Legally Blonde the Musical

This was an action packed show by director Steve Blackmore. From the very first scene, the stage was buzzing with energy and pace.  The whole cast gave their heart and soul to every number and produced a very slick, professional looking show. The opening sequence looked great, even if we couldn’t catch many of the words until Grant McCotter started singing ‘Serious’. I think a combination of nervous energy, poor diction and an over loud band at times meant the audience struggled to pick out what was being said. Once more characters were introduced and the cast settled down this improved and we were able to enjoy the very funny script.

Choreography by Annette Wilsher was outstanding. There are so many dance routines in this show, in so many different styles, that the choreographer’s job is a huge role to fill and Annette really delivered. There were a few numbers which were a little messy in places, but that is understandable when you have such a range of dance abilities in one group. However all the numbers were well put together with a good range of patterns and all high energy.

Elle Woods captured the audience’s attention the moment she walked on stage with her strong acting and singing. She made the character’s transition from pretty-in-pink fashion merchandiser to serious law student, genuine and believable and we all wanted her to succeed.

Emmett Forrest was just fabulous. He has a beautiful singing voice and was hugely likeable in the role. It would be very easy to make this character very wet, but Pip had a confidence about him that had the audience rooting for Elle to recognise what a catch he was. A really excellent performance; very well done.

Another stand-out performance came in the form of Paulette Bonafonté. With a great voice, excellent comedy timing and a quirky character, she came close to stealing the show.

Set, props and costumes were all excellent and the stage crew and cast handled the various scene and costume changes with a minimum of fuss, so the pace of the show was never interrupted.  Lighting and sound was also good.

The orchestra, led by Peter Blackwood, was superb as usual and cracked along at a good pace. The ensemble produced an excellent sound and principals were well rehearsed and of a high quality vocally.

All in all this was a hugely enjoyable production. It was full of energy and humour and had a very committed and talented cast.

 

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