Pittsburgh Playhouse's 'Legally Blonde' musical is a sweet, pink confection onstage

A generation of women spent the early aughts watching the 2001 film “Legally Blonde” over and over again at sleepovers, quoting its lines in middle school hallways and selecting their own perfect pink ensembles, inspired by main character Elle Woods.

While the 2007 Broadway adaptation of the movie — with book by Heather Hatch, and music and lyrics by Neil Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe — loses something in translation, it still offers spectacle, fluff and fun, especially in the capable hands of Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse. The show runs at the Playhouse’s PNC Theatre in Downtown Pittsburgh through April 13.

For those who didn’t rock body glitter, jeans under dresses and Backstreet Boys Hit Clips back in the day, a quick rundown of the plot: Elle Woods (Libby Lindahl) is a pink-loving UCLA sorority president and fashion merchandising major who’s convinced that boyfriend Warner (Will Chadek) is about to propose. Instead, he dissolves their relationship, citing his upcoming move to Harvard Law School, his ambitious future plans and his need for a “serious” girlfriend. Heartbroken, Elle decides that she will go to Harvard Law (“what, like it’s hard?”) to win him back. Instead, she shows up to the East Coast to find Warner has moved on to a new girlfriend, Vivienne (Isabel Mincy), who’s “a Jackie, not a Marilyn.”

Instead of giving up and going back to California, Elle decides to stick it out and prove herself at Harvard. With the help of recent law school grad Emmett (Logan Johnson), new friend Paulette (Mariana Sarmento) and a “Greek chorus” of friends, she persists and uses her own expertise to free falsely accused exercise maven Brooke Wyndham (Kendal Williams) from murder charges.

Elle Woods is one of those great roles for women, and Lindahl fits the part like the perfect pair of pumps. With her sunny pep, she sparkled through every scene and her bright warble brought some sunshine to a succession of light-but-sometimes-forgettable show tunes. She and Johnson made a great pair with a natural rapport, with Johnson delivering a sincere performance that brought dimension to his role.

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Kendall Williams slayed as not-murderer Brooke Wyndham, especially with the second act’s aerobics-themed dance number where she attacked director/choreographer Mara Newbery Greer’s moves with vigor.

The musical does play around with the movie’s plot a bit, expanding Emmett’s role and turning Paulette (played onscreen by Jennifer Coolidge) from shy and self-conscious to a more confident character with a fitting Bahstahn accent. Sarmento is a standout as Paulette, getting many of the most genuine laughs of the night, especially in her interactions with love interest Kyle (Nathan Lesane III, another crowd favorite).

This show has a large cast, and all of them were exceptional, two other actors are worth singling out: the live dogs who play Elle’s canine companion Bruiser and Paulette’s pup Rufus, both of whom hit their marks perfectly and got huge cheers from Thursday night’s audience.

The cast grooved their way around numerous well-dressed sets in perfectly appointed costumes by Alaina Donovan and Michael Montgomery, capturing the height of 2000s style — and even recreating Elle’s iconic hot pink courtroom attire. Isabel Caldwell Aranza’s lighting design made everything shimmer and added even more movement to the energetic show. And music director Camille Villalpando Rolla made the upbeat score pop. The many Point Park students who worked on the crew deserve a standing ovation for keeping the whole performance running smoothly and professionally.

Greer, as director and choreographer, really elevated what is a just-OK script into a brilliant Technicolor fun fest that had several audience members vowing to return for a second viewing.

While “Legally Blonde” is a nostalgia trip for many, it actually works best for those who aren’t familiar with the source material. This cast deftly delivers jokes that seem well-trodden to movie lovers but get big laughs from the uninitiated, and Lindahl’s sweet and heartfelt portrayal is a (pink and scented) love letter to screen original Reese Witherspoon. Rom-com lovers shouldn’t miss this one.

Pittsburgh Playhouse’s “Legally Blonde The Musical” runs through April 13 at the PNC Theater in Pittsburgh Playhouse, Downtown Pittsburgh. For tickets, visit playhouse.pointpark.edu.