Legally Blonde

A year short of their centenary, Portsmouth Players has given us years of high quality, professional standard, wonderful and exciting shows wherever they have performed.  On this occasion it was the musical ‘Legally Blonde’ at the architecturally divine Kings Theatre, Southsea.

Settled in my seat I was hit by the amount of pink present on the stage before me and not knowing the Legally Blonde story I held a wonderment about what was to occur in its hue. Lights down and the band struck up a magnificent fanfare for the opening number. This pretty much continued through to the last chord and note. I was struck by just how intricate, difficult and convoluted the score was, with counterpoints, sudden changes of key creating themes of urgency, argument and debate underscoring the voices. The accuracy of the voices coming in with seemingly no clues given by the score was very impressive. At other times the orchestra produced melodies and high-octane dance numbers which were sublime and very reflective of the joy of Elle Woods’ world. Many congratulations to the orchestra and MD Lou Helyer for outstanding work and a fantastic production of the musical score written by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin.

The scenery was minimal but effective and scene changes were very smoothly executed by cast members who absolutely knew what they were doing to the point that I hardly noticed! Stage crew, scenery, backstage and wardrobe made for a show that looked straight out of the West End. The attention to detail makes all the difference between looking professional and not, and this production executed that confidently. The entire spectacle before me, although unfussy and uncluttered, hit the mark completely and costumes were fabulous.

At this point before I talk about the cast, I would like to mention the dog who played Bruiser - Elle Woods’ furry companion and, maybe, a little on the accessories side!  They say never work with children or animals but this little dog was a delight. The poor dog was dragged on, sat looking bewildered at the cast but then didn’t want to get off stage! He melted hearts and all around me I could hear sighs of ‘Awww’ when he made his grand appearance. 

The cast, a crew made up of many highly qualified in the Performing Arts, gave stellar performances. I am not going to mention every individual here as it would take all day writing reams, but everyone really put their hearts and souls into the characters, their interpretations were wonderful and full of personality. They all worked together as a well-oiled machine in telling the story. The dances were energetic, on point, well interpreted and not a foot was out of place. I can only imagine the dances were drilled for hours on end with modern choreography and dazzlingly intricate footwork, but the dancers gave it their all and looked like they were having a ball up there! 

For me personally, for acting, vocals and character interpretation I really must mention Georgina Rose Rust. Well done for an outstanding performance and very emotive singing as the sorrowful heartbroken Paulette who suddenly found her soulmate in Kyle (Nick Williams) when she had stopped looking for one! Beth Evans, a seasoned actor with Portsmouth Players, held the show with her interpretation of Elle Woods without a falter, a mumble or a dropped line lending confidence to those around her.  The unassuming Emmet Forrest, a gentle and kind man without agenda, for whom waiting finally pays off and he gets his girl. Charlie, how you rendered a believable subtlety and nuance to Emmet in your great performance and your mastery of your number when all chaos was breaking loose in the underscore baffles me. Well done.  There is so much more I would like to add. For example, Archie, fantastic job, a great foil for Emmet and a beautiful voice well done. Ellie Thomas, Laura Bowler, Megan Dixon wow!! Snap Snap Snap!. Madison Cathrow, well done for some fabulous acting and singing in your rendition of the character Brooke Wyndham, you're an absolute asset to the group. 

There were some sound issues which unfortunately had an impact on voices and dialogue in the lower register which meant the dialogue could not be heard and the volume of the orchestra smothered the cast at times, but I hope that was ironed out and the run continued without a hitch for you all.

Thank you for a wonderful evening and very well done to you all! You deserve all the praise, it is well earned

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