Oh my god, oh my god, you guys — North Fork Community Theatre’s Youth on Stage production of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” is so, like, fun!
Southold High School graduate Sydney Campbell stars as charmingly ditzy Harvard law student Elle Woods in the show, directed by Jessica Raven, that opened at the Mattituck theater July 25 and runs through Aug. 11.
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the popular 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon, “Legally Blonde” tells the story of pink-loving Malibu sorority queen Elle Woods, who decides to follow her boyfriend to Harvard Law School after he dumps her for “not being serious enough.” Along the way, Elle tries to transform herself into, as she sings in the first act, “someone who wears black even when nobody’s dead.” Somewhere during her journey she realizes she has more of a knack for law than she ever could have imagined.
Ms. Campbell shines in the lead role, ably capturing the spirit of the character Ms. Witherspoon made famous 12 years ago. Sure, she has the look down pat — carefully curled blonde hair and copious amounts of pink clothing — but it’s Ms. Campbell’s deadpan comedic delivery and the sense of sincerity she lends to the character that wins the hearts of audience members. You’ll root for her the entire show.
Joining Ms. Campbell on stage are James Fink as Elle’s Ken doll-lookalike ex-boyfriend Warner Huntington III; Dan Yaiullo as Emmett Forrest, an earnest lawyer with a thing for Elle; Brette Rosen as Vivienne Kensington, Warner’s intolerably snooty new girlfriend; and Christina Stankewicz, who lends charm and a whole lot of laughs to the character of Paulette, a hairdresser and nail technician with an unlucky romantic history.
Rounding out the cast are Michael Dowd, who is delightfully diabolical in his role as the jaded Professor Callahan, and Becca Mincieli as fi tness empire queen turned prisoner Brooke Wyndham.
And Michael Drozd’s short but sweet turn as UPS deliveryman Kyle, who struts his stuff across the stage and lets everyone know that, yes, he has a package, elicits well-deserved hoots and hollers — and applause — from the audience.
The musical’s ensemble cast — a collection of Elle’s Delta Nu sorority sisters, Harvard students, prisoners and salespeople — are stars in their own right, singing, dancing and at one point jumping rope as they support Elle on her mission to win back Warner.
This reviewer would be remiss in not mentioning the impressive set design, constructed by Southold High School history teacher Casey Rooney, which features a pink sorority house and Harvard’s red-bricked campus.
Choreographer Meagan Schmid earns snaps for her energetic, booty-shaking dance numbers and the orchestra, led by musical director Jacob Boergesson, provides the rhythmic accompaniment throughout the show. Extra props to Mr. Boergesson for his unforgettable appearance as the scorned boyfriend of Nikos, the pool boy.
From start to finish, “Legally Blonde: The Musical” is a crowd-pleaser, producing countless laugh-out-loud moments and pulling the audience in with its quirky, likeable list of characters. No wonder the cast received a standing ovation at its July 26 show.
