Legally Blonde, London and Tour, 4****: William Russell
London and Tour
LEGALLY BLONDE
Music & Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe & Nell Benjamin
Book by Heather Hach
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown & the MGM Motion picture.
4****
The New Wimbledon Theatre, The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19 1QG to 23 June 2018 and then on tour.
Mon – Sat 7.30pm Mat Thu & Sat 2.30pm
Runs 2hr 40 mins One interval.
TICKETS: 0844 8717 646.
Review: William Russell 18 June
@ReviewsGate
A show really in the pink
This touring production of Legally Blonde has arrived for a week in London and shows no signs of wear and tear – it is loud, brash, frequently very funny and has the sexiest chorus line to die for. The leads are fine, the score is loud, and while you may not hum the songs in the bath afterwards are tuneful enough, the lyrics – well making them out is tricky but when you do they sound quite witty.
The story is simple – Elle Woods, fashonista California Valley Girl student, follows the student she intends to marry, pomousWarner Huntington 111, to Harvard where he is to study law. Somehow she gets to study law too, finds a nicer man, and demonstrates that blondes are not necessarily dumb by turning out to be a whiz in the court.
It is one of those shows which seems to throw pretty well everything at the audience – there are two cute dogs, a terrific skipping rope dance routine led by Helen Petrovna, a pas de deux in tights by two camp men, and an Irish dance number the Lord of the Dance himself would admire. As to why they are there heaven knows but they are done with style and precision, the ballet pair almost stop the show as do the skippers, and the animals, a Chihuahua and a bulldog, do what animals always do – set the audience cooing.
Lucie Jones as Elle, in spite of some unflattering costumes – a fashionista would have ditched some of her pink outfits – sparkles; Rita Simons as Paulette, her Harvard hairdresser friend, is very funny; and David Barrett as Emmett, the nice lawyer Elle gets does the badly dressed guy who just needs a makeover from Elle to turn into a smashing bloke bit very well indeed. There is really nothing more to say – the show delivers what it promises, a good night out which won’t tax the brain, has faces one knows from the telly, and given what is on stage is worth the ticket price. There is even a Me too moment when the Harvard professor, Bill Ward doing handsome middle aged male predator rather well, makes a lunge at Elle, but that is passed over swiftly.
Elle Woods: Lucie Jones.
Paulette Bonafonte: Rita Simons.
Professor Callahan: Bill Ward.
Emmett Forrest: David Barrett.
Warner Huntington 111: Liam Doyle.
Vivienne Kensington: Laura Harrison
Kyle B O’Boyle: Ben Harlow.
Brooke Wyndham: Helen Petrovna
Everybody else: Mark Peachey; Rebecca Stenhouse;Rachel Grundy; Delycia Belgrave; Nancy Hill; Rosie Needham; Michael Hamway; Felipe Bejarano; Lucyelle Cliffe; Sally Frith; Alexandra Wright: Brett Shiels; Connor Collins; Laura Mullowney; Craig Tyler; Bruisey Williams-Dodd; Stanley.
Director & Choreographer: Anthony Williams.
Co-choreographer: Dead Street.
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Andy Batty.
Set Design: Jim Harris, Jason Bishop & David Shields.
Costume Design: Elizabeth Dennis.
Lighting Design: Nev Milsom.
Sound Design: Christopher Hogg.
Dance Captain: Helen Petrovna.
Production Photographs: Robert Workman.
London and Tour
LEGALLY BLONDE
Music & Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe & Nell Benjamin
Book by Heather Hach
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown & the MGM Motion picture.
4****
The New Wimbledon Theatre, The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19 1QG to 23 June 2018 and then on tour.
Mon – Sat 7.30pm Mat Thu & Sat 2.30pm
Runs 2hr 40 mins One interval.
TICKETS: 0844 8717 646.
Review: William Russell 18 June
@ReviewsGate
A show really in the pink
This touring production of Legally Blonde has arrived for a week in London and shows no signs of wear and tear – it is loud, brash, frequently very funny and has the sexiest chorus line to die for. The leads are fine, the score is loud, and while you may not hum the songs in the bath afterwards are tuneful enough, the lyrics – well making them out is tricky but when you do they sound quite witty.
The story is simple – Elle Woods, fashonista California Valley Girl student, follows the student she intends to marry, pomousWarner Huntington 111, to Harvard where he is to study law. Somehow she gets to study law too, finds a nicer man, and demonstrates that blondes are not necessarily dumb by turning out to be a whiz in the court.
It is one of those shows which seems to throw pretty well everything at the audience – there are two cute dogs, a terrific skipping rope dance routine led by Helen Petrovna, a pas de deux in tights by two camp men, and an Irish dance number the Lord of the Dance himself would admire. As to why they are there heaven knows but they are done with style and precision, the ballet pair almost stop the show as do the skippers, and the animals, a Chihuahua and a bulldog, do what animals always do – set the audience cooing.
Lucie Jones as Elle, in spite of some unflattering costumes – a fashionista would have ditched some of her pink outfits – sparkles; Rita Simons as Paulette, her Harvard hairdresser friend, is very funny; and David Barrett as Emmett, the nice lawyer Elle gets does the badly dressed guy who just needs a makeover from Elle to turn into a smashing bloke bit very well indeed. There is really nothing more to say – the show delivers what it promises, a good night out which won’t tax the brain, has faces one knows from the telly, and given what is on stage is worth the ticket price. There is even a Me too moment when the Harvard professor, Bill Ward doing handsome middle aged male predator rather well, makes a lunge at Elle, but that is passed over swiftly.
Elle Woods: Lucie Jones.
Paulette Bonafonte: Rita Simons.
Professor Callahan: Bill Ward.
Emmett Forrest: David Barrett.
Warner Huntington 111: Liam Doyle.
Vivienne Kensington: Laura Harrison
Kyle B O’Boyle: Ben Harlow.
Brooke Wyndham: Helen Petrovna
Everybody else: Mark Peachey; Rebecca Stenhouse;Rachel Grundy; Delycia Belgrave; Nancy Hill; Rosie Needham; Michael Hamway; Felipe Bejarano; Lucyelle Cliffe; Sally Frith; Alexandra Wright: Brett Shiels; Connor Collins; Laura Mullowney; Craig Tyler; Bruisey Williams-Dodd; Stanley.
Director & Choreographer: Anthony Williams.
Co-choreographer: Dead Street.
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Andy Batty.
Set Design: Jim Harris, Jason Bishop & David Shields.
Costume Design: Elizabeth Dennis.
Lighting Design: Nev Milsom.
Sound Design: Christopher Hogg.
Dance Captain: Helen Petrovna.
Production Photographs: Robert Workman.