Legally Blonde the musical - Theatre

by Andi Godfrey

  

High octane, effervescent, preppy, pink and outrageously fun!  A delight for all the family, a musical guaranteed to have everyone’s toes tapping within the first 10 minutes.

Not having seen the film of the same name, I had no idea what to expect, all I knew was that Sheridan Smith is a highly talented performer and the dogs were bound to be cute.  Walking through the foyer filled with very pink, very American, very fluffy merchandise that included a pink handbag containing a stuffed Chihuahua, I wondered what I had let myself in for, but long before the interval, I was clapping, cheering and whooping along with the rest of the audience.

For those who  don’t already know the story - high school sweetheart Elle Woods, a fashion student at UCLA is not so much intent on following a career as hooking her hunk of a boyfriend.  In the romantic setting of a candlelit restaurant, Elle believes he is about to propose, but instead he dumps her.  She is too light weight and cheap to fit in with his future plans as a student at the Harvard Law School.  Undeterred, Elle is determined to follow in his path and finally is accepted onto the same course. 

At first she is rebuffed by the snobby Ivy leaguers but with the help  of her ‘Greek Chorus’, a group of cheerleaders, her Chihuahua, Bruiser, the friendship of a bright, hard working student  from a poor background and a zany beautician, Elle makes the grade and is allowed to present at court.  Here she defends a murderess and manages to get her off the hook without betraying a confidence.

There is a pantomime quality to the story, the ‘baddy’ is Harvard Professor Callahan and the ‘good fairy’ is a trailer trash beautician, Paulette.  The exception to the rule is that Cinders (Elle) ends up with Buttons (Emmett) and not her Prince Charming (Warner Huntington III) but in the tradition of all good pantos, it all ends happily ever after.

Director and choreographer, Jerry Mitchell ensures that the show moves at a great pace and is joyful, upbeat and at times plain hilarious.  The show is never allowed to be taken too seriously and although the music does appear a bit ‘samey’ at first, it has good rhythmic quality and occasional moments of brilliance.  My own personal favourite being ‘Is he Gay or European?’  The dance routines are excellent and the show benefits from a cast that gives a 100% throughout.

Leading lady, Sheridan Smith is energy and pure delight personified as Elle Woods.  She is a master of comic timing and her warmth and vulnerability charms the audience.  Sheridan is ably matched with a witty and vibrant performance from Jill Halfpenny as the beautician, Paulette.  Elle’s arrogant ex boyfriend, Warner Huntingdon III, played by Duncan James is ‘eye candy’ for the ladies and Alex Gaumond is the lovably gauche Emmet who finally gets the girl. Peter Davidson as Professor Callahan is suitably menacing.  There are some wonderful cameo performances too, not least by Chris Ellis-Stanton whose humour and terpsichorean skills shine through each of his four roles. 

This would be no review for London Dog Forum if I didn’t mention the dogs, ‘Bruiser’ the Chihuahua and ‘Rufus’ the old English bulldog.  These characters are enchanting and follow their stage directions with the mark of true professionals.  The thespian canines clearly enjoy their roles and if they didn’t have such a strong cast behind them would definitely steal the show.



Legally Blonde now stars Susan Mc Fadden.