My final recommendation is this: if you’re in the mood for a silly, light-hearted musical with few overarching messages, go ahead and see Legally Blonde. I enjoyed it, I admit. However, this is not the kind of show that will leave you thinking afterwards.

Yes, there are a couple of really good songs and dance numbers (I thought the one that opens the second act was jaw-dropping). For the most part, though, I thought the lyrics and book appeared to be cleverer than they really were. And the storyline was even thinner (in most cases) than the movie, which is hard to do. Not to mention whatever proto-feminist message the movie had getting sucked out of the musical — in an attempt to give Emmett more stage time, he becomes Elle’s mentor rather than her figuring things out on her own like she does in the movie. At least Emmett gets a bit more character development in the musical. Plus, am I the only one who thought the sets looked kind of cheap? Sure, they moved like Broadway sets, but they just looked kind of crude to me. They reinforced the feeling I had during the first act that I was watching a high-school production that somehow was headed for Broadway.

But the audience just ate it all up. (In fact, the audience kind of reminded me of a high-school-musical audience as well, one where a lot of the girls in the audience know the stars and squeal and applaud anytime the slightest opportunity arises.)

Is the show really that good, or has the bar for out-of-town tryouts been set so low by disasters like “Lestat” and “Lennon” that anything resembling a polished production would make musical theatre fans swoon like they’re doing? What is it about this show that makes it so fabulous as a whole musical, as opposed to being just a show with a likable star and a few (admittedly significant) impressive moments?