Legally Blonde

Theatre audiences have fallen in love with this show since it made its West End debut 9 years ago, starring Sheridan Smith as Elle, the seemingly dumb blonde who manages to get to Harvard Law School, to impress a clever boyfriend and lands a top lawyer's career!

I can start off this review by quoting from one of the songs -'OMG'! This production was an amazing piece of theatre. The Director and Choreographer, Charlotte Jackson, brought together a slick, well-rehearsed production, excellent casting and brilliant performance from her actors - I applaud her tenacity and vision to mount such a large-scale musical on a relatively small stage.

This is a great comedy and the lead, Heather McDermott, was strong in both acting and singing, making Elle such a believable character. This was a tour-de-force performance, as she is rarely off-stage except to change - she is the lynch-pin of the whole show. She was wonderfully supported by Iain Harvey as the big-headed boyfriend, Warner, so typically the Harvard brat. Matthew Jackson played her (better) love interest, Emmett, with grace and maturity - I loved the scenes between him and Elle, when he tried so hard to keep her on track with her studies. Elle's manicurist/hairdresser friend, Paulette, was heartily played by Louise Norbury-Robinson - here is an actor who brought out every morsel of comedy to the role of the lovelorn girl, finding her Celtic love in the shape of Kyle, the delivery man, played with deadpan humour by Connor Houlton. Mia Rayson Regan, Emma Shortall, Claire Jackson and Laura Wilkinson played Elle's best friends and dream girls with good comedy and great vocals - harmonies were very good. The Harvard girls, Rebecca Grayston, Kirsten Moore and bubbly Claire Williamson, were equally strong in performance. The role of the creepy Professor Callahan, got boos from the audience - Keith Speight played this role so well and so different from his usual sunny parts, well done!

Every member of the company, I wish I could mention them all by name, had a specific role to play in this production and they all rose to the challenge, there was not one weak link - I admired the way they moved the set around effortlessly and so well - rehearsed - very professional.

The Musical Director for the rehearsals was Louise Norbury-Robinson - as predicted, the vocals from everyone were spot-on and projected very well. The Performance Musical Director, Sam Johnson, held together a 5-piece band, complementing the singers without drowning them out - unseen for the audience, but well applauded at the end!

Stage Management was, once again, in the expert and capable hands of Andrew Thomson - professional sets, excellent lighting, sound (no crackles!) superb props and costumes in keeping with the period (also, good hairstyling!). I really do have to mention the two lovely doggies, very much part of the plot; they acted so well and didn't 'perform'!

I am so proud of this company; I may have said this before, but this is community theatre at the very highest level - Whitkirk is very lucky to have such talent in its midst and judging by the full house, it's very much appreciated.

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