Legally Blonde

This was my first visit to this theatre, a beautiful Art Deco building which has been sensitively extended and well preserved.  I was welcomed on arrival and had the time to sit and appreciate the ambiance of the theatre space.

The show opened strongly, with a very spirited performance of Omigod You Guys and the pace of the production was maintained throughout.  I was impressed with the large and talented cast and settled back to be thoroughly entertained.  When I first saw the size of the band and its location in the auditorium, I was a little worried that they might be too loud, but MD Tom Nichol and the technical team had the sound perfectly balanced throughout the show.

The direction, from Annabel Clarke, was very creative, she managed to get humour where I had not seen it in the show before and I loved some of her ideas for various scenes.  Choreography, from Chelsea Clarke was innovative, and energetic and the cast gave it their all!

The role of Elle Woods was beautifully played by Carly Bays, it's very easy for this character to be portrayed over the top, but Carly kept it suitably restrained which made the transition to her more serious self, more believable.  On the other hand, Jordan Clarke made Warner slightly over the top which, I thought, worked very well.

Lewis Clarke was excellent as Emmett, just right in my opinion and he can dance too!   The three friends Margot (played by Laura Jeffries) Serena (played by Emma Cole) and Pilar (Emily Delacey) were perfect as the three best friends and sorority sisters, all very different characters but always complementary.  When they were joined by the additional Greek Chorus, it produced some very strong and effective performances.

Paulette (played by Carly Cousins) was terrific, I think that this is one of the most rewarding parts to play and Carly did it brilliantly.  The ‘legal’ team, led by Josh Clarke as Callahan, were all great characterisations.  Vivienne (Izzy Black) and Enid (Hannah Juggins) both had the characters nailed and the entire production was a joy to watch.  I particularly enjoyed the performances of Kyle (Noah Clarke) Nikos (Liam Donovan) and Carlos (Harvey Downes).

The ensemble performed all their characters well.   It is said that a show is not a show without the ensemble and SPADS proved this!  I have to mention Whipped Into Shape, this number is always energetic and the ability of the performers to do a keep fit routine AND sing was impressive to watch, led by Brooke (Katie Milward) it left me out of breath just watching!

The scenery was very simple but very effective and the way everything was moved around by the cast was very well planned, in fact it was almost choreographed!  This ensured that the show moved at a great pace and even when blackouts were used for effect, they did not cause the pace to drop.  The energy on stage was palpable and I felt it in the audience.  Judging from the activities of those around me I feel that they were also caught up in the whole experience.

Costumes were appropriate and well planned.  Lighting and sound were spot on and the whole production was well received by the audience and by me.

My thanks for a great show, such a shame there were only 3 performances, but this is due to the constraints of the theatre availability.

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