@mehlkeh7451 subtext means to kind of hint towards something and before the joke Emmett said something about not being able to say no to Elle (I can't remember what he said exactly) which hints at his romantic feelings towards her. I don't think I explained that very well 😭😭 do you get me?
But... Take It Like A Man has one of the best lines in the musical! "That's the best part: the outside is new, but now it reflects what's already in you. I couldn't change that if I wanted to -- and I do not."
Take it like a man has so many good lines and subtle hints like how Emmett was supposed to kiss Elle but since Elle went for a hug, he also went for the hug, he knew subtext and the parallel with Emmett and Callaghan Tho I understand that it has a slow pace compared to other songs, even "Blood in the Water" has a more upbeat tempo than "Take it like a man", the slow tempo might be it's weak point but it's also what makes it special as it is supposed to be Elle and Emmett's moment together, bonding and growing
it's one of my favorite songs XD. like good on Anne on getting me to interact with this video, but also how very dare you. "god's I love shopping for guys, watching them change right before my eyes / don't watch me change" and "subtext by Calvin Klein", gets me every time XD.
Idk I think blood in the water establishes a baseline of casual misogyny pretty effectively. He’s much meaner to Enid than to Aaron, and then when Elle makes the mistake of not knowing the rules of law school on the first day of law school he instantly gets the idea to pit her and Vivian against each other
@@voidify3 yeah, what he told aaron during the song that includes a hypothetical question about fraud, which is about an old lady trusting the client of the case with her savings, however the said client spent those money on drugs and pr*stitutes. When aaron answered by saying he won't take the case, so calallahan told him that it is a win and by insulting the old lady and keeping in mind that she is broke and therefore, hypothetically, he could take personal advantage out of it by letting the client free to get high and laid. maybe this isn't neccessarily mysogynistic since the old lady could've been an old man or the client could've been a woman, but it sounds completely reckless and is basically justifying fraud to get indulgence out of it. compare that to elle woods who doesn't break her client's trust (who is brooke) and not just spit out the alibi just because she managed to brooke to share it to her.
@@voidify3 I think this is it, tbh. Blood In The Water demonstrates his sexism in a more integrated 'show' way, a combination of actions and dialogue, rather than a more 'tell' dialogue-heavy approach.
someone said this but, had emmett proposed to elle during her graduation, it wouldve intruded her special day, taking away the spotlight from her, but elle is the one to propose, because SHE wants to share this day with emmett! and its beautiful because at the start of the musical she's waiting for a proposal, even going to harvard in hopes that warner would propose, but by the end she's the one proposing , the one taking action! showing how much she's grown
To be fair I think the whole point of the Jamaican me crazy scene was to make the audience cringe at the frat guys and sorority girls being the specific greek life brand of racist, so it wouldn't work as well if not done by a bunch of white people. Its a joke that definitely requires American cultural humor (awareness of Greek life culture) so I'm not surprised they changed it for overseas though
I'd also argue that like. White people can be Jamaican. Just because it doesn't fit the stereotype of what someone from Jamaica looks like, there are still white Jamaicans.
This is such a good point! It's not the writers being prejudiced against Jamaican people by making an American white boy sing in a Jamaican accent, it's highlighting the superficial shallowness and goofy-to-inconsiderate/racist pipeline perpetuated by stereotypical frat boys in American Greek life culture.
The red bull was an inside joke with Christian and Laura because she got him into them and they just incorporated them into the show to fill space to show passing time
Another change from the movie which I LOVE is that while move Elle throws Warner’s cruelty back at him at the end by repeating what he said to her during breakup, musical Elle, while still turning him down, remains kind and even thanks him for pushing her towards a better path. I love this, not because I like Warner, but because it shows Elle is a better person at all times. She doesn’t need some kind of revenge, and a woman doesn’t need to show she’s “better” by taking on the “man’s role”. She can win and still be kind and sweet and gracious and I just think it’s so much better to showcase these characteristics, as they are truly what Elle’s true strength is.
True, but you have to admit there is a certain satisfaction to the OG. I can see how the musical makes more narrative sense, but I still like that smug victory you feel from the original.
This!! They made Warner's character more complex by making him less evil and more pathetic, which I found fascinating, and we still got that movie-style "mic drop" moment at the end of Act 1, while letting Elle's character truly shine over the course of Act 2!
As a zodiac girlie, I got this. The phrasing of "Gemini with a double Capricorn moon" is an incomplete statement. It's a play on the Big 3, where people list their sun (overall ego/persona), rising (outward mask/how we act around others), and moon (emotions and feelings/how we act when we are alone or comfortable). Elle most likely means she's a Gemini sun with a double Capricorn moon and rising.
omg fellow zodiac girlie here ! and ur view makes sense But ! by saying double capricorn moon, she could also mean that her capricorn moon is in the capricorn house (10th house), which would make her an aries rising ! both options r valid i think, but she does give me aries rising vibes !
Another thing from the musical I love is how Emmet is a character. He has motivations and stakes and he is willing to risk the good and stable job opportunity he’s been working for his whole time in law school to do the right thing. When Elle tells him Callaghan kissed her his immediate reaction is “We can fight this.” and then there’s also the fact that after that, he does not show up for the case. Does not show up until he walks in and says he’ll stand behind Elle AND lets Callaghan know exactly why. (All in contrast to the movie where he doesn’t seem to have a strong motivation, tells Vivian and Brooke about Callaghan hitting on her when in my opinion that’s not his place, keeps working for Callaghan despite now knowing he is a full creep ((and because he doesn’t have any clear motivations like a promotion that would let him buy his mom that house on the cape I don’t feel sympathy for the decision)), and when he does step out it doesn’t feel like he’s risking anything just. Musical Emmet feels like such a better character because he feels like a character and not a plot device love interest combo) ((although I suppose you could argue Movie Emmet being a plot device love interest combo is fun a role reversal since a role like that is often a critique of many female characters in media))
I’m the musical something that Emmitt did to get the pool boy to say he has a boyfriend was hike up his suit jacket to show more of his butt. You can see the pool boy looking at it and being distracted he let it the fact that he has a boyfriend slip. It is easy to miss and I didn’t realize Emmitt was doing that until someone pointed it out in the comments. Something else was that in a different cast on Broadway doing Legally Blonde was that Emmitt did his own version of the bend and snap to catch the pool boy off guard which I think is really funny.
I KNEW i had seen a version where emmitt did the bend and snap! I haven't been able to find any videos of that version and i was starting to believe I had imagined it
I saw a version by my local university a couple weeks ago and in theirs, Warner accidentally did the bend and snap, which was how Elle realized the pool boy might be gay in the first place. It was so awesome, and for the later songs they had side characters on the edge of the stage watching, and there were a lot of “moments” between Warner and the pool boy, and in the final scene they had Warner dip him and pull out a tiny gay flag lmao
That was actually an accident that turned out perfectly!! Christian Borle accidentally dropped the folder so he played it up as if he was doing the bend and snap when he was questioning nikos!
What I also love about Chip on My Shoulder is that it shows Elle putting in the work and that she doesn't just want to be in the bottom percent of her class. She chooses to skip vacations while we see Warner and Vivian go on vacation multiple times. We see her improving because she gets definitions right. And at the very end when she is asked for her resume, she has it on her ready to give out. Showing that she was thinking ahead and well prepared, compared to at the beginning when she hadn't even done the required reading. Its such a great song and doesn't gloss over the fact that Elle put in the work to do better.
I’m in completely the opposite camp. I really hate Chip On My Shoulder because, while it’s great that we get to see Emmet and Elle bonding more, it takes away a lot of Elle’s agency. In the movie, her decision to start working harder is entirely self motivated, but in the musical, she needs Emmet to tell her to get to work, skip out on holiday breaks, etc. It’s even Emmet who tells her that “hey maybe focusing on getting Warren back is a real road block”, while in the movie, Elle is the one who does all those things without someone else needing to tell her
If they ever make a movie adaptation (or even a revival), they *need* to cast Christian Borle as Callahan. I need the full circle moment of Marvins playing assholeish lawyers.
Idk if someone already said this but in “whipped into shape”, after Brooke talks about using her jump rope as self defense against men, Callahan says “anddd who thinks she’s guilty?” Which implies that her idea of self defense is evidence she killed her husband. Which foreshadows Callahans carelessness about harassment.
In "serious", Warner says "since I was 2 or 3, my life was planned out neat" and "baby my future's all planned, i've got some dreams to make true". And by the end we are told that he becomes a model. His parents had his life planned since the beggining; for him to have a law degree and become a senator, but after all that happens in the musical he decides to do what he wants, make his own dream true, not someones elses. Idk interesting fact ig, maybe he was inspired by Elle. There are a lot of things I could say about this musical, it's probably my favorite and I think I could talk about it for hours hahaha. I loved this video, there should be more video essays analysing this masterpiece :3
Yes! I have always loved that they didn't full on make Warner a villain in the musical. He starts that way, but ultimately he is just a victim of following life's prescribed path for you, like many are (Vivian, Paulette, Emmett). Elle walks into their lives and shows them how it's so much better!! to forge your own way and follow your real dreams.
Yes! This is one of those things were live theatre versions make it so interesting bc I've seen two productions - one which potrayed Warner fairly close to the film/default version (he's entitled and picking a girlfriend based on who will further his success, and the modelling part is delivered as implying he isn't intellectual) and one which really played up the angle that Warner is making all his decisions based on his family's plan and is unhappy but compliant and then the ending and modelling line was delivered like a celebration of him finally getting off that path.
Thank you for catching this. I feel like the musical really humanized Warner. During the breakup when Elle goes "I thought you were proposing" he says that he asked his parents about that. He asked about marrying her, and was thinking about it. But his parents planned his future and talked him out of it. He spends the whole musical accidentally calling Elle Poo Bear, which is NOT a slip someone who doesn't still have feelings for their Ex does. I think he made a bad decision based on his parents plan for him that he didn't really want to make, and spends the whole musical regretting. Elle then grows into her own person that isn't right for him anymore, and he goes on to follow his own dreams in the end. Which is also why I like that she was nice to him, because I don't believe THIS Warner was ever the heartless prick that movie Warner was.
fun musical fact: the actors that play Kyle and Paulette are married in real life and did a few muscials together. Also in later versions of this cast the Kyle actor plays Emmette
Actually making Richard Simmons Elle’s neighbor is quite a smart choice, because Richard Simmons is a fitness coach. And who does Elle end up defending in Act 2? A Fitness Coach.
I love how Matilda, Mean Girls, and Legally Blonde are all book adaptations- Now we just need a Legally Blonde musical movie and we’ll have the trilogy of Book to Movie to Musical to Movie Musical-
That would be AMAZING, but I hope a Legally Blonde Musical movie would be more like Matilda than Mean Girls. More true to the musical, more embracing of being a musical, and more... Fun. Just fun and lively and enjoying its own existence! 🩷
My favorite thing about the adaptation is that the writers didn't take itself too seriously. It didn't suddenly become a drama. With things like Paulette's Irish step dance, the marching band moment, the themed repetition of the now Greek Chorus, they leaned into the comedy and absurdity of it all, which only helped create a fun tone where the addition of music really fit the storytelling
12:14 also having Vivian in this scene sets up the Legally Blonde reprise, we know Vivian goes here and that she knows Elle goes here and maybe even that she's friends with Paulette
I think the reason there's SUCH a difference between the sorority girls in each version is that in the film, in order to make Elle closer to the people in harvard, they need to separate her from her old friends (there's only so much screen time) but in the musical, they figured out a genius solution: have them appear as a greek chorus. Even if we don't have time for the actual friendship, we have time for them to support her because there's already time alotted for the chorus. Genius!
I think all the cans of Redbull in Elle's room allude to her consuming a bunch of energy drinks to stay up late and study. As a current college student, I can relate.
i’ve also seen a comment on a different video that Emmett’s and Elles handshake in the musical? it has them making the hand gesture for chugging a redbull at the end. Maybe it was someone overthinking, but it’s interesting thinking!
I can't tell you how much this musical cemented in me that one day I wanted to in fact study laws. I first watched this musical when I was at my lowest; 15 years old, depressed as all hell and on the end of my rope mentally. This musical's message and the positivity around being a girl and making it in such a male dominated world just pushed me in the right direction. 10 years later, I got that law degree (a bachelor's in Dutch Law), hell I even earned myself a second bachelor's in Government Management. I'm honestly not sure if I had done all of that if it wasn't for me watching, and honestly obsessing over, this musical when I was in my teens. Anyways, I've always preferred the musical over the movie, if only because of the changes they made in Elle and Emmett their relationship. It feels so much more earned when they end up together, and Chip On My Shoulder is to this day a bop. There have been multipole years when that song was my most played/streamed song of the year.
15:43 if you watch closely at this part of whipped into shape you can see that they swap out Brooke’s rope for a rigid prop (half a hula hoop?) as Sabrina says her line, and then swap it back after they unpause, but it is VERY seamless and they do a great job drawing your focus elsewhere while it happens, it took some careful watching for me to figure it out
I will disagree with you on the Emmet court questioning scene as in the musical it does come with a bit more of a distraction on Emmets part. He lifts his jacket, and goes sideways towards the pool boy so he can get distracted by his ass. Like a subtler version of the bend and snap! I agree that it still comes way too easy but I like the little addition to make it more believable AND it pays off the makeover in “Take it like a men” in more than impressing Callahan. But I get that it’s kinda easy to miss, lol. I don’t think every production even does it but it IS in the mtv proshot))) Loved the essay, you’re doing the lords work!!!
this is my favourite musical i watched it incessantly as a kid. i really love how much more time and care is put into elle and emmet's relationship, its so cute and healthy and ahhh i love it sm
My pet peeve in the musical is the line "Look how far I have come without anyone holding my hand" - babe, Emmett was there every step of the way! Which I don't hate, because the relationship is much more believable, but she didn't do it completely by herself. Best line - "Haircare? I love this guy" "Me too"
I would argue that while Emmett and Vivian definitely have proved as inspirations and helped catalyzed Elle, she would not have gotten far if she didn't become a person who is able to stand on her own with confidence. She was just as instrumental in her own journey because, well, it is her own journey. Just my two cents, feel free to critique lol.
a really underrated thing about the musical is their use of “oh my god” it’s used so often and a celebritory thing, originally by the delta nu girls, but then emit uses it later. girls are often made fun of for using words like that or “like” so then using it in such a positive light just makes me so happy
I was literally JUST yelling about this with my friends!!! The musical is so perfectly iconic. I think it's a great intro into musicals for the film folk since it shows how much this medium is capable of!!
I was so pleasently surprised by this video. When I saw the title, I thought, no way! Because when I first saw the musical, while I loved the hell out of the songs, I felt like Emmett's more present character felt a bit like a white knight. Like Elle couldn't have done it without him. I loved that they got more time together and as a character he is extremely adorable and helpful, but I felt that he took away from Elle's growth.However, you presented some great points of how she starts from a very different point in the musical, less "dumb blonde" and it makes much more sense that way. So, while I think it's sacrilegious you don't think Take it like a Man is one of the best, (because beyond the music it's also the musical's way of adding to the movie message of the value of fashion as a way of self-expression) I loved the video. Amazing work!
I adore this musical. And your take on it was really interesting. I personally really like "Take it Like a Man" it shows the budding romance between the two, and it's Elle saying thank you to Emmett the only way she knows how. She even says, "This is no gift, its payment in kind cause you saw beyond all the blonde to my mind" She's slowly but surely pushing him out of his comfort zone which, I think, helps him feel more confident standing up to Callahan. But that's just my take on it. Oh and fun fact: The actress that plays Paulette and the actor that plays Kyle are actuality married in real life.😍
NOO THE TAKE IT LIKE A MAN HATE did u know laura bell bundy and christian boule were having an "affair" while christian borle was married to sutton foster? they asked for emmett and elle to have a proper love song, because take it like a man originally was not included. HOWEVER, they were actually already separated, and sutton foster spread this narrative to make her seem sympathetic and give her more career opportunities
Just because a couple isn’t divorced doesn’t mean they are still together. The could have been separated at the time but it can take years to figure out a proper legal agreement. The two of them even stayed friendly and Sutton clarified Borle hadn’t been cheating on her in her memoir.
@@the-ma-an hi this was kinda meanly phrased , pls be nice >-< yes, however, they were in the process of separating when legally blonde was going on; and at the time, laura bell bundy and christian borle had a thing going on essentially .
I also love how in Ohmigod the girls seem much more supportive of each other and like genuinely want to help Elle out. Also I was always so mad that Emmett and Elle were barely in any scenes together in the movie and their chemistry was super forced imo. Replacing Vivian's emphasis w Emmett's was just so perfect. AND ALSO EMMETT is more overtly low income which juxtaposes elles privilege in that sense. God thank you for this I love the musical so much. Great video
When I directed LB the Musical my Emmet and I discussed how the confession in gay or European felt rushed so we had Emmet do the bend and snap to distract the witness making his confession seem more plausible.
This was a really interesting video. You make some great points. I do gotta say though, regardless of thoughts on it as a song, the Take it like a Man sequence is such an important addition imo because it equalises Elle and Emmett. Up that that point he's been a mentor to her, but Take it like a Man picks up the detail of Emmett's social class set up in Chip on Your Shoulder and his own issues with fitting in/impressing the Harvard lawyer set and Elle gets to help him with her expertise.
15:08 I don’t know if product placement is a thing on broadway but the version on youtube was the one televised on MTV so that might be the reason. Also if you listen to the song (chip on my shoulder) on Spotify there is no mention of red bull, so i think it was something exclusive of the mtv version
The red bull thing isn't mentioned on the soundtrack because they cut a bunch of spoken lines in order to make the song shorter (and even with that it is still 8 minutes long). They also cut Paulette's lines for example. But it was still part of the show on a normal show day, so not just an MTV thing ^^
This video touched on a lot of awesome critical details, but one of the most fascinating moments that wasn't noted was -- in the proposal, Vivian looks at Elle, and *that's* when she says yes. Like. Woof. You really do NOT want the person you're proposing to, to be looking at someone else. Really hammers home the competition aspect.
10:10 I took that line to mean that her rising and her moon was Capricorn, because astrology girls usually reference they’re ‘big three’ which is sun, moon, and rising. but the way she phrased it makes me just think that the musical writer’s just didn’t really know astrology, and we’re trying to make some thing that sounded vaguely astrology-like lol
7:14 also actually making Elle convince the people at Harvard to except her shows her great lawyer skills because a lot of being a lawyer is convincing people and she also has a list of evidence (her qualities and why she should be accepted) which she presents to the makeshift jury (the Harvard Deans)
Someone on the internet made a video essay overanalyzing the Legally Blonde musical? FINALLY!!!!! I will always have a soft spot for the absolutely iconic movie, but the musical is pure perfection! Loved your insightful commentary and humor on this. Instant sub!
Yessss this musical is so underrated omg. I hardly hear anybody talking about it but it’s so fun both to watch and play a character in and I wish it got the love it deserved.
My favourite musical so far!! It opened here in Argentina a few months ago and went with my mum (who knew nothing about it) and she had a blast! I mostly looove Vivian's arc
I havent watched this yet, but I have ranted anout this exact topic to so many friends until they're sick of it, I am so glad this video essay exists! Between the musical turning the bend and snap from a random scene only relevant to the B plot of Pauline's love life, to an A plot-relevant moment (that also turns the pool boy thing from a gay stereotype to an actual "he can't possibly swing this way" moment), to the greater complexity of Vivian and Warner's characters (god I love what they did with Warner, him being insecure and shallow makes Elle's story so much more well-rounded and mature in turn), the musical is utterly brilliant at transforming the source material to something infinitely better in my opinion! ...Okay, now to actually watch this. XD
Elle not expecting a proposal at the end of the movie when she is about to be proposed to is good character development, but her proposing to Emmett in the musical is much better character development (and has the added benefit of him not making her graduation day about them but her choosing to bring him into it by proposing). Her classmates helping out is also lovely considering how cold they were in the beginning! Even more people she's inspired by being her authentic self.
Honestly I love the musical so much and always find myself preferring it, but one change I do dislike is the fact that she gets a 175 in the musical instead of a 179. I feel like her excelling versus just barely passing is much more interesting
i think its because singing -ive sounds better than -ine in my opinion and it could be an easier sound to sustain considering the fact that there are like 6 different harmonies on that final note
YES, someone finally giving the musical the love it deserves! I'd like to touch on one thing you didn't here; the portrayal of Enid. In the film, Enid is kinda... there. She's catty and mean to Elle and is kind of just used as a prop for Elle to show how cool and correct she is-when Enid says that Elle is the type of person to call her a slur, Elle says "I've never used that word in my life!" which, sure, but that scene was kinda just unnecessary and cruel all around. Enid's just an a-hole in the film, and frankly as a lesbian myself, not the representation I want to see at all. Now, in the musical, some elements of that are still there, don't get me wrong. Enid initially mocks Elle's manner of speaking, though Elle either doesn't notice or doesn't let it get to her (plus, tbf, Elle did kinda give Enid a backhanded compliment). But after the awkward initial first impression, Enid for the most part doesn't treat Elle as lesser than her. She respects Elle as a fellow feminist and listens to her when she accuses Vivian of saying a misogynistic comment (which, I mean, she did, though Elle lied about the exact nature). You can hear, amongst the chatter of the ensemble, "Vivian! I cannot believe you would say that, that is so effed." And she does experience actual lesbophobia during the musical, even if in the context it's in, it's somewhat justified. Enid isn't treated as just a stupid lesbian with no valid points about anything. And, uh, Elle doesn't (for lack of a better term) virtue signal about How Much She Supports Lesbians™. She just listens to Enid and respects her the same as anyone, which is just sweet. And also? Musical Enid is FUN! She's hilarious, she's electric, and she's completely unashamed to be herself. She's still used as a punchline, don't get me wrong, and some of that didn't age too well IMO, but in the musical she's not portrayed as wholly vapid or fake. She comes through for Elle in the end. Honestly, if I ever got into doing musical theatre myself, Enid would be my dream role. Okay, Enid rant over. Now it's Vivian rant time. I LOVE MUSICAL VIVIAN SO MUCH. She's not portrayed as meek or gullible like she is in the film. She's strong and knows what she wants, and while she's stubborn, she's willing to admit her mistakes and apologize. She immediately comes across as someone who would be just fine without Warner, and frankly I get the vibe that she's not very in love with him. In the scene where Warner proposes to Vivian, the music is off-putting, and Vivian looks stiff and uncomfortable-her "yes" isn't one of joy, more out of resignation and stubbornness. Warner proposed suddenly in a public setting, in front of his ex-girlfriend, which is really just not cool at all. (Also, I personally get massive closeted lesbian vibes from Musical Vivian :P ) It made me so happy to see the change in Vivian's reaction to seeing Elle be harassed. In the movie, it made me so uncomfortable, and not in a way that really drove the plot forward, but was just... sad. The change from Stromwell motivating Elle to Vivian motivating Elle is probably the best writing decision ever, actually. It very much brings things full circle, it shows that Vivian's doesn't begrudgingly respect Elle, but genuinely fully respects her. And when Vivian belts "legally blonde," I swear I may have lightly exploded. There's definitely some changes I'd have liked to see in the musical, though. I feel like Elle was maybe shown as a bit too dependent on Emmett-it would have been better if she realized certain things on her own or at the same time as him. e.g. when Emmett points out that "each time Warner walks through the door, [her] IQ drops down to 40, maybe less," maybe after the "walks through the door" Elle could've finished the sentence for him, because honestly the way Emmett put it was a bit demeaning too. If he left it more open-ended, then he wouldn't have said something so mean so concretely, and having Elle complete the sentence would be a nice display of their chemistry. Another missed opportunity, IMO, is when, in front of the trailer, Paulette laments that she lived with that for 10 years, it would've been nice to see Elle and Emmett turn to each other and both say "10 years?"-instead of Elle not initially coming to the conclusion herself and having to be handheld by Emmett, they'd realize it at the same time. Of course Elle doesn't have as much law education as Emmett, but she could still bring up the point herself, e.g. "doesn't that constitute the very definition of-" and have Emmett confirm the hypothesis. Still show them both to be intelligent, still show that Emmett has more experience in the field than Elle, but letting Elle have the agency that she deserves in a work intended to be feminist. Another change I'd have liked to see was just... not making a joke out of Sundeep's name. South Asians are already so heavily mocked for their names, cultures, languages, and accents. It was a cheap joke and said nothing more than "haha POC have stupid names." Having him be a former ruler that was ousted by a coup d'etat is kinda just the cherry on top of a cheap racist joke. And it's not like the musical can't do offensive humour in a way that works-"There, Right There"/"Gay or European" is iconic, and I totally get why it's the part of the musical that seems to have entered pop culture at large. It's silly, it's light, and it makes sense in the context of the musical. Overall, Legally Blonde The Musical is one of my favourite musicals of all time. I can and will talk endlessly about it to anyone who will (or won't) listen. Also, Emmett's line "I haven't slept since 1992" gets even funnier with the more time that passes.
Something I love about this is that stage musical tend to be able to get away with being a more exaggerated realm than traditional movies. There is a higher level of disbelief, so the musical could do stuff that wouldn't work in the movie. The key example is the bathroom scene from the end of the show. You wouldn't be able to pull a stunt like that in a court of law, and the movie trying to be more grounded just went with a dialogue. Another example is Paullate being able to see the Greek Chorus. It is still also a story that follows its own rules. The show writers made a great use of the new medium.,
Quick note: small changes that may seem senseless are often made to avoid copyright. In the Wicked musical they had to avoid any references that were specifically created for the Judy Garland version of Wizard of Oz, like Toto or Glinda's pink dress. Because they had the rights to the book, not the movie. I'm assuming the producers had the rights to the legally blonde book, not the movie, so that's why the small changes. Any line that was specifically written for the movie would have to be changed because they don't have the rights to it. That's why Mean Girls has all the iconic movie quotes, Tina Fey was a producer. My opinion on why they changed Callahan kissing Elle, agreed, is because it's theatre. It's a bigger action.
Its my favorite musical of all time and I’ve watched the full thing on UA-cam probably 7 times over! People always think its funny when I say its my favorite, but I think it’s genius!
8:01 i think this is the point though and I like these details. Making her a completely stereotypical blonde that puts priority in fashion AND is super smart and capable is a good thing. Breaking the stereotype is one thing, but it's a different battle than the one Legally Blonde could be fighting. I feel that by saying you wish there was less stereotypically blonde traits to make her character arc stronger, it's implying that Elle Woods can't be both stereotypically blonde and feminine and fashion-loving AND extremely smart and competent defeats the whole point. It implies there is still belief in the negativity of that stereotype as a viewer. I love the message that she didn't have to stop being feminine and positive to slay in court.
i always loved Elle proposing to Emmet because it’s HER day not his and in the movie it kind of makes it a special day for them both because HE wanted it to be while in the musical Elle wanted to include him in her special day by proposing to him if that makes sense
I think my favourite part about the musical is its improvement in fleshing out Elle and Emmet's relationship. Last time I watched the movie I realised just how out of nowhere it felt to me that they end up together. It almost felt like they had thrown it in because the writers thought Elle needed a love interest, so really getting to see their relationship grow in the musical genuinely makes their eventual romance believable. And I know it's a bit on the nose, but I really liked the little detail of Emmet's last name becoming Forest in the musical. Also, a small detail that I only recently noticed in the musical proshot is that, once Vivian ends up on Elle's side, her button up becomes a light pink instead of the previous white shirt she wears throughout the musical.
i was courtney in my community show of legally blonde! the funny thing is that they had the store manager push me offstage when she dismisses me, which really shows how respected elle is. also, the dress they gave me as a prop wasn’t even china silk or china silk-looking which was weird. but the dress they gave elle to wear at the dinner was china silk-looking. huh.
I don't know if its mentioned in the movie, but in the musical, she has a 4.0 in Fashion Merchandising. I like to think that the rude store employee really got on her nerves for being uneducated, a mockery to the fashion world, and just rude and prejudice to her clients.
My favorite change is Emmett. I love that he gets to be closer to her and helps her. And she in turn helps him. They become best friends and more. Great video! Though I also love the Back to the Future musical 😅
It just expands, paces better, characterizes better, and refines on the movie. The music numbers are also all very memorable and I can still remember most if not all the words to the songs. and I love the "I'M A PLAYBOY BUNNY!" scene so much
What an interesting comparison!! I loved the movie but have never heard the musical (other than Gay or European, of course). I'm so glad that adaptations like these exist to properly do their job: adapt a beloved media and innovating with its original ideas and premises.
I love your analysis, love for details, and unbridled enthusiasm for musicals!! I think a lot of people who hate on musical theater are allergic to authentic shows of deep emotion. Us musical theater nerds, on the contrary, find our power in emotion! Which I think is a more satisfying way to live. I feel among my people in this comment section, so thank you for that. Happy to be a new subscriber!!
i haven't even watched this yet but legally blonde the musical is my favourite musical i've watched it COUNTLESS times it does such a good job of setting up the romantic tension between elle and emmett and the part in So much better where elle says "you're daughter's doing something right" AHHHHHHH LBB delivers that line so well it makes me so emotional
Agreed that in the right hands this could make an amazing movie! One of my fav parts of the musical was the Greek chorus, and I think in a movie format they would work wonderfully as a a physical manifestation of the group chat instead of Elle just kind of “imagining” them and suspending our disbelief as an audience. The bend and snap scene could also start as a group zoom call, with the chorus being “as good as there” and therefore manifesting in the salon. Then when Kyle walks in we cut back to the computer screen where the chorus actually is and show everyone was caught off guard in the middle of a dance move as one of those “snap”(pun intended) back to reality moments.
I really love the scene in the musical where everyone ends up at the courthouse. Between those notes Vivian sings and how Brooke and Emmett treat Callaghan, it feels cathartic.
I saw a version of the musical where both Elle and Emmet were both played by black actors, and it added so much depth to the song they share about both being outsiders to the world of Harvard Law! It was legitimately the best musical I’ve ever seen!
Whenever people ask me which one i like more, i always say it depends what you want from it. You watch the movie for the plot because the musical does cut some key plot points but you watch the musical for the emotional and character development because the movie didnt have time or a way to naturally flesh out many of the characters or the relationship between elle and emmett
Saw this recommended as I just finished a production of Legally Blonde at my community theatre! Very cute looking at all the details of this show once again 💜
THANK YOU for this video - this is my favourite musical of all time and I don't have anyone to rant about it to 😭 I really like how they fleshed out Emmett and Elle but I did miss the Vivian and Elle connection. One thing that I didn't understand is why Vivian pushed Warner out of the way when they witnessed the kiss - and I did think her turn from hating Elle to fully supporting her was a bit sudden. Take it like a man is my favourite song 😭 I think the lyrics are SO clever and funny. I really like how Emmett's "what about love" line is a callback to Elle's "what about love" from What You Want. Overall sooo many small details make this musical truly one of the best ever and really does make amazing use of the musical theatre medium.
Yes, the pushing is so weird? I guess Warner wouldn’t call her a marilyn if he also saw Elle slapping Callahan, but I don’t understand what Vivian’s motivation is. To protect Elle? At this point she doesn’t really like her, so I’m not sure
I think this is personally the best adaptation of a film to a stage show, keeping the comedy the charm yet adding details and developing characters creating this unique experience.
I love how they improved Emmet character, like you can understand why he loves Elle and why they work together Emmet mentions that he was an outcast at home and he doesnt also fit in that rich highclass harward society, like in the song when everyone present themselves you can see how nobody listen to him and just ignore him, i think elles conifedence attracted him and he knew how is to be judged by your appearance I like to think that when Emmet mentors Elle he learns from her too, and they both are against everyone who doesnt "see" them and how they slowly become best frind and "best thing about this place" Shortly i love that couple and how it works in the musical and i can talk about them for hoooours
Sundeep Padamadan is also a weird stereotype (a gag name/character used for two jokes snd then never brought up again) that deserves to be called out, ala the Jamaican part
i can quote this musical endlessley, but my favourit line has to be "what's that smell?" "subtext, by calvin klein"
My favourite joke in the show!
"I think it's Love" "exactly"
@@londongirl2768 hate to be that person but can you explain the joke?
@mehlkeh7451 subtext means to kind of hint towards something and before the joke Emmett said something about not being able to say no to Elle (I can't remember what he said exactly) which hints at his romantic feelings towards her. I don't think I explained that very well 😭😭 do you get me?
@@mymumoverwaterstheflowersd8071 ooo thank you!
But... Take It Like A Man has one of the best lines in the musical! "That's the best part: the outside is new, but now it reflects what's already in you. I couldn't change that if I wanted to -- and I do not."
That is a beautiful line, agreed
AAGHH WHAT A LINEE
Take it like a man has so many good lines and subtle hints like how Emmett was supposed to kiss Elle but since Elle went for a hug, he also went for the hug, he knew subtext and the parallel with Emmett and Callaghan
Tho I understand that it has a slow pace compared to other songs, even "Blood in the Water" has a more upbeat tempo than "Take it like a man", the slow tempo might be it's weak point but it's also what makes it special as it is supposed to be Elle and Emmett's moment together, bonding and growing
it's one of my favorite songs XD. like good on Anne on getting me to interact with this video, but also how very dare you.
"god's I love shopping for guys, watching them change right before my eyes / don't watch me change" and "subtext by Calvin Klein", gets me every time XD.
@@FREEtje4ever hahaha it wasn’t strategic!
If we ever get a Legally Blonde musical movie we need to add Callahan's sexism towards L and Vivian back
Elle
L... L... L
It's spelled Elle you &$#&
Idk I think blood in the water establishes a baseline of casual misogyny pretty effectively. He’s much meaner to Enid than to Aaron, and then when Elle makes the mistake of not knowing the rules of law school on the first day of law school he instantly gets the idea to pit her and Vivian against each other
@@voidify3 yeah, what he told aaron during the song that includes a hypothetical question about fraud, which is about an old lady trusting the client of the case with her savings, however the said client spent those money on drugs and pr*stitutes. When aaron answered by saying he won't take the case, so calallahan told him that it is a win and by insulting the old lady and keeping in mind that she is broke and therefore, hypothetically, he could take personal advantage out of it by letting the client free to get high and laid. maybe this isn't neccessarily mysogynistic since the old lady could've been an old man or the client could've been a woman, but it sounds completely reckless and is basically justifying fraud to get indulgence out of it. compare that to elle woods who doesn't break her client's trust (who is brooke) and not just spit out the alibi just because she managed to brooke to share it to her.
@@voidify3 I think this is it, tbh. Blood In The Water demonstrates his sexism in a more integrated 'show' way, a combination of actions and dialogue, rather than a more 'tell' dialogue-heavy approach.
someone said this but, had emmett proposed to elle during her graduation, it wouldve intruded her special day, taking away the spotlight from her, but elle is the one to propose, because SHE wants to share this day with emmett! and its beautiful because at the start of the musical she's waiting for a proposal, even going to harvard in hopes that warner would propose, but by the end she's the one proposing , the one taking action! showing how much she's grown
😍
To be fair I think the whole point of the Jamaican me crazy scene was to make the audience cringe at the frat guys and sorority girls being the specific greek life brand of racist, so it wouldn't work as well if not done by a bunch of white people. Its a joke that definitely requires American cultural humor (awareness of Greek life culture) so I'm not surprised they changed it for overseas though
Oooh ok! Yes exactly, here in Europe we don’t get that reference of course 😅
Exactly. It’s supposed to show frat boy behavior.
I'd also argue that like. White people can be Jamaican. Just because it doesn't fit the stereotype of what someone from Jamaica looks like, there are still white Jamaicans.
This is such a good point! It's not the writers being prejudiced against Jamaican people by making an American white boy sing in a Jamaican accent, it's highlighting the superficial shallowness and goofy-to-inconsiderate/racist pipeline perpetuated by stereotypical frat boys in American Greek life culture.
@@pulchrare2…okay but those white people weren’t Jamaicans so it’s still racist
The red bull was an inside joke with Christian and Laura because she got him into them and they just incorporated them into the show to fill space to show passing time
IT GIVES ME ENERGY!!
I'm more ready to believe that this is the story they used to justify one of the most blatant produce placements in the whole thing 😅
Another change from the movie which I LOVE is that while move Elle throws Warner’s cruelty back at him at the end by repeating what he said to her during breakup, musical Elle, while still turning him down, remains kind and even thanks him for pushing her towards a better path. I love this, not because I like Warner, but because it shows Elle is a better person at all times. She doesn’t need some kind of revenge, and a woman doesn’t need to show she’s “better” by taking on the “man’s role”. She can win and still be kind and sweet and gracious and I just think it’s so much better to showcase these characteristics, as they are truly what Elle’s true strength is.
True, but you have to admit there is a certain satisfaction to the OG. I can see how the musical makes more narrative sense, but I still like that smug victory you feel from the original.
This!! They made Warner's character more complex by making him less evil and more pathetic, which I found fascinating, and we still got that movie-style "mic drop" moment at the end of Act 1, while letting Elle's character truly shine over the course of Act 2!
As a zodiac girlie, I got this. The phrasing of "Gemini with a double Capricorn moon" is an incomplete statement. It's a play on the Big 3, where people list their sun (overall ego/persona), rising (outward mask/how we act around others), and moon (emotions and feelings/how we act when we are alone or comfortable). Elle most likely means she's a Gemini sun with a double Capricorn moon and rising.
Our saviour!
Omg I literally just commented this. Glad I wasn't wrong tho. I'm more of a casual astrology girlie
omg fellow zodiac girlie here ! and ur view makes sense But ! by saying double capricorn moon, she could also mean that her capricorn moon is in the capricorn house (10th house), which would make her an aries rising ! both options r valid i think, but she does give me aries rising vibes !
Ohhhhh I get it now! I'm a Capricorn with Sagittarius moon and rising, I've been saying double Sagittarius for years!
Another thing from the musical I love is how Emmet is a character. He has motivations and stakes and he is willing to risk the good and stable job opportunity he’s been working for his whole time in law school to do the right thing. When Elle tells him Callaghan kissed her his immediate reaction is “We can fight this.” and then there’s also the fact that after that, he does not show up for the case. Does not show up until he walks in and says he’ll stand behind Elle AND lets Callaghan know exactly why. (All in contrast to the movie where he doesn’t seem to have a strong motivation, tells Vivian and Brooke about Callaghan hitting on her when in my opinion that’s not his place, keeps working for Callaghan despite now knowing he is a full creep ((and because he doesn’t have any clear motivations like a promotion that would let him buy his mom that house on the cape I don’t feel sympathy for the decision)), and when he does step out it doesn’t feel like he’s risking anything just. Musical Emmet feels like such a better character because he feels like a character and not a plot device love interest combo) ((although I suppose you could argue Movie Emmet being a plot device love interest combo is fun a role reversal since a role like that is often a critique of many female characters in media))
this!!! Movie Emmet always gave me the ick and i never knew why but you're right he doesn't care about Callahan's creepiness
I love when love interests feel like their own characters
I’m the musical something that Emmitt did to get the pool boy to say he has a boyfriend was hike up his suit jacket to show more of his butt. You can see the pool boy looking at it and being distracted he let it the fact that he has a boyfriend slip. It is easy to miss and I didn’t realize Emmitt was doing that until someone pointed it out in the comments. Something else was that in a different cast on Broadway doing Legally Blonde was that Emmitt did his own version of the bend and snap to catch the pool boy off guard which I think is really funny.
I KNEW i had seen a version where emmitt did the bend and snap! I haven't been able to find any videos of that version and i was starting to believe I had imagined it
@@stellasdoesstuff oh my god if you ever find it please put the link here!!!
Oooh I’ve never noticed that! Emmett doing a bend and snap is iconic tbh 💅🏻
I saw a version by my local university a couple weeks ago and in theirs, Warner accidentally did the bend and snap, which was how Elle realized the pool boy might be gay in the first place.
It was so awesome, and for the later songs they had side characters on the edge of the stage watching, and there were a lot of “moments” between Warner and the pool boy, and in the final scene they had Warner dip him and pull out a tiny gay flag lmao
That was actually an accident that turned out perfectly!! Christian Borle accidentally dropped the folder so he played it up as if he was doing the bend and snap when he was questioning nikos!
What I also love about Chip on My Shoulder is that it shows Elle putting in the work and that she doesn't just want to be in the bottom percent of her class. She chooses to skip vacations while we see Warner and Vivian go on vacation multiple times. We see her improving because she gets definitions right. And at the very end when she is asked for her resume, she has it on her ready to give out. Showing that she was thinking ahead and well prepared, compared to at the beginning when she hadn't even done the required reading. Its such a great song and doesn't gloss over the fact that Elle put in the work to do better.
I’m in completely the opposite camp. I really hate Chip On My Shoulder because, while it’s great that we get to see Emmet and Elle bonding more, it takes away a lot of Elle’s agency. In the movie, her decision to start working harder is entirely self motivated, but in the musical, she needs Emmet to tell her to get to work, skip out on holiday breaks, etc. It’s even Emmet who tells her that “hey maybe focusing on getting Warren back is a real road block”, while in the movie, Elle is the one who does all those things without someone else needing to tell her
If they ever make a movie adaptation (or even a revival), they *need* to cast Christian Borle as Callahan. I need the full circle moment of Marvins playing assholeish lawyers.
👌🏻
Yes!
Yes PLEAAAAASEEE
i need this so bad
Real !!
Idk if someone already said this but in “whipped into shape”, after Brooke talks about using her jump rope as self defense against men, Callahan says “anddd who thinks she’s guilty?” Which implies that her idea of self defense is evidence she killed her husband. Which foreshadows Callahans carelessness about harassment.
Oooh very observant! 👀 thanks for sharing ☺️
In "serious", Warner says "since I was 2 or 3, my life was planned out neat" and "baby my future's all planned, i've got some dreams to make true". And by the end we are told that he becomes a model. His parents had his life planned since the beggining; for him to have a law degree and become a senator, but after all that happens in the musical he decides to do what he wants, make his own dream true, not someones elses. Idk interesting fact ig, maybe he was inspired by Elle. There are a lot of things I could say about this musical, it's probably my favorite and I think I could talk about it for hours hahaha. I loved this video, there should be more video essays analysing this masterpiece :3
I never clocked that! So interesting
Yes! I have always loved that they didn't full on make Warner a villain in the musical. He starts that way, but ultimately he is just a victim of following life's prescribed path for you, like many are (Vivian, Paulette, Emmett). Elle walks into their lives and shows them how it's so much better!! to forge your own way and follow your real dreams.
Yes! This is one of those things were live theatre versions make it so interesting bc I've seen two productions - one which potrayed Warner fairly close to the film/default version (he's entitled and picking a girlfriend based on who will further his success, and the modelling part is delivered as implying he isn't intellectual) and one which really played up the angle that Warner is making all his decisions based on his family's plan and is unhappy but compliant and then the ending and modelling line was delivered like a celebration of him finally getting off that path.
Thank you for catching this. I feel like the musical really humanized Warner. During the breakup when Elle goes "I thought you were proposing" he says that he asked his parents about that. He asked about marrying her, and was thinking about it. But his parents planned his future and talked him out of it. He spends the whole musical accidentally calling Elle Poo Bear, which is NOT a slip someone who doesn't still have feelings for their Ex does. I think he made a bad decision based on his parents plan for him that he didn't really want to make, and spends the whole musical regretting. Elle then grows into her own person that isn't right for him anymore, and he goes on to follow his own dreams in the end. Which is also why I like that she was nice to him, because I don't believe THIS Warner was ever the heartless prick that movie Warner was.
fun musical fact: the actors that play Kyle and Paulette are married in real life and did a few muscials together. Also in later versions of this cast the Kyle actor plays Emmette
Rip they aren’t anymore
divorce babes divorce
Actually making Richard Simmons Elle’s neighbor is quite a smart choice, because Richard Simmons is a fitness coach. And who does Elle end up defending in Act 2? A Fitness Coach.
Omg it was foreshadowing!!! Well done 👏🏻
I love how Matilda, Mean Girls, and Legally Blonde are all book adaptations-
Now we just need a Legally Blonde musical movie and we’ll have the trilogy of Book to Movie to Musical to Movie Musical-
Let’s make it happen! Whose uncle is a famous producer?
That would be AMAZING, but I hope a Legally Blonde Musical movie would be more like Matilda than Mean Girls. More true to the musical, more embracing of being a musical, and more... Fun. Just fun and lively and enjoying its own existence! 🩷
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory too!
With a notable mention for Wicked, the Book to Movie Musical to Book to Musical to Movie Musical
Was Heathers a book first?
My favorite thing about the adaptation is that the writers didn't take itself too seriously. It didn't suddenly become a drama. With things like Paulette's Irish step dance, the marching band moment, the themed repetition of the now Greek Chorus, they leaned into the comedy and absurdity of it all, which only helped create a fun tone where the addition of music really fit the storytelling
100% agree! They understood the element of fun in this story
12:14 also having Vivian in this scene sets up the Legally Blonde reprise, we know Vivian goes here and that she knows Elle goes here and maybe even that she's friends with Paulette
Ah yes! Didn’t think about that!
Can we also highlight Vivian’s line “You’re my new muse” singing to Elle, like…. Gosh, gives me chills ❤
You got the best frickin shoes
they worked it out on the remix
“All is forgiven”
Had me seriously fighting the urge to - “YOU’RE MY DATE TO THE PEP RALLY TONIGHT!!!”
FRRR
I think the reason there's SUCH a difference between the sorority girls in each version is that in the film, in order to make Elle closer to the people in harvard, they need to separate her from her old friends (there's only so much screen time) but in the musical, they figured out a genius solution: have them appear as a greek chorus. Even if we don't have time for the actual friendship, we have time for them to support her because there's already time alotted for the chorus. Genius!
I think all the cans of Redbull in Elle's room allude to her consuming a bunch of energy drinks to stay up late and study. As a current college student, I can relate.
i’ve also seen a comment on a different video that Emmett’s and Elles handshake in the musical? it has them making the hand gesture for chugging a redbull at the end. Maybe it was someone overthinking, but it’s interesting thinking!
I think “we all flew here on JetBlue” line was also product placement! Really enjoyed this video :D love love love me some legally blonde the musical
It’s everywhere 👀
Thanks ❤️
I can't tell you how much this musical cemented in me that one day I wanted to in fact study laws. I first watched this musical when I was at my lowest; 15 years old, depressed as all hell and on the end of my rope mentally. This musical's message and the positivity around being a girl and making it in such a male dominated world just pushed me in the right direction. 10 years later, I got that law degree (a bachelor's in Dutch Law), hell I even earned myself a second bachelor's in Government Management. I'm honestly not sure if I had done all of that if it wasn't for me watching, and honestly obsessing over, this musical when I was in my teens.
Anyways, I've always preferred the musical over the movie, if only because of the changes they made in Elle and Emmett their relationship. It feels so much more earned when they end up together, and Chip On My Shoulder is to this day a bop. There have been multipole years when that song was my most played/streamed song of the year.
The power of theatre! So lovely to read, thanks for sharing ☺️
15:43 if you watch closely at this part of whipped into shape you can see that they swap out Brooke’s rope for a rigid prop (half a hula hoop?) as Sabrina says her line, and then swap it back after they unpause, but it is VERY seamless and they do a great job drawing your focus elsewhere while it happens, it took some careful watching for me to figure it out
So clever!
I will disagree with you on the Emmet court questioning scene as in the musical it does come with a bit more of a distraction on Emmets part. He lifts his jacket, and goes sideways towards the pool boy so he can get distracted by his ass. Like a subtler version of the bend and snap! I agree that it still comes way too easy but I like the little addition to make it more believable AND it pays off the makeover in “Take it like a men” in more than impressing Callahan.
But I get that it’s kinda easy to miss, lol. I don’t think every production even does it but it IS in the mtv proshot)))
Loved the essay, you’re doing the lords work!!!
this is my favourite musical i watched it incessantly as a kid. i really love how much more time and care is put into elle and emmet's relationship, its so cute and healthy and ahhh i love it sm
Couple goals for real
My pet peeve in the musical is the line "Look how far I have come without anyone holding my hand" - babe, Emmett was there every step of the way! Which I don't hate, because the relationship is much more believable, but she didn't do it completely by herself. Best line - "Haircare? I love this guy" "Me too"
Yeah actually haha
I would argue that while Emmett and Vivian definitely have proved as inspirations and helped catalyzed Elle, she would not have gotten far if she didn't become a person who is able to stand on her own with confidence. She was just as instrumental in her own journey because, well, it is her own journey. Just my two cents, feel free to critique lol.
Idk how to phrase this but
It's more so that emmet showed elle the way rather than walking her through it
For me the image of holding someone's hand through a process is guiding them like a child, where Emmett just supported her to find her own way :)
@@wizardkumaanimations9984 Yup, that's way better explained. I was trying to get at the same thing, but I didn't have the right words... Thanks!! :)
Dude this is so real, I love this musical so much. Its a prime example of how a musical should be made
a really underrated thing about the musical is their use of “oh my god” it’s used so often and a celebritory thing, originally by the delta nu girls, but then emit uses it later. girls are often made fun of for using words like that or “like” so then using it in such a positive light just makes me so happy
Yeah, it becomes a motive for positivity and strength 💪🏻
I watched the MTV televised version of legally blonde last month on UA-cam and completely fell in LOVE with the show and musical theater altogether!
Yay! 😍
I swear every time I watch the musical I’m like “this is so much better than the movie”
I was literally JUST yelling about this with my friends!!! The musical is so perfectly iconic. I think it's a great intro into musicals for the film folk since it shows how much this medium is capable of!!
Very true!
Omg I i found someone on yt who's just as obsessed with the little intricacies of musical adaptation as i am AH
🙌🏻🙌🏻
I always jus assumed the Red Bull was to give her time to change lol. honestly its probably good for both reasons
Truuuuue
I was so pleasently surprised by this video. When I saw the title, I thought, no way! Because when I first saw the musical, while I loved the hell out of the songs, I felt like Emmett's more present character felt a bit like a white knight. Like Elle couldn't have done it without him. I loved that they got more time together and as a character he is extremely adorable and helpful, but I felt that he took away from Elle's growth.However, you presented some great points of how she starts from a very different point in the musical, less "dumb blonde" and it makes much more sense that way.
So, while I think it's sacrilegious you don't think Take it like a Man is one of the best, (because beyond the music it's also the musical's way of adding to the movie message of the value of fashion as a way of self-expression) I loved the video. Amazing work!
Thaaaanks ❤️
I adore this musical. And your take on it was really interesting. I personally really like "Take it Like a Man" it shows the budding romance between the two, and it's Elle saying thank you to Emmett the only way she knows how. She even says, "This is no gift, its payment in kind cause you saw beyond all the blonde to my mind" She's slowly but surely pushing him out of his comfort zone which, I think, helps him feel more confident standing up to Callahan. But that's just my take on it.
Oh and fun fact: The actress that plays Paulette and the actor that plays Kyle are actuality married in real life.😍
Oh don’t get me wrong, I love everything that is happening in this song, I just don’t like the melody that much I think hihi! Xx
NOO THE TAKE IT LIKE A MAN HATE
did u know laura bell bundy and christian boule were having an "affair" while christian borle was married to sutton foster? they asked for emmett and elle to have a proper love song, because take it like a man originally was not included. HOWEVER, they were actually already separated, and sutton foster spread this narrative to make her seem sympathetic and give her more career opportunities
A simple search shows that Legally Blonde the Musical was released in 2007, while Sutton Foster and Christian Borle had their divorce in 2009
Just because a couple isn’t divorced doesn’t mean they are still together. The could have been separated at the time but it can take years to figure out a proper legal agreement.
The two of them even stayed friendly and Sutton clarified Borle hadn’t been cheating on her in her memoir.
@@reeseoutburst4157 hi! i actually said this in my comment , sutton foster talked about actually framing it like she did get cheated on for sympathy !
@@the-ma-an hi this was kinda meanly phrased , pls be nice >-<
yes, however, they were in the process of separating when legally blonde was going on; and at the time, laura bell bundy and christian borle had a thing going on essentially .
@h8ney Yes I know I was clarifying it for @the-ma-an . I’m not sure why but YouRube doesn’t tag the people you reply to on mobile I guess?
I also love how in Ohmigod the girls seem much more supportive of each other and like genuinely want to help Elle out. Also I was always so mad that Emmett and Elle were barely in any scenes together in the movie and their chemistry was super forced imo. Replacing Vivian's emphasis w Emmett's was just so perfect. AND ALSO EMMETT is more overtly low income which juxtaposes elles privilege in that sense. God thank you for this I love the musical so much. Great video
When I directed LB the Musical my Emmet and I discussed how the confession in gay or European felt rushed so we had Emmet do the bend and snap to distract the witness making his confession seem more plausible.
Christian borle actually did that too (he also did a small one in the mtv one, you can see carlos staring at him)
CHRISTIAN BORLE MENTIONED ALSO THE QUEEN UPLOADED
CHRISTIAN BORLE 🔥🔥
👸🏼👸🏼👸🏼
Christian Borle 🥺❤
This was a really interesting video. You make some great points. I do gotta say though, regardless of thoughts on it as a song, the Take it like a Man sequence is such an important addition imo because it equalises Elle and Emmett. Up that that point he's been a mentor to her, but Take it like a Man picks up the detail of Emmett's social class set up in Chip on Your Shoulder and his own issues with fitting in/impressing the Harvard lawyer set and Elle gets to help him with her expertise.
15:08 I don’t know if product placement is a thing on broadway but the version on youtube was the one televised on MTV so that might be the reason. Also if you listen to the song (chip on my shoulder) on Spotify there is no mention of red bull, so i think it was something exclusive of the mtv version
Aaaah it’s starting to make sense!
The red bull thing isn't mentioned on the soundtrack because they cut a bunch of spoken lines in order to make the song shorter (and even with that it is still 8 minutes long). They also cut Paulette's lines for example. But it was still part of the show on a normal show day, so not just an MTV thing ^^
This video touched on a lot of awesome critical details, but one of the most fascinating moments that wasn't noted was -- in the proposal, Vivian looks at Elle, and *that's* when she says yes. Like. Woof. You really do NOT want the person you're proposing to, to be looking at someone else. Really hammers home the competition aspect.
13:30 also the Gloria Steinem moment is a showcase of Elle’s lawyer instincts. She knows how to make an opponent look like a real asshole
10:10 I took that line to mean that her rising and her moon was Capricorn, because astrology girls usually reference they’re ‘big three’ which is sun, moon, and rising. but the way she phrased it makes me just think that the musical writer’s just didn’t really know astrology, and we’re trying to make some thing that sounded vaguely astrology-like lol
7:14 also actually making Elle convince the people at Harvard to except her shows her great lawyer skills because a lot of being a lawyer is convincing people and she also has a list of evidence (her qualities and why she should be accepted) which she presents to the makeshift jury (the Harvard Deans)
Both the film and musical adaptation are iconiccccc
Someone on the internet made a video essay overanalyzing the Legally Blonde musical? FINALLY!!!!! I will always have a soft spot for the absolutely iconic movie, but the musical is pure perfection! Loved your insightful commentary and humor on this. Instant sub!
❤️❤️❤️
warner becoming a model when elle says at some point that everyone just expects her to be a victoria's secret model is a really nice detail
Ooh nice catch!
Yessss this musical is so underrated omg. I hardly hear anybody talking about it but it’s so fun both to watch and play a character in and I wish it got the love it deserved.
My favourite musical so far!! It opened here in Argentina a few months ago and went with my mum (who knew nothing about it) and she had a blast!
I mostly looove Vivian's arc
I havent watched this yet, but I have ranted anout this exact topic to so many friends until they're sick of it, I am so glad this video essay exists! Between the musical turning the bend and snap from a random scene only relevant to the B plot of Pauline's love life, to an A plot-relevant moment (that also turns the pool boy thing from a gay stereotype to an actual "he can't possibly swing this way" moment), to the greater complexity of Vivian and Warner's characters (god I love what they did with Warner, him being insecure and shallow makes Elle's story so much more well-rounded and mature in turn), the musical is utterly brilliant at transforming the source material to something infinitely better in my opinion!
...Okay, now to actually watch this. XD
Elle not expecting a proposal at the end of the movie when she is about to be proposed to is good character development, but her proposing to Emmett in the musical is much better character development (and has the added benefit of him not making her graduation day about them but her choosing to bring him into it by proposing). Her classmates helping out is also lovely considering how cold they were in the beginning! Even more people she's inspired by being her authentic self.
Yes so true! 😍
I love that in the pro-shot of the musical, the actors for Paulette and Kyle are married in real life :) Gives their chemistry more pop!
Honestly I love the musical so much and always find myself preferring it, but one change I do dislike is the fact that she gets a 175 in the musical instead of a 179. I feel like her excelling versus just barely passing is much more interesting
i think its because singing -ive sounds better than -ine in my opinion and it could be an easier sound to sustain considering the fact that there are like 6 different harmonies on that final note
YES, someone finally giving the musical the love it deserves! I'd like to touch on one thing you didn't here; the portrayal of Enid.
In the film, Enid is kinda... there. She's catty and mean to Elle and is kind of just used as a prop for Elle to show how cool and correct she is-when Enid says that Elle is the type of person to call her a slur, Elle says "I've never used that word in my life!" which, sure, but that scene was kinda just unnecessary and cruel all around. Enid's just an a-hole in the film, and frankly as a lesbian myself, not the representation I want to see at all.
Now, in the musical, some elements of that are still there, don't get me wrong. Enid initially mocks Elle's manner of speaking, though Elle either doesn't notice or doesn't let it get to her (plus, tbf, Elle did kinda give Enid a backhanded compliment). But after the awkward initial first impression, Enid for the most part doesn't treat Elle as lesser than her. She respects Elle as a fellow feminist and listens to her when she accuses Vivian of saying a misogynistic comment (which, I mean, she did, though Elle lied about the exact nature). You can hear, amongst the chatter of the ensemble, "Vivian! I cannot believe you would say that, that is so effed." And she does experience actual lesbophobia during the musical, even if in the context it's in, it's somewhat justified. Enid isn't treated as just a stupid lesbian with no valid points about anything. And, uh, Elle doesn't (for lack of a better term) virtue signal about How Much She Supports Lesbians™. She just listens to Enid and respects her the same as anyone, which is just sweet.
And also? Musical Enid is FUN! She's hilarious, she's electric, and she's completely unashamed to be herself.
She's still used as a punchline, don't get me wrong, and some of that didn't age too well IMO, but in the musical she's not portrayed as wholly vapid or fake. She comes through for Elle in the end. Honestly, if I ever got into doing musical theatre myself, Enid would be my dream role.
Okay, Enid rant over. Now it's Vivian rant time.
I LOVE MUSICAL VIVIAN SO MUCH. She's not portrayed as meek or gullible like she is in the film. She's strong and knows what she wants, and while she's stubborn, she's willing to admit her mistakes and apologize. She immediately comes across as someone who would be just fine without Warner, and frankly I get the vibe that she's not very in love with him. In the scene where Warner proposes to Vivian, the music is off-putting, and Vivian looks stiff and uncomfortable-her "yes" isn't one of joy, more out of resignation and stubbornness. Warner proposed suddenly in a public setting, in front of his ex-girlfriend, which is really just not cool at all. (Also, I personally get massive closeted lesbian vibes from Musical Vivian :P )
It made me so happy to see the change in Vivian's reaction to seeing Elle be harassed. In the movie, it made me so uncomfortable, and not in a way that really drove the plot forward, but was just... sad.
The change from Stromwell motivating Elle to Vivian motivating Elle is probably the best writing decision ever, actually. It very much brings things full circle, it shows that Vivian's doesn't begrudgingly respect Elle, but genuinely fully respects her. And when Vivian belts "legally blonde," I swear I may have lightly exploded.
There's definitely some changes I'd have liked to see in the musical, though. I feel like Elle was maybe shown as a bit too dependent on Emmett-it would have been better if she realized certain things on her own or at the same time as him. e.g. when Emmett points out that "each time Warner walks through the door, [her] IQ drops down to 40, maybe less," maybe after the "walks through the door" Elle could've finished the sentence for him, because honestly the way Emmett put it was a bit demeaning too. If he left it more open-ended, then he wouldn't have said something so mean so concretely, and having Elle complete the sentence would be a nice display of their chemistry.
Another missed opportunity, IMO, is when, in front of the trailer, Paulette laments that she lived with that for 10 years, it would've been nice to see Elle and Emmett turn to each other and both say "10 years?"-instead of Elle not initially coming to the conclusion herself and having to be handheld by Emmett, they'd realize it at the same time. Of course Elle doesn't have as much law education as Emmett, but she could still bring up the point herself, e.g. "doesn't that constitute the very definition of-" and have Emmett confirm the hypothesis. Still show them both to be intelligent, still show that Emmett has more experience in the field than Elle, but letting Elle have the agency that she deserves in a work intended to be feminist.
Another change I'd have liked to see was just... not making a joke out of Sundeep's name. South Asians are already so heavily mocked for their names, cultures, languages, and accents. It was a cheap joke and said nothing more than "haha POC have stupid names." Having him be a former ruler that was ousted by a coup d'etat is kinda just the cherry on top of a cheap racist joke.
And it's not like the musical can't do offensive humour in a way that works-"There, Right There"/"Gay or European" is iconic, and I totally get why it's the part of the musical that seems to have entered pop culture at large. It's silly, it's light, and it makes sense in the context of the musical.
Overall, Legally Blonde The Musical is one of my favourite musicals of all time. I can and will talk endlessly about it to anyone who will (or won't) listen. Also, Emmett's line "I haven't slept since 1992" gets even funnier with the more time that passes.
At what point does the line change to since 2002?
Something I love about this is that stage musical tend to be able to get away with being a more exaggerated realm than traditional movies. There is a higher level of disbelief, so the musical could do stuff that wouldn't work in the movie. The key example is the bathroom scene from the end of the show. You wouldn't be able to pull a stunt like that in a court of law, and the movie trying to be more grounded just went with a dialogue. Another example is Paullate being able to see the Greek Chorus. It is still also a story that follows its own rules. The show writers made a great use of the new medium.,
Yes agreed!
Quick note: small changes that may seem senseless are often made to avoid copyright. In the Wicked musical they had to avoid any references that were specifically created for the Judy Garland version of Wizard of Oz, like Toto or Glinda's pink dress. Because they had the rights to the book, not the movie.
I'm assuming the producers had the rights to the legally blonde book, not the movie, so that's why the small changes. Any line that was specifically written for the movie would have to be changed because they don't have the rights to it.
That's why Mean Girls has all the iconic movie quotes, Tina Fey was a producer.
My opinion on why they changed Callahan kissing Elle, agreed, is because it's theatre. It's a bigger action.
Its my favorite musical of all time and I’ve watched the full thing on UA-cam probably 7 times over! People always think its funny when I say its my favorite, but I think it’s genius!
People really underestimate the quality of the writing!
absolutely FANTASTIC video!!!! i cannot rest until we get a legally blonde the musical the movie
Ally? You like this too? Wow love it too!!!!!!!!
Legally blonde is my FAVORITE MUSICAL EVER! So excited to watch this!
8:01 i think this is the point though and I like these details. Making her a completely stereotypical blonde that puts priority in fashion AND is super smart and capable is a good thing. Breaking the stereotype is one thing, but it's a different battle than the one Legally Blonde could be fighting. I feel that by saying you wish there was less stereotypically blonde traits to make her character arc stronger, it's implying that Elle Woods can't be both stereotypically blonde and feminine and fashion-loving AND extremely smart and competent defeats the whole point. It implies there is still belief in the negativity of that stereotype as a viewer. I love the message that she didn't have to stop being feminine and positive to slay in court.
i always loved Elle proposing to Emmet because it’s HER day not his and in the movie it kind of makes it a special day for them both because HE wanted it to be while in the musical Elle wanted to include him in her special day by proposing to him if that makes sense
I really thought she was going to say "blood in the water" but I was SOOOOOO chocked when she said "Take it like a man"
Haha ok blood in the water is a bit of a skip as well
I think my favourite part about the musical is its improvement in fleshing out Elle and Emmet's relationship. Last time I watched the movie I realised just how out of nowhere it felt to me that they end up together. It almost felt like they had thrown it in because the writers thought Elle needed a love interest, so really getting to see their relationship grow in the musical genuinely makes their eventual romance believable. And I know it's a bit on the nose, but I really liked the little detail of Emmet's last name becoming Forest in the musical.
Also, a small detail that I only recently noticed in the musical proshot is that, once Vivian ends up on Elle's side, her button up becomes a light pink instead of the previous white shirt she wears throughout the musical.
Ooh never noticed the pink shirt! 😄
i was courtney in my community show of legally blonde! the funny thing is that they had the store manager push me offstage when she dismisses me, which really shows how respected elle is. also, the dress they gave me as a prop wasn’t even china silk or china silk-looking which was weird. but the dress they gave elle to wear at the dinner was china silk-looking. huh.
I don't know if its mentioned in the movie, but in the musical, she has a 4.0 in Fashion Merchandising. I like to think that the rude store employee really got on her nerves for being uneducated, a mockery to the fashion world, and just rude and prejudice to her clients.
My favorite change is Emmett. I love that he gets to be closer to her and helps her. And she in turn helps him. They become best friends and more.
Great video! Though I also love the Back to the Future musical 😅
It just expands, paces better, characterizes better, and refines on the movie. The music numbers are also all very memorable and I can still remember most if not all the words to the songs.
and I love the "I'M A PLAYBOY BUNNY!" scene so much
I love this soooo much Legally Blonde is easily in my top 3 fave musicals and I'm always here for any praise for it
😍
Great video! My favorite line is "Some girls fight hard, Some face the trial--some girls are just meant to smile 🥹." So heartbreaking!
What an interesting comparison!! I loved the movie but have never heard the musical (other than Gay or European, of course). I'm so glad that adaptations like these exist to properly do their job: adapt a beloved media and innovating with its original ideas and premises.
Yes, these writers know their craft!
I love your analysis, love for details, and unbridled enthusiasm for musicals!! I think a lot of people who hate on musical theater are allergic to authentic shows of deep emotion. Us musical theater nerds, on the contrary, find our power in emotion! Which I think is a more satisfying way to live. I feel among my people in this comment section, so thank you for that. Happy to be a new subscriber!!
Welcome! ❤️
I would love Legally blonde the musical to be a movie musical
i haven't even watched this yet but legally blonde the musical is my favourite musical i've watched it COUNTLESS times it does such a good job of setting up the romantic tension between elle and emmett and the part in So much better where elle says "you're daughter's doing something right" AHHHHHHH LBB delivers that line so well it makes me so emotional
Agreed that in the right hands this could make an amazing movie! One of my fav parts of the musical was the Greek chorus, and I think in a movie format they would work wonderfully as a a physical manifestation of the group chat instead of Elle just kind of “imagining” them and suspending our disbelief as an audience. The bend and snap scene could also start as a group zoom call, with the chorus being “as good as there” and therefore manifesting in the salon. Then when Kyle walks in we cut back to the computer screen where the chorus actually is and show everyone was caught off guard in the middle of a dance move as one of those “snap”(pun intended) back to reality moments.
I really love the scene in the musical where everyone ends up at the courthouse. Between those notes Vivian sings and how Brooke and Emmett treat Callaghan, it feels cathartic.
The Take It Like a Man slander, did hurt, but I will respect it. The chemistry in it gets me soooo bad.
I saw a version of the musical where both Elle and Emmet were both played by black actors, and it added so much depth to the song they share about both being outsiders to the world of Harvard Law! It was legitimately the best musical I’ve ever seen!
Oooh yes that makes a lot of sense! Was it the Regents Park open air one in London?
@@annevanderelst247 No, it was a different open air one at the Muny in St. Louis, Missouri!
Whenever people ask me which one i like more, i always say it depends what you want from it. You watch the movie for the plot because the musical does cut some key plot points but you watch the musical for the emotional and character development because the movie didnt have time or a way to naturally flesh out many of the characters or the relationship between elle and emmett
Product placement in theatre? Crazy.
* *Gets a red vine and a mtn dew* *
As a HUGE fan of the musical, i absolutely loved this analysis! The algorithm may not like you but it must love me for making this pop up on my dash!!
Wiehie!
In my production we switch the line at 4:00 to “Reese Whitherspoon” as Elle’s neighbour. A little on the nose, but I like it
That’s hilarious
"Take it like A Man" is actually my FAVORITE song! I'm genuinely surprised that you skip it. If there's one song I skip in the album, it's Ireland...
Same
Saw this recommended as I just finished a production of Legally Blonde at my community theatre! Very cute looking at all the details of this show once again 💜
THANK YOU for this video - this is my favourite musical of all time and I don't have anyone to rant about it to 😭 I really like how they fleshed out Emmett and Elle but I did miss the Vivian and Elle connection. One thing that I didn't understand is why Vivian pushed Warner out of the way when they witnessed the kiss - and I did think her turn from hating Elle to fully supporting her was a bit sudden. Take it like a man is my favourite song 😭 I think the lyrics are SO clever and funny. I really like how Emmett's "what about love" line is a callback to Elle's "what about love" from What You Want. Overall sooo many small details make this musical truly one of the best ever and really does make amazing use of the musical theatre medium.
Yes, the pushing is so weird? I guess Warner wouldn’t call her a marilyn if he also saw Elle slapping Callahan, but I don’t understand what Vivian’s motivation is. To protect Elle? At this point she doesn’t really like her, so I’m not sure
I think this is personally the best adaptation of a film to a stage show, keeping the comedy the charm yet adding details and developing characters creating this unique experience.
Agreed!
I would say the first change is that she has 3 best friends in the musical rather than 2!
Chip On Your Shoulder is what I play while getting ready for work
I have been saying the musical is better for years so I'm so glad you made a video on this!
TAKE IT LIKE A MAN IS THE CUTEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED IN THE MUSICAL HOW DARE YOU HATE ITTT
Hahahaha sorryyyyyyyyy!
This was such a fun video with a great in-depth analysis. Looking forward to more videos!
Thank you ❤️
I noticed that many lawyers actually adopted pink branding because of this iconic work.
Oooh really? I’ve never seen it irl, would love it
I love both, but the musical in my opinion is SO MUCH BETTER! the character development and everything is sooo *chefs kiss*
I see what you did there 😏
missed opportunity to say why its 'so much better than beforreeee' on the thumbnail
Haha believe me I tried! But it didn’t read as well
@@annevanderelst247 fair
I love how they improved Emmet character, like you can understand why he loves Elle and why they work together
Emmet mentions that he was an outcast at home and he doesnt also fit in that rich highclass harward society, like in the song when everyone present themselves you can see how nobody listen to him and just ignore him, i think elles conifedence attracted him and he knew how is to be judged by your appearance
I like to think that when Emmet mentors Elle he learns from her too, and they both are against everyone who doesnt "see" them and how they slowly become best frind and "best thing about this place"
Shortly i love that couple and how it works in the musical and i can talk about them for hoooours
Sundeep Padamadan is also a weird stereotype (a gag name/character used for two jokes snd then never brought up again) that deserves to be called out, ala the Jamaican part