Photos provided by Ellen Prather / Metropolis Performing Arts Centre

Given the enormous reaction to the movie “Legally Blonde” at the box office, it didn’t take long for Broadway to adapt the hilarious yet heartwarming novel by Amanda Brown into a musical.

And considering the vehicle that propelled Reese Witherspoon to superstardom just turned 20, it’s as ripe a time as any for the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre to revisit the show as it mounts a return to indoor performances after nearly two years.

Other than showing proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, plus wearing a mask and skipping out on bar service at the moment, theatergoers of any opinion would likely agree it felt great to be back.

The laughs, dances and tunes (that swap original soundtracks by Black Eyed Peas, Vanessa Carlton and Lisa Loeb for a more flamboyant approach) pop out from the get go as fashion-focused sorority girl Elle Woods (played by firecracker Alaina Wis) gets dumped by her Harvard-bound boyfriend due to her lack of seriousness.

Though she primarily wears pink and voraciously keeps up with pop culture, this bubbly blonde has plenty of brains, as the traditionally studious Warner Huntington III (the dashing but intentionally unlikeable Jimmy Romano) soon finds out when she gets accepted to the same school of law.

He’s clearly shocked to see her, and while Elle’s intelligence speaks for itself, her extremely outgoing approach quickly clashes with quieter classmates, who do all they can to derail such pursuits.

Nonetheless, she proves to the whole class that stereotypes are made to be broken in the midst of finding another love that isn’t bound by conditions or limited to specific personality traits.

Naturally, there’s a whole web of circumstances that stand in the way, including blatant sexism and a scandal that sends all the law students scrambling, but “Legally Blonde” is ultimately about the steps to taking charge of an upside down life and all-around empowerment, all while managing to be filled with “so much fun, it should be illegal!”

“Legally Blonde” continues at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre through Saturday, November 20. For additional details, visit MetropolisArts.com.

Related Articles

Broadway is back in the burbs as Metropolis moves outside for “Little Shop Of Horrors” “The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein” gives Metropolis season a frightfully funny start NightBlue’s Chicago debut of “Tarzan” sets a Disney adventure to the sounds of Phil Collins “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” is a mythological millennial-pleaser Rare retelling of ABBA members’ “Chess” broadens the cult appeal of “One Night In Bangkok” “Grease” gets re-energized in the round of Marriott Theatre Broadway’s “Finding Neverland” takes a family-friendly flight to a world of youthful imagination Broadway At Lyric series gets lavish, loud and edgy with “Jesus Christ Superstar”