Words by Ashe Villena and Rae Goco

Photos by Breanna Limsenkhe

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Omigod, you guys! There, right there, in Harvard, Katipunan is Legally Blonde: The Musical. Under the direction of Meann Espinosa, musical direction of Matthew Chang, and choreography of Jim Ferrer, iconic law student Elle Woods colored the Doreen Black Box Theater pink for Ateneo Blue Repertory’s 33rd season finale. Just like how seriously in love Elle is with Warner Huntington III, we are seriously in love with the character portrayals, musical numbers, and set design that bent and snapped everyone’s expectations!

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Back in the Philippines after 15 years, the production bedazzled its own wit and charm to an already beloved musical, making it so much better for its Filipino audience and local theater scene. 

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Illegally accurate acting

It should be a crime how spot-on this musical adaptation was with its character portrayals, given the mix of new and veteran actors. True to the original 2007 Broadway musical, the energy was amped to the max in the cast’s animated acting, from the main characters to the supporting ensemble.

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From her first grand entrance in Omigod You Guys, LJ Bala screamed main character energy as Elle Woods. Bala’s perky personality dazzled onstage, making it clear that what we wanted—an entertaining embodiment of Elle—was right in front of us. Sustaining a two-hour spotlight that ranged from lively dances to emotional solos was no easy endeavor given the immense amount of endurance and range this required, yet Bala owned the limelight like second nature, doing justice to her character’s iconic quote: “What, like it’s hard?”

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Complementing Bala with butterfly-fluttering chemistry was MC Dela Cruz as the endearing law associate Emmett Forrest. One look into his expressive eyes could reflect the entire story of his affection for Elle—Dela Cruz’s defining feature that captured both Emmett’s boy-next-door charm and the audience’s hearts.

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Another charmer was Theo Gaspar as Warner. While Dela Cruz stood in the limelight in his powerful Chip on My Shoulder solo and soft body language, Gaspar’s strengths lay in his swoon-worthy Serious serenade and heartbreaker swagger. Sara Sicam matched Gaspar with her on-the-money portrayal of rich girl Vivienne Kensington, with her skillful shift from a narrow-eyed, snobbish antagonist to an all-dimpled-smiles, girls-supporting-girls fan favorite.

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Theater veterans JV Fulgencio and Gel Basa proved how well-versed they are with their craft as Professor Callahan and Paulette Bonafonte, respectively. Fulgencio commanded the center stage in Blood in the Water, taking up massive space as the terror professor we have come to know and [not] love. On the other hand, Basa’s charming portrayal of Paulette was a definite stand-out, as her comedic timing and perfect replication of Paulette’s iconic accent, on top of her already impressive vocal range, elicited the loudest whooping cheers from the audience.

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Beyond the true-to-original jokes, what made this Legally Blonde adaptation extra amusingly refreshing was the up-to-date, relatable Filipino humor. Elle’s friends—Serena (played by Zella Aspiras), Margot (Chim Tam), and Pilar (Tini Flores)—cursing out Warner in Tagalog after their breakup prompted roaring laughter and applause (and friend group flashbacks) from the crowd. Even the tiny nuances of switching names to Maria Ressa and Sabrina Carpenter instead of Oprah and Beyoncé made the jokes land right on the mark, sprinkling a dash of unique charm onto an otherwise already fun Western production.

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A positively marvelous musicality

From high-energy marches like What You Want to heartfelt ballads like Legally Blonde, the music was a powerful driving force that made the whole production feel so alive. The cast, especially the Delta Nu sisters, delivered every song they were in with sharp and harmonic vocals that caught the attention of everyone in the theater by the first ‘Omigod’.

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MC Dela Cruz, Theo Gaspar, and Basa also definitely delivered musical standouts. Dela Cruz’s powerhouse belts brought the house down—especially when he proudly declared, “Little Ms. Woods—comma—Elle!” with strength and passion that lauded an erupting applause from the audience. Theo Gaspar’s cool vibrato in Serious totally gave big Warner energy and added to the humor of his character. Of course, Basa’s Ireland was a show-stopper as her soft, sweet vocals offered a surprising and much-loved depth that gorgeously contrasted her lively, comedic speaking tone, thus exemplifying her impressive range.

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Above all, LJ Bala’s singing was nothing short of spectacular, with notable consistency gliding through powerful ballads and peppy show tunes with clear vocals and emotional punch. However, there were instances where more control and stamina in her belting could have elevated her portrayal, such as in sustaining the last note of So Much Better. Nonetheless, Bala brought Elle’s journey to life with heartfelt sincerity and vocal finesse. In a musical that has a lot of sprechgesang (speak–singing), she definitely showed a mastery and poise of transitioning from playful lines to powerful musical junctures to bring an extra layer of dynamism to her performance.

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Beyond the main characters, the supporting cast displayed an outstanding repertoire that proved how laudable musicality extended to the entire cast. The Greek chorus blessed our ears with absolutely angelic harmonies, blending both skill and humor whenever they showed up onstage. In contrast, Senanda as fitness instructor Brooke Wyndam got our hearts pumping in time with her jump rope dance moves in Whipped Into Shape, a simultaneous song-and-dance number that was an in-character display of Senanda’s stamina.

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A prominent issue throughout the performance, however, were the acoustics occasionally that made it difficult to catch some lyrics, especially in ensemble numbers where voices competed for clarity. Microphone malfunctions also occurred during performances, but the cast compensated for the technical difficulties with clear projection. Moving forward, improvements in the sound design could have allowed the vocals to shine more consistently throughout the show.

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A stage whipped into shape

Nevertheless, the overall killer production was all tied together against the backdrop of a spectacular set design. Doreen Black Box Theater was magically transformed thanks to the three strategic stage divisions: the large left main stage, small center pit, and stairway-connected right balcony. Such a setup maximized the limited, tight space, where every choreography felt intentional, never awkward nor cramped. In fact, the seats close to the stage were even creatively turned to the production’s advantage, with gimmicks like passing props to the front row, making the musical totally interactive.

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The final pretty pink bow to seal the deal was the quick, fitting changes of props and lighting. As the school banners got replaced by room curtains and as the LED lights switched from dim red to bright pink, the audience was seamlessly transported across a plethora of settings—from those as tense as Callahan’s blood-red Harvard Law classroom to as fun as Paulette’s brightly lit Hair Affair salon.

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Finding our way

Ateneo Blue Repertory’s Legally Blonde stayed true to its source material of Elle Woods finding her way, but what made it so charming was how deeply embedded the passion everyone onboard had for Philippine theater. From witty line deliveries that felt global and local at once, to the thoughtful set design that shone with homegrown creativity, the production proved that it is possible to create faithful adaptations that celebrate local talent.

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This production’s representation and celebration of femininity is a much-needed two-hour pep talk in a country that is all-so-familiar with the challenges of belonging in gendered and culturally intellectual spaces. As the lights dim, we are left with a hope to defy and surmount while being true to ourselves—because Elle Woods showed us that it’s not that hard!

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Ashe Villena is a BS Psychology sophomore at Ateneo de Manila University. Forever a humanities and social sciences girl at heart, she channels her time off the academic (and gala) grind through her affinity with writing — from literature to pop culture and everything in between.

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Raine Goco is an AB Communication freshman attempting to beatify her not-so-saintly encounters in the heart of Metro Manila. She hopes to write as she thinks and as easy as she breathes, drawing everyone to the unique sensibilities of her words. Otherwise, you’ll find her lost in her digital wonderland, caught in a love-hate relationship with the Internet.

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