Original Broadway Cast, 2007 (Ghostlight) (5 / 5) When this show was announced, Broadway purists everywhere clutched their pearls and groaned “Not another film-to-stage adaptation!” But there it was — blonde, bold, and unapologetically hot pink. If you’ve somehow missed the source material (Amanda Brown’s fish-out-of-water novel or the now-iconic Reese Witherspoon film), here’s the gist: Elle Woods, a perky sorority queen from Bel Air, follows her ex to Harvard Law in a last-ditch bid to win him back, only to eventually discover she’s far too smart and ambitious to chase a guy who thinks “serious” means “brunette.” The musical’s initial New York run was respectable but unprofitable, and critics dismissed the show as vapid. But hidden inside this bubblegum-pink Trojan horse was a sharp, empowering tale about how surface appearances can mask what’s within. Ironically, that’s exactly what led many critics to underestimate the show itself, overlooking its exuberant and deceptively ambitious score, nearly half of which consists of complex, cinematic sequences that play like mini-musicals. Eight-minute set pieces such as “What You Want” (hilariously chronicling Elle’s wildly unconventional Harvard application) and “Chip on My Shoulder” (charting her evolving relationship with her teaching assistant, Emmett) span entire chapters of story with smart lyrics and big musical payoffs. Composers/lyricists Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, along with orchestrator Christopher Jahnke, serve up a driving pop-rock score full of funky guitars and intricately crafted choral harmonies. The original cast album is a delight throughout, barely pausing to breathe. One standout, “Take It Like a Man,” ranks among the greatest makeover songs ever, starting as a quiet hymn in a men’s department store and blossoming into something unexpectedly sweeping and grand. Meanwhile, the show’s title song delivers a curveball; it’s a gorgeous, dissonant waltz that strips back the sparkle to reveal Elle’s emotional core. As Elle, Laura Bell Bundy is definitive in an uproarious, heartfelt performance that’s sweeter than Witherspoon’s characterization but just as fierce. Her clear-toned, flawless intonation shines from the infectious opener “Omigod You Guys” to the triumphant finale. She’s backed by an ace supporting cast, including Christian Borle, charmingly geeky as Emmett, and Michael Rupert as the oily Harvard professor Callahan, singing to his first–year law students: “Only spineless snobs / Will quarrel with the morally dubious jobs.” Other roles are memorably filled by such major talents as Leslie Kritzer, Richard H. Blake, Annaleigh Ashford, Kate Shindle, Natalie Joy Johnson, Andy Karl, and Orfeh. Even the spoken dialogue on the album is delivered with such wit that it doesn’t wear out its welcome with repeated listening. (One very quotable example: Kate Wetherhead’s priceless cameo as a Calvin Klein perfumer in “Take It Like a Man”). The show as a whole has aged remarkably well, with themes of resilience and self-worth hitting even harder in the post #metoo era. This album is absolutely worth your time for listening enjoyment, and also, it’s great for cardio. — Mark Robinson

Original London Cast, 2010 (First Night) (2 / 5) Sometime between its award-shy Broadway run and its later status as the queen of high school auditoriums, Legally Blonde became a bona fide hit in London’s West End. (That production even took home top honors at the Olivier Awards. ) The cast album that followed was recorded during performances onstage at the Savoy Theatre. Recording the score of a fully staged musical live in front of an audience brings a certain excitement and spontaneity, but in this case it also gives us a fair amount of yelling from the cast, occasionally without the correct American accents. The leads and featured performers, bless them, sound like they’re playing to the back of Wembley Stadium. Vocals are delivered at full blast, often with straight tone and minimal nuance. It doesn’t help that the recording balance is sometimes uneven, the editing is clumsy, and the orchestra occasionally sounds sloppy. Every now and then, distant audience laughter erupts in places that would bewilder any listener unfamiliar with Jerry Mitchell’s ingenious, caffeinated staging. Olivier winner Sheridan Smith as Elle Woods is clearly an impressive talent, but her vocals sound tired here, her husky tone lacking the ring and youthfulness of Laura Bell Bundy’s Elle. In fact, all the principals fall short of the vocal caliber of the original Broadway cast named in the review above. They’re also noticeably less funny. That said, there are highlights. The 11 o’clock production number, “Legally Blonde Remix,” delivers fireworks and is an absolute thrill. “Ireland,” the big number for Elle’s optimistic, dog-loving best buddy Paulette, has undergone a thoughtful lyrical overhaul that adds a more in-depth backstory to her character, yet it retains one of the show’s funniest lines: “The Irish fear nothing and no one / They keep fighting ’til everyone’s dead / I’m not sure where this metaphor’s going / I just felt like it had to be said.” Fans may enjoy this recording for what it is, but the Broadway version remains the platinum standard. — M.R.