History Theatre / LegallyBlonde

* ISeeDeadPeople: Spoofed when Paulette sees the Delta Nu GreekChorus and mistakes them for ghosts, saying the trope-naming line word for word.

** Vivienne makes a comment about there being [[Film/GirlsGoneWild "girls going wild"]] without Elle somewhere.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Vivienne's name is spelled as "Vivian" in the movie's credits, while spelled "Vivienne" in the musical's credits.

The 2007 musical, scripted by Heather Hach and with songs by the husband-and-wife team of Lawrence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, takes a different direction from [[Film/LegallyBlonde the 2001 movie]]. While the movie mixed over-the-top wacky comedy with more realistic comedy, the musical is DenserAndWackier, full of AcceptableBreaksFromReality and moments of LeaningOnTheFourthWall, though the songs are also highly integrated into the plot, with many long musical scenes that cover enormous amounts of story and CharacterDevelopment. Additionally, several minor characters (like Professor Stromwell and David) are dropped to focus more on a few key characters. In particular, Emmett's character is expanded upon significantly, and Elle's friendship (and eventual romance) with him becomes a much bigger part of the story. The original Broadway musical, starring Creator/LauraBellBundy as Elle, aired on Creator/{{MTV}} a month after production and managed to get nominated for several awards, winning one. Some viewers consider it an improvement over the film, while most consider it quite good as far as musical adaptations go.

** No judge would ''ever'' allow a trial to be taken outside a courtroom, let alone ''to the crime scene''. In real life, Elle would have to find a way to make her argument, and elicit the desired response from Chutney, inside the courtroom (as her film counterpart did).

** In the "Gay or European" sequence, Carlos' exclamation from the gallery would not be considered valid evidence, and the judge would probably order the statement stricken from the record and for the jury to disregard it. The defense ''would'' have the option to (and really should) call Carlos as a rebuttal witness and get official testimony from him on the matter, but they can't use a spontaneous utterance from the gallery as a substitute for actual testimony.

** AdaptedOut when Elle negotiates for Paulette's dog back from her ex Dewey. In the movie, Elle claims to be a lawyer representing Paulette. That's illegal because she's not lawyer, just a a law student. Here Elle uses the more nebulous term "legal team" and brings Emmett (a licensed attorney) along with her. So now it's not illegal.

* {{Foil}}: Elle and Emmett, at least at first, are polar opposites. She comes from a very privileged background, decided to go to Harvard on a whim, her father pays her tuition in full, and while she's incredibly smart she doesn't take studying seriously at first. By contrast, he had a deprived childhood, had to work ''two'' jobs on top of law school, and is so driven by his goal of succeeding and earning enough money to buy his mother a house that he jokingly claims he hasn't even slept in years.

* {{Foil}}: Elle and Emmett, at least at first, are polar opposites -- she comes from a very privileged background, decided to go to Harvard on a whim, her father pays her tuition in full, and while she's incredibly smart she doesn't take studying seriously at first; while he had a deprived childhood, had to work two jobs on top of law school, and is so driven that he jokingly claims he hasn't even slept in years.

* BeAWhoreToGetYourMan: Deconstructed, but then also somewhat reconstructed. The story begins with Elle getting dumped. Her sexy, carefree, sorority president persona makes her very desirable as a college girlfriend, but rather less desirable as a wife.

:: Later, though, Elle and the Delta Nu sisters advise Paulette to use a watered-down version of this to attract the attention of Kyle. Demonstrating that you'd make a good long-term partner came come later. But in order for a relationship to even ''begin'', you have to get noticed somehow. And being sexy and assertive is a reasonably reliable way to do that.

** Warner rubbishes Elle's argument about Nico's testimony being discredited because he's gay, but he has a point that they can't just out someone on the stand, and that they need more proof than the "Bend and Snap".

'''Serena:''' [=HahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA=]--''YES''! But also because we command and demand attention.

** In the case of the gay couple this also applies. The movie has [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch Chuck tell off Enrique]] when he refers to the former as just his friend with no sign of reconciliation. The musical has Nikos admitting to his sexuality after Carlos has made enough of a scene, with the two then happily dancing together and emphasizing their sexualities one last time.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Both this show and the original movie have Callahan [[spoiler: sexually harass Elle]], but he's a far bigger SlimeBall in the musical. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment In his very first scene]], he establishes himself as an AmoralAttorney of the highest order who will pull any dirty trick to win a case, and even implies he has no problem indulging in prostitutes and heroin. Also, [[JerkassHasAPoint while he's not exactly unjustified in doing so]], thanks to being a bit of a CompositeCharacter, it's ''him'' who throws Elle out of class here, which he does as cruelly as possible. In general, he's a far more open {{Jerkass}} here than the seemingly CoolTeacher of the film, as he has no problem insulting his students [[BadBoss and interns]] throughout, [[CardCarryingVillain reveling in his scary reputation]]. Not only that, but the finale reveals that [[spoiler: he is -- or rather was -- a married man]], which makes his [[spoiler: actions toward Elle]] even more despicable. And on the topic of [[spoiler: his treatment of Elle]], in the original, while it's still awful, he goes no further than [[spoiler: feeling up her leg]]. This version has it so that he [[spoiler: gives Elle a ForcefulKiss]]. Not only that, but after [[spoiler: Elle rejects him]], Callahan [[spoiler: fires her]], a far worse reaction than his cinematic equivalent. While Elle ''did'' [[spoiler: slap him]], you can't blame her at all given [[spoiler: ''he planted a ForcefulKiss on her'']].

* ButchLesbian: Enid is lesbian and most definitely non-girly, with an aggressive demeanor and a fashion sense that Elle describes as "fatigue chic."

* ItsACostumePartyISwear: As in the movie, Vivian/Vivienne pulls this one on Elle, who arrives at a casual party in a PlayboyBunny costume. When Vivienne calls Elle a skank, Elle recovers by taking someone's glasses and insisting she is dressed as an undercover Gloria Steinem and asks Vivienne, loudly, if she is calling Gloria Steinem a skank. A horde of feminists lead by Enid descend upon Vivienne as Elle exits.

%% ** Warner's status as this is lampshaded a few times. [[spoiler:In the end, he becomes a model.]]

* NeverMyFault: Callahan acts as though he did nothing wrong after [[spoiler:''sexually harassing Elle'']] and fires her in retaliation when she rejects him.

%%* {{Slimeball}}: Callahan, Callahan, ''CALLAHAN''.

* StrawFeminist: Enid qualifies as one. To clarify, she (albeit jokingly) considers a man who murders a nun and runs over puppies to be a "typical man" and declares that only women have the guts to fix the country.

* TrueCompanions: Elle and her sorority sisters love each other and always support one another through the craziest of endeavors. And later, Elle, Emmett, Vivienne, Enid and Paulette stick together as close friends through the end of law school.

** Emmett, who is fairly attractive and just needs a makeover to make that more obvious.
** Paulette qualifies to a lesser degree. She's not so much unkempt as she is lacking in confidence, which leads to not paying much attention to her looks.

* CampGay: Carlos, [[spoiler:and his boyfriend, Nikos]]. There's a whole musical number dedicated to it.
* CheckPlease: At the end of "Serious," Warner sadly orders the check after Elle runs away crying.

** Nikos has the attention of both Brooke and the judge, along with everyone singing explicitly referring to him as a "hottie", [[EvenTheGuysWantHim including the straight men present]]. Of course, it makes sense that men get in on the action, [[CampGay as he's also dating Carlos]].

* AdaptationalHeroism: When Elle goes to get Paulette's dog back from her ex, in the movie she represents herself as a lawyer, which she isn't yet. That's illegal. Here, she uses the more nebulous term "legal team". Emmett (a licensed attorney) is there too. So now it's not illegal.

** AdaptedOut when Elle negotiates for Paulette's dog back. In the movie, Elle claims to be a lawyer representing Paulette to Paulette's ex. In the musical, she brings Emmett, a certified lawyer, to avert this trope.

* AngerIsHealthyAesop: Discussed in "Chip On My Shoulder". After Elle follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law and discovers Warner has moved on and still doesn't take her seriously, Emmett encourages her to get a chip on her shoulder and work hard to prove everyone, especially her ex-boyfriend, wrong. By the end of the number, she has channeled her anger enough to effectively counterargue Warner's argument in class, impressing everyone.

'''Elle:''' [[spoiler: Callahan hit on me.]]
-->'''Emmett:''' ...he ''what?''

* Pun:
** A GreekChorus made up of sorority sisters.

'''Emmett:''' I think it's "Love."

** Most notably in "Take It Like a Man," after Emmett wonders aloud why he can never say no to Elle:
---> '''Emmett:''' What's that smell?\\

* StealthPun: A GreekChorus made up of sorority sisters.

--->''Emmett:''' Hey! [[NotSoDifferentRemark They laughed at me like they're laughing at you]],\\

is like making love with you all night\\
no wait, it's so much better, hello much better\\
so--oh--'''oh'''--OH--'''[[ImmodestOrgasm OH!]]''' Much better

The 2007 musical, scripted by Heather Hach and with songs by the husband-and-wife team of Lawrence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, takes a different direction from [[Film/LegallyBlonde the 2001 movie]]. While the movie mixed over-the-top wacky comedy with more realistic comedy, the musical is DenserAndWackier, full of AcceptableBreaksFromReality and moments of LeaningOnTheFourthWall, though the songs are also highly integrated into the plot, with many long musical scenes that cover enormous amounts of story and CharacterDevelopment. Additionally, several minor characters (like Professor Stromwell and David) are dropped to focus more on a few key characters. In particular, Emmett's character is expanded upon significantly, and Elle's friendship (and eventual romance) with him becomes a much bigger part of the story. The original Broadway musical, starring Laura Bell Bundy as Elle, aired on Creator/{{MTV}} a month after production and managed to get nominated for several awards, winning one. Some viewers consider it an improvement over the film, while most consider it quite good as far as musical adaptations go.

Elle is devastated, but she quickly devises the perfect plan for winning Warner back--she'll get into Harvard and become a law student herself, all while dressed in pink and with her Chihuahua Bruiser by her side. While she's constantly underestimated by others because of her appearance, she's determined to prove herself to Warner, her professors, her fellow students, and even herself. Along the way, her goals and priorities gradually start to change, and she realizes that she may want more from life after all.

The musical, scripted by Heather Hach and with songs by the husband-and-wife team of Lawrence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, takes a different direction from [[Film/LegallyBlonde the 2001 movie]]. While the movie mixed over-the-top wacky comedy with more realistic comedy, the musical is DenserAndWackier, full of AcceptableBreaksFromReality and moments of LeaningOnTheFourthWall, though the songs are also highly integrated into the plot, with many long musical scenes that cover enormous amounts of story and CharacterDevelopment. Additionally, several minor characters (like Professor Stromwell and David) are dropped to focus more on a few key characters. In particular, Emmett's character is expanded upon significantly, and Elle's friendship (and eventual romance) with him becomes a much bigger part of the story. The original Broadway musical, starring Laura Bell Bundy as Elle, aired on Creator/{{MTV}} a month after production and managed to get nominated for several awards, winning one. Some viewers consider it an improvement over the film, while most consider it quite good as far as musical adaptations go.

* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: The musical's ending is very close to the movie's, but it does have one distinct tweak. [[spoiler:In the movie, the viewer is told that Emmett is planning to propose to Elle after the graduation ceremony. In the musical, Elle ends her valedictorian speech by pulling him up in front of the crowd and proposing herself right then and there, which he accepts. This really drives home how much Elle (who, in the beginning, was desperately waiting for a proposal and fretting over hurting her boyfriend's "pride" by seeming too obvious about it) has changed as a person over the course of the show.]]
** Also, instead of graduating friendless at the bottom of his class, Warner is said to have dropped out entirely in favor of pursuing a modeling career. Depending on how it's played, this can come across as a happy ending for him or as a final TakeThat, though most productions seem to lean towards the former.

--->Hey! [[NotSoDifferentRemark They laughed at me like they're laughing at you]],\\

* AdaptationPersonalityChange: As is pretty typical of any adaptation, most of the characters are at least a little different than they were in the movie, with the biggest example probably being Paulette, as the producers [[https://youtu.be/CIuRkCUIp7o?t=139 admitted]] the meek ShrinkingViolet version of the character in the movie wouldn't really translate well onto the stage where she has to emote to the back rows, so the musical's version of Paulette (especially as played by Orfeh,) has Paulette's insecurity manifest as being more loudly neutoric and eccentric.

--> [[spoiler:'''Vivienne:''' Maybe Warner saw a blonde who was sleeping her way to the top, but all I see is a woman who doesn't have to.]]
* AdaptationalVillainy: Both this show and the original movie have Callahan [[spoiler: sexually harass Elle]], but he's a far bigger SlimeBall in the musical. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment In his very first scene]], he establishes himself as an AmoralAttorney of the highest order who will pull any dirty trick to win a case, and even implies he has no problem indulging in prostitutes and heroin. Also, [[JerkassHasAPoint while he's not exactly unjustified in doing so]], thanks to being a bit of a CompositeCharacter, it's ''him'' who throws Elle out of class here, which he does as cruelly as possible. In general, he's a far more open {{Jerkass}} here than the seemingly CoolTeacher of the film, as he has no problem insulting his students [[BadBoss and interns]] throughout, [[CardCarryingVillain reveling in his scary reputation]]. Not only that, but the finale reveals that [[spoiler: he is, or rather was, a married man]], which makes his [[spoiler: actions toward Elle]] even more despicable. And on the topic of [[spoiler: his treatment of Elle]], in the original, while it's still awful, he goes no further than [[spoiler: feeling up her leg]]. This version has it so that he [[spoiler: gives Elle a ForcefulKiss]]. Not only that, but after [[spoiler: Elle rejects him]], Callahan [[spoiler: fires her]], a far worse reaction than his cinematic equivalent. While Elle ''did'' [[spoiler: slap him]], you can't blame her at all given [[spoiler: ''he planted a ForcefulKiss on her'']].

* AmoralAttorney: The song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfE6Ffbd2Ls "Blood in the Water"]] could act as a description of the trope. Callahan is ruthless and amoral from the start, apparently willing to defend any client if they have money. And when Elle rhetorically asks "Don't lawyers feel love too?" Kate replies "Even if they ''do..."'' before going into what Elle will need to do to qualify for Harvard.

* BetterPartnerAssertion: In "What You Want", Elle argues that she is better than the boring east coast girl Warner wants because she can be fun, beautiful, smart, AND serious.

--> Seeing my name in black and white\\

* BookEnds: The show begins and ends with everyone celebrating Elle's engagement, but the context of the two scenes is extremely different. [[spoiler: In the beginning, her engagement to Warner is considered a sure thing but hasn't technically happened yet; it turns out he's breaking up with her instead of proposing, which comes as a total shock to everyone. At the end, the engagement really happens...but she's engaged to Emmett instead, and Elle's the one who does the proposing in the first place, which ALSO shocks everyone, but in a much happier way. The songs even sync up!]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: So, Elle, you've gotten into Harvard Law--except that not only has Warner ''not'' taken you back, he's dating someone else. Plus you're seriously behind in reading for your classes. Now what?
** Even before this, when Elle ecstatically plans to get into Harvard and immediately skips ahead to planning the wedding, one of her more academic friends pipes up with "Now can we think this through???" and points out everything Elle will need to do to succeed.

** Once she's been properly encouraged by Elle and her sorority sisters, Paulette's bend and snap manages to outdo all of them, summoning a swarm of guys who proceed to drool all over her for the remainder of the song. Not long after this, she gets [[ChickMagnet Kyle]] to fall in love with her, and the fact that she's on her third pregnancy implies that their sex life is more than okay. And despite his nasty comments, she did manage to attract Dewey and keep him around for a decade. It's likely that her pull towards guys was lessened when her self esteem went way down after Dewey's emotional abuse, before it gets reawakened.

* EuropeansAreKinky: DiscussedTrope in the number "There! Right There!" when it comes to Nikos Argitakos, as everybody points out that European men are just as affectionate with other men as gay men. Warner also points out, "Depending on the time of day, the French go either way."

* JerkassHasAPoint: Warner rubbishes Elle's argument about Nico's testimony being discredited because he's gay, but he has a point that they can't just out someone on the stand, and that they need more proof than the "Bend and Snap".

* {{Slimeball}}: Callahan, Callahan, ''CALLAHAN''.

* StealthPun: A GreekChorus made up of sorority sisters?

-->''Some girls fight hard, some face the trial, some girls were just meant to '''smile'''...''

* UnkemptBeauty: Emmett, who is fairly attractive and just needs a makeover to make that more obvious. Paulette qualifies to a lesser degree. She's not so much unkempt as she is lacking in confidence, which leads to not paying much attention to her looks.

* {{Oireland}}: Paulette sings a song romanticizing Ireland as a place full of whale song, jigs, whisky, and love.

* ShoutOut: To ''Theatre/TheMusicMan''.
--> '''Emmett:''' Class of aught-five, represent!
** When Paulette sees the Delta Nu GreekChorus, she remarks, "[[Film/TheSixthSense I see dead people!]]"
** Vivienne makes a comment about there being "[[Film/GirlsGoneWild girls going wild]]" without Elle somewhere.
** The brief sequence in "Omigod You Guys!" where Margo interprets Bruiser's barking to determine that Elle's in trouble is a pretty clear reference to Lassie.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Callahan, who in his first scene encouraged a student to defend a hypothetical scumbag by putting an elderly woman on the stand and insisting she's senile, and later [[spoiler:''sexually assaults'' Elle]], has this to say when Elle tells him Nikos must be gay:
--> '''Callahan:''' You know if you're wrong, we look desperate and ''homophobic''!
** Alternatively, this ''could'' just be him [[PragmaticVillainy worrying that it could cost him the case]] and potentially even hurt his/the firm's reputation on a larger scale.