As an actress, I know the main goal of any production is to tell the story while engaging the audience. The cast of SPARC’s Legally Blonde The Musical Jr. was having so much fun on stage that I was having fun in the audience. Each and every cast member was 100 percent engaged for the whole show, which in turn, engaged the audience.
I love the story of Legally Blonde Jr., especially the message of girls supporting girls. The “legally blonde” Elle Woods is played by the incredibly talented Madison Cox, whose vocal talent brought down the SPARC Center house. Cox brings perfect comedic timing to the role, while still playing the classic Elle we all know and love.
Playing opposite Cox, Chandler Pettus portrays Emmett Forrest, the only character who truly sees the promise in Elle from the start. Pettus’ heartwarming performance brings an element of deeper emotion to the show and draws the audience in further, making us fall in love with Emmett. Grace Mitscherlich is very effective as the judgmental Vivienne Kensington – honestly, she terrified me a little. I would not want to face her if I were in law school. But Kensington later befriended Elle in a powerful performance of “Legally Blonde Remix,” during which Mitscherlich belted out a jaw-dropping note.
Jolie Smith, as Paulette, was high-energy from start to end. I was first captivated by her enthusiastic dancing in the ensemble, and was more than thrilled to see her in this featured role. One of the most exciting moments of the show was when her love interest, Kyle the UPS guy – played by Aidan Tan – entered, leaving Paulette speechless. We then got to see a funny and enjoyable performance of “Bend and Snap,” led by dance captain Brooke Moody.
Probably the most impressive aspect of the show was Abigail Huneycutt’s “Whipped into Shape,” performed while jump roping. The song is already difficult to sing, and I’m still amazed that she could jump rope and still sound absolutely stunning while singing.
The entire ensemble was so much fun to watch, I could watch the show thirty more times. Unfortunately for Richmond – but not for SPARC – the show is already sold out!
Legally Blonde The Musical, Jr. runs through April 22 at SPARC Center for the Performing Arts.
You can check in here to see if SPARC releases more tickets.
