Guide Note

Based on the novel by Amanda Brown, the Legally Blonde series has spurred two films as well as a Broadway musical, following the aspiring attorney Elle Woods.

Fast Facts

1. Based on novel by: Amanda Brown
2. Elle Woods played by: Reese Witherspoon
3. Films released by: MGM
4. Broadway opening: April 29, 2007

Elle Woods thinks her life is perfect. She is president of her sorority, about to graduate college, and best of all she is about to become engaged to her highly successful boyfriend, Warner, or so she thinks. Warner decides he cannot have Elle as a wife, as her blond hair and valley girl persona would not mesh well with his future in law and politics. In an attempt to win Warner back, Elle follows him to Harvard University Law School, where she is far from accepted easily.

Elle Woods returns in the 2003 sequel as the bubbly blond preparing to get married. It is critical that her dog's mother attend the service. After hiring a private investigator, Elle learns that her dog's mother is being held in an animal testing facility. She decides the only way to free the dog from the animal testers is to go to Washington DC in an effort to ban animal testing completely. Just like when Elle went to Harvard, Elle struggles to fit in in Washington.

The Legally Blonde musical opened on Broadway in April, 2007. It is primarily based on the first film, following Elle Woods at Harvard, with several musical numbers added. In its first season, the play was nominated for seven Tony Awards. It has also appeared on MTV and is scheduled to tour the United States in 2008.