Eugene weekly., May 10, 2012, Page 39, Image 39

theater
Gemini Vegetarians Rule in ACE’s Legally Blonde
I don’t know exactly how many blondes it takes to screw in a light bulb, but I suspect the number is more than one and something
less than 163. Honestly, the questions isn’t all that interesting, the punch line probably less so, but since we’re on the subject, let’s
dispense with any misogynistic concerns and acknowledge that Legally Blonde: The Musical, like the movie upon which it’s (egad)
based, has pro-feminist pretensions, if only of the lipstick variety. So please, let’s not go getting our panties in a bunch; the whole thing
is pretty harmless. After all, Actors Cabaret — where the show runs through June 2 — is all about fun, atmosphere and community.
Measured by any standard, then, Legally Blonde indubitably qualifi es as an unrepentant piece of theatrical fl uff, and as such, its
success should depend entirely on the answer to this single inquiry: Is ACE’s production fl uffy enough? To which I say: yes and no.
Staged under the zippy direction of the talented Joe Zingo, Legally Blonde offers up just enough percolating burble and referential
nostalgia to satisfy fans of the silver-screen original, and just enough independence and individuality to justify its existence.
Heather Hach’s book is a hash, and best viewed as a mere perforation of the movie — a sort of greatest hits about a seemingly ditzy
but actually quite shrewd valley girl who, with pluck and perk, pursues her Harvard-bound sweetheart by getting into the law school.
Where, of course, OMG LOL, by just being BFFs with her own quirky self, she wins the day.
As everyone’s fave femi-fl oozy Elle Woods, Megan Simón brings a courageous slant to a role popularly owned — lock, stock and
apparel — by Hollywood ass-kicker Reese Witherspoon. Simón, who is lanky and athletic-looking, not only gives us a different take
on Elle, but she dispenses wholesale with what Reese wrought. She possesses the title role, so much so that it isn’t until the second
act that you come to appreciate the subtlety of her performance — a combination of bemused half-innocence and uptalky charm that
channels the resilient comic goof of Lucille Ball by way of Kristen Wiig.
The production is a bit uneven, yet buoyant and funny enough to be worthwhile. Many of the problems reside in the musical itself,
a hybridized, sloppy-seconds crowd-pleaser with only moderately successful music and lyrics. Hand it to Zingo and his cast, who more
often than not locate the necessary effervescence to make Legally Blonde percolate.
A number of strong performances further hoist the fun factor: As the proudly part-Irish hairdresser Paulette, Michelle Sellers brings
down the house; Megan Robertson is spot-on as the aerobicizing accused murderer Brooke Wyndam; and Mark VanBeever, in the dual
roles of Grand Master Chad/Carlos, again proves his strong comic chops, and serves as the production’s choreographer. — Rick Levin
Megan Simón as
Elle Woods
Legally Blonde: The Musical plays through June 2 at Actors Cabaret of Eugene; info & tickets at ActorsCabaret.org or 683-4368.
Pleasant Hill Opens Door to
Little Shop of Horrors
Just like the herbaceous monstrosity at the heart of this campy musical romp, the
cult appeal of Little Shop of Horrors just keeps on growing. But if you’ve merely seen
the movie starring Steve Martin and Rick Moranis, you only know half the story.
Director John Muellner says the play — running through May 13 at Pleasant Hill Community
Theatre — is “totally different” from the movie. “There’s a surprise ending,” Muellner says,
“and as a result the audience is not going to expect what they usually have seen in the fi lm.”
The Pleasant Hill Community Theatre stage is tiny and intimate, but Muellner’s set
optimizes the space through engineering and design. “After certain scenes, the set opens
up,” he says, “and all of a sudden there’s the dentist offi ce.”
Alan Menken, best known for his Academy Award-winning scores for many Disney
productions, composed the plays 17 musical numbers, an upbeat mix sung by “doo-
woppers” rhyming “little shop” with “bop-she-bop.” “There’s more music than dialogue,”
says Muellner, though his cast shines too.
The script calls for only six characters, though Muellner packs in 18 altogether. His
choreographer is Al Villanueva, Churchill High School’s drama director. The leading lady,
Chiffon, is played by Sage Davis, a junior in high school and already an experienced
performer. Flower shop owner Mr. Mushnik is played by Don Aday, a veteran of Fred Crafts’
“Radio Redux” shows. The dentist is played as an “evil Elvis” by Chris Nordquist, who
recently performed in the Very Little Theatre’s production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Grammar school kids play street urchins, and also help as puppeteers. The chorus is
equally stellar. One of the singers, Serena Violet, is a student of local performer Siri Vik.
Performing the music are professional musicians who play in rock bands hailing from
Sacramento to Washington. “I’m proud that we have such a talented group of people,”
Muellner says. — Vanessa Salvia
Little Shop of Horrors plays May 4-13 at Pleasant Hill Community Theatre, 35575-1/2 Zephyr Way,
Pleasant Hill; for times & tickets, visit phct.org or call 541-988-1195.
Spring Inspirations Bloom at LCC
What if Lady Macbeth and Richard III met in hell? What if a high schooler planned a bank heist?
Or what if longtime Lane Community College professor Patrick Torelle were trying really hard
retire, and the one-act plays he helped students craft still needed staging?
The ten-minute play festival Spring Inspirations has been around for more than 15 years. In a nine-
month process, Torelle teaches a playwriting class, then helps his students fi nd directors and actors
to stage their plays. It’s an important rite of passage for LCC theatre students, but it’s Torelle’s baby.
Spring Inspirations actor-turned-producer Johnny Rodgers was in the midst of searching for
lethal-looking props when I reached him by phone. “Well, it wouldn’t be Spring Inspirations if we didn’t
have to fi nd weapons,” Rodgers says with a laugh. Weapons? Apparently he has less than a week to fi nd
a bomb, two M16s and a shotgun.
But props are only a part of the process. Rodgers, along with former LCC Student Production
Association members Michelle Nordella, Adam Leonard and Marla Norton, has worked tirelessly.
They’re reading and editing plays, dealing with casting issues and helping train directors, all in their
attempt to “carry forward Patrick’s original idea and continue to open doors for the many students
(yet) to come,” he says.
Among cast and crew are a number of fresh faces. Rodgers notes that most of the directors are
directing for only their fi rst or second time. “The productions have an array of experienced actors
and tech, and a collection of new student eager to sink their teeth into a show,” he explains.
And how are the shows shaping up? “I’m really excited to see all of them!” Rodgers says. “All of
the directors have really impressed me.”
Spring Inspirations is always a mix of “intense drama to really out-there comedy,” Rodgers says.
He promises a few more laughs over tears this year, noting “it is a great show with a variety of pieces
encompassing a medley of emotions.”
I’m impressed by these graduates coming together to preserve a tradition. Rodgers humbly
expresses the feelings of his alumni group: “We are only trying to carry the torch and keep the dream alive.”
— Anna Grace
Spring Inspirations runs through May 12 at LCC; $5 suggested donation or canned food for FOOD For Lane County.
Don’t miss this darkly humorous drama
by Pulitzer Prize winner Sam Shepard
Sam
Shepard’s
A Lie
Of The Mind
A stellar cast, featuring: Kato & Mary Buss,
Achilles Massahos, Rebecca Nachison
May 11 through June 3rd
Low cost previews May 9 & 10
Tickets 541.465.1506 or lordleebrick.org
Theatre Summer Camps - Registering Now!
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EUGENE WEEKLY MAY 10, 2012 35