ON THE INVITATION OF ATlantis Productions? Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga, I braved the Friday night rain and traffic to head to the Meralco Theater to catch the opening night of ?Legally Blonde.?

Unfortunately, I missed a good half hour of the show. It took me nearly two hours to get from Parañaque to Pasig. Can?t somebody fix the problem, especially when it rains?

But I don?t mind watching the show again.

?Legally Blonde: The Musical? (music and lyrics by Laurence O?Keefe and Nell Benjamin, and book by Heather Hach) is based on the 2001 film ?Legally Blonde? starring Reese Witherspoon as the UCLA sorority girl turned Harvard Law School valedictorian Elle Woods.

The film was in turn based on the novel of the same name by Amanda Brown.

The musical opened on Broadway in 2007 starring Laura Bell Bundy and Christian Borle, and ran for 30 previews and 595 performances.

I saw the film, which I found utterly charming and sweet.

The local production contains those same two qualities in spades, especially in the two leads cast: Nikki Gil (as Elle Woods) and Nyoy Volante (as Emmett Forrest).

Every note in place

Ms Gil, in her first major musical lead role, has vocal chops and charm to spare. Every note was in its place and there were moments where she had the audience laughing out loud with a line or a move. It?s also pleasingly obvious to hear just how hard she has worked (kudos to Sweet Plantado and Kitchie Molina for whipping her voice into shape), and I laud her for the effort.

All the girl needs is more time to sink into Elle even further, to give her performance a bit more oomph. That said, congratulations, Ms Gil, on a successful opening.

After seeing Mr. Volante?s breathtaking turn as Seaweed Stubbs in ?Hairspray? where he danced and sang like a whirling dervish on crack, it was a welcome sight to see him in a role that showed his more relaxed, acoustic sensibilities.

His Emmett was so easy and endearing (as one friend pointed out, in a warm and fuzzy muppet sort of way) that one could absolutely understand why Elle would fall for him.

As wonderful as these two performers are, for me, the main reason to see the show again and again is the stellar support cast that ?Blonde?s? director, Ms Arespacochaga, has put together.

Precise and clear

Cris Villonco (as resident bitch-turned-Elle-ally Vivienne Kensington) is always one of my favorite performers, and with good reason. She was precise and clear, with a clarion voice that thrilled and pleased.

Jinky Llamanzares (a memorable Gigi in the Toronto production of ?Miss Saigon?) was all at once incandescent, feisty and kick-ass amazing as the salon owner Paulette. I could not even once take my eyes off her every time she opened her mouth to sing.

Jett Pangan as the arrogant and lecherous Professor Callahan was fantastic. I regret missing his big solo (I was still stuck in traffic), but I enjoyed every brief moment he spent on stage, with his big, booming voice that resonated to the back of the theater.

Geneva Cruz as workout video queen and accused murderess Brooke Wyndham was a force of nature as she, with fierce energy and physicality, jumped rope, danced and sang all at the same time, while sporting the best set of abs I?ve ever seen (how annoying).

I must also give kudos to where they are due: Felix Rivera as the pool boy Nikos Argitakos made one meanly hilarious turn; Jenny Jamora as the perma-permed Chutney changed the temperature of the building the moment she walked on stage; as the three bimbettes-cum-Greek chorus, Myrene Santos, Emerita Alcid-Trinidad and Yanah Laurel were wonderful foils for Elle; and Guji Lorenzana (as Elle?s object of desire Warner Huntington III) gave a solid performance.

Calvin Millado spent perhaps less than 15 minutes on stage in the dual roles of Dewey, Paulette?s ex-boyfriend, and Kyle, the UPS Delivery man. He?s the requisite ass**** in the first role, but is a comedic genius in the second. Every moment he strutted onstage in the iconic brown shorts and shirt, he sent the audience roaring.

The technicals were a mixed bag for me. The sets by Mio Infante were wonderful, and the sound design by Bobbit Jacinto was great in spots, faulty in others.

The band led by Beth Martin was, although energetic from start to finish, sounded uneven.

There were also moments when Ms Gil?s delicate features were obscured by her blonde mane.

The solution to the production?s little hiccups is time. Over the next couple of weeks until the end of its run, the show should form into a more cohesive whole.