Legally Blonde

I have to admit at the outset that this show will never be amongst my favourites. I find its music not all that memorable and the words of the opening number (“Omigod, you guys”) are so repetitive as to make you wonder whether any decent lyricist would want to own them. There again, they are quite probably an accurate reflection of those you might hear at many a school gate and, after all, that's just about where the opening is set. It’s a story of a young lady exceeding even her own expectations, realising her true potential and proving that being feminine does not equate to being somewhat less intelligent. Not only is this a tale well worth telling, it’s still quite topical too - a story in the York Press this week refers to reports of a substantial difference in pay between women and men.

The role of Elle, our heroine, is a massive one as it’s only for the occasional change of costume that she leaves the stage.  Emma Swainston gave a superb performance, oozing confidence and assurance throughout.  She quickly overcomes the disappointment of being “dumped” by her boyfriend, Warner and commits herself to showing him her true colours (mainly pink) by following him to Harvard’s Law School.  Kit Stroud played the part convincingly and, if the task of playing that character is to convince us that Elle was not really missing much, then he made a success of it.  When he changes his mind towards the end of the show and finally asks Elle to marry him, few in the audience would have been disappointed by her refusal and so, Kit, that’s proof of how well you did.  By then, Elle’s heart has been won by Emmett, another law student, who took her under his wing, you might say, soon after her arrival at Harvard. Zander Fick gave a similarly convincing performance as this quieter but more likeable character, by contrast deservedly the recipient of a marriage proposal from our heroine towards the end.  Before he later sees the error of his ways, Warner has begun a relationship with another student, Vivienne, a part which was well played by Emily Rockliff.  Her exchanges with Elle as they vied for Warner’s friendship were amusing and not entirely without credibility.  I am sure they are good friends off-stage. 

Much of the fun in the show comes from scenes with Paulette, Elle’s hair stylist and Emily Hardy made the most of the opportunities for comedy which this part offers.  She too has boyfriend problems until she meets a hunky U.P.S. delivery man, Kyle, well played by Jonny Holbek. Many of the ladies in the audience will now see delivery men in quite a different way.  An interesting idea in the show is the way in which six of Elle’s friends from UCLA re-appear as a sort of Greek chorus, all in white, spurring her on to ever greater things with their encouragement.  Their contributions in song and dance were always a welcome addition to the story. Neil Wood clearly enjoyed his role as the demanding and intimidating professor and ultimately even he has to accept that Elle is more than just a pretty face.  It’s all down to her success in defending the apparently doomed Brooke Wyndham, a fitness queen, whose exercise class “Whipped into shape” opens the second act.  Pippa Elmes was another who seized her opportunity to impress. Unlike some shows, big numbers involving the entire cast are fairly few here but the trial scene is one and the song “Gay or European?” has some amusing lines.

There’s quite a large cast of students and others and even a couple of dogs as both Elle and Paulette are keen on their canine friends. Four of them were sharing the roles during the show’s run.  The orchestra gave good support but so too did a stage crew charged with the movement of some fairly large trucks as the scenes changed from inside and outside Harvard, the hair salon and the courtroom.  Costumes here are always excellent and there is no wonder as we read so many names in the sewing and wardrobe teams, quite rightly listed in the programme.

The company’s productions are always of the highest standard and this was no exception.  Seats are selling well with both young and old in the audience and so it seems my own reservations about the show are not generally shared.  What I did enjoy was the experience of seeing so many fine performances from such an enthusiastic cast in this magnificent venue dating back to 1744.  It’s even older than me.                  

    

                       

 

 

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