads Mikkelsen, best known in the US for his turn as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale) resolved to force the Nazis out of Denmark by any means necessary. They quickly became known publicly as Flame (for Bent's rare, red hair) and Citron (perhaps for Jorgen's more acidic personality).

From the start, the more intense Flame has few moral qualms about their resistance efforts. "We're not killing people," he says, "but Nazis." Initially, he draws the line at killing women. Their ethics threaten to change, though, as he and Citron find themselves receiving increasingly questionable orders and making murkier alliances.

Citron has a wife and little girl he rarely sees but remains protective of; he is the more rational between him and Flame, as well as the sweatier of the two. United in their hatred of oppression in any form, Citron and Flame develop in time a seemingly-psychic connection. The two were awarded the US Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1951.


The talented Ole Christian Madsen directed and co-wrote the screenplay for Flame & Citron with Lars K. Andersen. Jorgen Johansson's cinematography is extraordinary, and the production design by Jette Lehmann captures the time and a war-ravaged Copenhagen perfectly. Hummer Hojmark, special effect coordinator, provides subtle but significant support.

Although the film is a little on the long side, clocking in at 130 minutes, it is worth watching as both history lesson and inspirational — if violent — entertainment. One can be justifiably critical of Citron and Flame's take-no-prisoners approach to securing freedom, but it's hard to quibble with Flame's sense of moral certainty in the face of oppression: "I know I'm doing the right thing; it's the only right thing."

UPDATE: Flame & Citron is now available on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.com.

Click here to watch the trailer for Flame & Citron.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.