where's your malloy tonight ?

something rotten!

c. 2015-2017 - ORIGINAL BROADWAY PRODUCTION ; casey nicholaw (slime tutorial) - original show by karey kirkpatrick, wayne kirkpatrick, john o'farrell

musical bootleg watch - july 17, 2026

this was one of my friend's favourites when we were kids, and i never got around to it until now. it was really fun to go through it and be reminded of the way my friend would sing these songs to me years ago. i'm glad it was at this point that i chose to get into it, because it was a delight to recognize so many of the references to musicals and to shakespeare. cborle of course stole the show as shakespeare but my favourites were john cariani as nigel and kate reinders as portia, making up the absolute sweetest nerdy couple i really felt for. i adore how this show loves the art of theatre so, so much.

legally blonde

2007 - beth mccarthy-miller - original show by laurence o'keefe, nell benjamin, heather hach

musical proshot watch - july 15, 2026

legally blonde is a dated story. not only are there dated lines and jokes and all that, but the whole conceit of challenging the « dumb blonde » stereotype makes less sense in the 2020s when the trope has shrunk in pop culture as the 21st century has progressed. it makes for an especially interesting title track, in which elle becomes discouraged and resorts to give up her law career and return to living the way people expect her to live. the use of the term « legally blonde » makes sense in that elle is taking the reason for elle's whole breakdown callahan's insult to heart, using it to represent that image of a pretty girl with no other worth that she's resigning herself to. it's a very personal symbol of her doubts. the remix turning the insult into an inspirational celebration, however, is kind of insane if you think about it. the message is clear but the label given is legally blonde. « you've got a right to be legally blonde / you've gotta fight to be legally blonde » « to represent me / you've gotta be / legally blonde ». forgive me for being so caught up on the blonde part of the phrase than i think is intended but isn't that a wild thing to hear, looking back in the year 2026 where white supremacy is surging ?

i don't think it needs to be said that challenging misogyny does not end at blonde, attractive women. however, i don't blame legally blonde the movie and the musical for being a story about a blonde woman and addressing an old stereotype that was a huge trope in cinema during the prior century. though the film was undoubtedly monumental and ahead of its time, as someone several degrees removed from « conventionally attractive skinny blonde rich white woman », it's easy for me to notice the gaps in legally blonde's feminism as it lacks any intersectionality. elle woods's world is overwhelmingly upper class and white. there is only one member of the principal cast in the mtv broadcast who is a person of colour, being asmeret gherbremichael, a black woman, as pilar, one of elle's sorority sisters and « greek chorus » members who is regrettably not really a character of her own. later productions do differently of course - the london revival was headed by two black actors, courtney bowman and michael ahomka-lindsay, as the main couple, for example - and i think there is so much to be explored in these sorts of complexities, but at the end of the day i don't think legally blonde is the best story to do it all with. (that being said, i do really like poc emmett)

given all that, one might assume that legally blonde is a musical that is simply not made for me. that would be an incorrect assumption. this has quickly become among my favourite musicals. for how weird the implications of legally blonde remix may be, i cried at how much vivienne believed in elle, and then i cried again at the finale when elle proposed to emmett. then upon relistening to the obc recording afterwards, i've cried to several other songs as well. i have never actually watched the original movie, so i cannot accurately compare the two, but i have to say that the contruction of elle's character in the musical is incredibly well done. laura bell bundy's performance is irresistably loveable and ohmigod chat how the fuck is she so talented. it is so satisfying to see elle's motivations and self-perception change and evolve over the course of the show : she has always been self-assured but it takes time for her to realize how much she can really accomplish if she focuses and works hard, she develops a true passion for law, she realizes that there is more that she can be than a man's wife. i love how we can see how elle's self-esteem relies heavily on how other people see her. whether it be warner's love and favour or callahan's professional validation, so many turning points in the show seem to hinge on how elle is constantly seeking approval to prove herself. beyond being a negative impact, this facet of her character also manifests in elle's undying perserverance ; she believes in herself each step of the way because there are people who believe in her : her sorority sisters, her parents, paulette, emmett, and vivienne. but it's during legally blonde remix that elle, after vivienne's pick-me-up, makes the big decision for herself and not for anyone else, and that is wearing her pink dress for the trial.

legally blonde emphasizes how femininity is seen as inferior by decking its protagonist in pink, (i'm gonna be so real i'm imagining an even better world where the title was not about being blonde but about wearing pink but that's neither here nor there) but honestly, in viewing it completely straight, elle's bright pink wardrobe stands out as something even beyond just « girly » but very idiosyncratic to her in a world that grows less and less colourful, making her even more of a nonconforming icon. maybe i admire it especially because of how tired i am of going to my university and hardly anyone is dressed so excitingly. i myself am always trying to make my wardrobe less drab and despite how, as stated, i do not have a lot in common with elle woods, i do find her self-expression to be so inspiring. god i love elle.

on the other side of the coin, emmett's character (which i've heard is much more developed here than in the original film) is also wonderful. his lower class background makes for a great foil to elle's rich insanity and an overall welcome addition to address the class implications of the story. christian borle is an actor i know and love from other musicals and his emmett is so sweet and i was always so happy to see him onstage. chip on my shoulder is one of my favourite numbers if not my favourite and part of it is because borle is so charming in it. emmett and elle's relationship is so beautiful. i truly cannot stop thinking about how good they are for each other. i love how their friendship is what is emphasized (THEY HAVE A SECRET HANDSHAKE :( ) and all the romance stems from how they care for and support each other as friends. i love how they believe in each other, and they are proud of each other. also they changed emmett's last name to forrest so he could match with elle woods what the heck theyre so cute

finally, i REALLY appreciate how well this musical makes use of the medium. the campy exaggeration of every other detail makes the show a fucking blast to experience. serious is a great adaptation of warner breaking up with elle, feeling like it should be a duet but having warner dominate the song with elle vocalizing sounds to indicate she's listening, then elle continuing the chorus before processing that warner has indeed broken up with her, oh what a great number. elle getting into harvard on a dance number instead of a personal essay is crazy but really entertaining to watch. speaking of dance numbers, whipped into shape is crazy how the fuck do you do that. my favourite use of the magic of theatre is elle's greek chorus, all the jokes revolving around their presence are so funny, and i love how the musical is not too serious about it or a lot of the other comedic bits, which makes the more serious parts hit especially harder. i don't think the pacing is perfect but overall the experience of watching this musical is just so incredble.

file legally blonde under musicals about a specific kind of white womanhood that are very separate from me that nevertheless make me sob like a baby. (the other musicals in this file are the mamma mia film duology, but legally blonde's impact on me is so much stronger.)

chris grace : as scarlett johansson

2024 - jonah ray rodrigues

comedy special rewatch - july 13, 2026

even in coming up with a stupid review on letterboxd i’m trying to say something that proves that i am asian enough. get a load of this guy, trying to « embody » their culture, whatever the hell that means. at what point is it just performance, simulation for the sake of being seen, of not getting swept away and assimilated ? you see chris grace on the stage and on the screen but you can’t see me. sometimes i feel like i have to say things to (re-) establish myself being filipino. i try to convince myself it’s natural but i know that performativity is inherent and inevitable. whatEver. i am the only one who can be me and people like me need to be loud, to perform, to be seen. every single time i watch this special i feel seen. that isn’t something that happens a lot

2kawaii4comfort

2017 - luke palmer & john bickerstaff

series watch - july 7, 2026

compassion for the dysfunctional and the mentally ill and the nerds and the outsiders ! if you get it you just get it right away.. watched this with my friends and oh boy we got it.

shy and anxious girls who are closet freaks rep ! psychotic bpd girls deserve yuri ! i also really liked that one guy who was basically just brendon urie To Me

some like it hot

2022 - ORIGINAL BROADWAY PRODUCTION ; casey nicholaw (slime tutorial) - original show by marc shaiman, scott wittman, matthew lopéz, amber ruffin

musical bootleg watch - july 6, 2026

cborle, j harrison ghee, and adrianna hicks are SUCH delights in the lead roles. jerry and joe as a duo were soooo loveable. joe is a nightmare for sugar because of sugar's past issues with men, i'm honestly a Little stunned she chose to be with him after everything but you know what i'm happy for them. daphne and osgood on the other hand had me in tears. i was screaming and crying (this is not an exaggeration) at the you coulda knocked me out with a feather scene. god and the chase at the end ?? this show deserved all the tonys it won and more

toy story 3 in real life

2020 - morgan and mason mcgrew ; original film by lee unkrich

film rewatch - july 5, 2026

toy story 3 is one of the movies i've watched the most in my whole life and it gave me such a warm and fuzzy feeling to rewatch it remade shot for shot in live action and stop motion. a lot of the comments underneath the video talk about how, in an era of ai and slop in which effort and passion in art is dismissed in favour of profit and productivity, it is so beautiful and relieving to see a project that was born entirely out of effort and passion. toy story 3 is also just really good. oh to be a kid in the daycare scenes.

cunk on earth

2022 - christian watt

series watch - july 1, 2026

could stand to be less eurocentric, like, joking about the controversial nature of islam instead of actually saying anything about it feels like a cop out. overall the style of humour makes for great quotable moments on their own but felt a little tiring at times when it’s like. just that over and over again. i understand that it’s the whole point of her character, just didn’t vibe with it personally as much as others do. might have something to do with the fact that she reminds me of someone i know in real life (who to be clear isnt nearly as funny or insightful as her, just engages with things in a similar manner unironically) and also i take history too seriously. real ones know i get excited talking about new france and the royal proclamation of 1763. my biggest critique is of course USING LIBERTY LEADING THE PEOPLE IN REFERENCE TO THE FRENCH REVOLUTION WHEN IN FACT IT’S DEPICTING THE JULY REVOLUTION OF 1830 !!!!!!!

with all that said, i cannot deny how charming and iconic cunk is. as tiring at times as she may be, she also does make me smile just as much. the part that really touched me the most was the nuclear weapons bit. makes sense, i guess, as i’ve established my character as preferring such genuine engagement. i know cunk’s reaction can be seen as humourous but to me it is realer than anything else in cunk on earth. it stands out as the exception to the rest of the show’s clever and/or nonsensical quips. cunk doesn’t have a quick reply to the revelation that multiple nations do indeed have multiple nuclear weapons. an evil that threatens all the earth, and all for what ? it reminds me of telling my little brother about the history and reality of lgbtq oppression, him having not been aware of the extent of homophobia as he is young and has been lucky to grow up in a very progressive place. he shut down so quickly. didn’t want to talk anymore. by following the ignorant, we spotlight just how absurd our reality is, and that’s why cunk’s character works, isn’t it ? poking at our perception of our world and reality, provoking questions about what everything means to us ?

cunk up the jam, and all that