Three words: Front. Row. Seats.

I finally did. I saw Legally Blonde: The Musical on Broadway tonight, after having gone through multiple mixed feelings about it. When I first heard about it, I was PUMPED. Then I saw a rehearsal clip on Broadway.com and "Omigod You Guys" just sounded like a generic, more-people-singing version of "Popular" from Wicked. And then I wasn't really feeling it anymore. But then I downloaded "Omigod You Guys" on iTunes when it was free about 4 months ago. And guess what: I fell in love. And then I got the whole soundtrack. (FYI: It's incredible. Versatile tracks, phenomenal vocals, witty one-liners that you'll miss when you listen to it all the first time.) And TONIGHT I saw it on Broadway!

It started with my friend suggesting the student rush early, early, EARLY this morning. We sleepily took the train to the theater in Times Square at 7:45am and sat our weary selves against The Palace Theater's front doors, huddling under blankets and waiting for the clock to strike 10am. We weren't the first people in line---we were, like, the sixth---but we had a great chance of getting tickets, which was all we needed. For two hours we killed time by avoiding creepy men trying to sell us papers we could get for free, giving the evil eye to two girls who seemingly cut us in line (but they insisted they were going to the matinee, and not the evening show), and gossiping about shows and men. It was a good time, actually. And at 10am, we spent TWENTY-SIX DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS for FRONT ROW SEATS.

Yes. The student rush policy IS that good. I highly recommend it for ANYONE who has a school ID. For $26.50, we sat in the front row and watched Laura Bell Bundy work, sing, and kick ass so hard.

Obviously, the show itself was in a word---spectacular. The actors were simply extraordinary. The acting was driven and fierce, the vocals stunning, the choreography meticulous and ridiculous. The songs can stand alone, which is why anyone can get so much out of the soundtrack, but when weaved into the scenes with dialogue, they made the entire production so magical.

Speaking of magic, the sets were impressive to the point of distraction. I don't want to give anything away, but there was magic onstage that I will never forget.

So here we are:

Top Five Reasons to See Legally Blonde on Broadway before Laura Bell Bundy departs:

ONE
Laura Bell Bundy. Though there's no way anyone could have beat Christine Ebersole for that Tony last season, she was definitely a contender that I didn't really understand fully until seeing her perform. Her singing voice has this raspy quality that makes Elle so much less Valley Girl and much more earnest. She really worked and lived onstage tonight. When she cried during the "Legally Blonde" ballad, her tears were real and it seemed that her state was too. She was compelling in every sense of the word. Her acting was specific and subtle---yet animated. She was a joy to watch.

TWO
Christian Borle. I'm in love with him. End of story. (Too bad he's married to the most amazing Broadway actress and triple-threat ever: Sutton Foster. I can't compete with that.) He gave Emmett this quick-witted-ness quality that I thought was missing from the film. It was easy to fall in love with him. And I did. Repeatedly. Plus, his voice might actually soar. Yeah. His voice is so clear and powerful---I simply can't believe I got to see him sing live. PS: He's the guy from that eBay commercial when the store turns into a disco. There was even an eBay joke in the script!

THREE
The sets. Like I said above: magic happened. The sets were beautiful and creative, and they moved so seamlessly that I often didn't even realize that we had changed location.

FOUR
It's nothing like the movie. Yes, the storyline is the same, duh. But the characters are totally different and the humor is, too. So you haven't already seen it.

FIVE
The choreography, which is flawless and freaking FUNNY. I'll just say: full-cast Irish jig.

There you have it. It's such a fun time. No one will disagree!!

Legally yours,
Kim

Picture credit: Blog.fashionwindows.com, City Guide NY