That is the elephant in the room.
Well, is it relevant to assume
That a man who wears perfume
Is automatically, radically fey?
It would be an understatement to say I am no stranger to Legally Blonde the musical as I had already seen it eight times (but never watched the film — strange). So, what was it that made me book tickets well in advance? One person. Amber Davies. I had previously seen her in 9 to 5 and Pretty Woman and soon had her as my favourite musical theatre performer. And yet, she still gets bad press from a small quarter. Whether this is down to Love Island fame from years ago, I don’t know. C’mon, give the girl a break. She was trained in Musical Theatre long before that.
Okay, the tedious bit. Legally Blonde is a 2007 show with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and a book from Heather Hach. It is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrols at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend, Warner.
The show itself is up with the best, and there is not a bad number in the song roll. My personal favourite this time was There Right There. If you know, you know. Having seen it so many times, I did notice a few tweaks with some of the derogatory stereotyping removed and more modern references replacing dated ones. The direction of Nikolai Foster and choreography from Leah Hill was outstanding, but you still need a good cast to pull it off.
James Lim really played his part and captured the spirit of Emmet well, as did in other roles: Karen Mavundukure (Paulette), Adam Cooper (Callaghan), Jamie Chatterton (Warner), Annabelle Terry (Vivienne), Jocasta Almgill (Brooke), Hannah Lowther (Margot), Rosanna Harris (Serena), Remi Ferdinand (Pilar), Ty-Reece Stewart (Kyle), Bradley Delarosbel (Carlos) and Keanna Bloomfield (Enid), as well as an excellent company of ensemble and swings. And sorry, this time, I refuse to credit the bloody dogs as the trainer wasn’t even mentioned in the programme. Ha!
Of the songs not already listed, I love Ireland, Bend and Snap and … just about all the rest of them. Excellent lighting, sound and set with a good orchestra conducted by Cerys McKenna topped an outstanding show.
Oh … have I missed someone?
Yes, the star of the show, the one I came to see. As always, Amber Davies was exceptional. Born to play Elle Woods, this was the best I have seen in the role. Excellent voice, strong acting, and superb dance, but not afraid to bring what I suspect is natural vulnerability. Amber has been through a lot in the past six months. Hate on social media during Strictly Come Dancing and more recently, criticism for the heinous crime of … getting ill. Take heart, Amber, for every keyboard critic, there are dozens that love you. You would not have sold out every show otherwise and had them queueing at the stage door in hundreds. And, have the satisfaction that for those in the minority of haters, you are still occupying a part of their sad little minds.
Cheers.
Antony N Britt
*Photos taken from public domain and may not represent the performance reviewed.
Antony N Britt - Author 