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A combination of catchy music, snappy humour, and at times emotional acting cements Legally Blonde The Musical’s status as a real crowd pleaser.
A combination of catchy music, snappy humour, and at times emotional acting cements Legally Blonde The Musical’s status as a real crowd pleaser.
The show’s opening night at the New Wimbledon Theatre provided an evening of light-hearted entertainment that even the most sceptical would find hard to not appreciate.
Based on the Reese Witherspoon smash hit comedy, there are many endearing, encapsulating and laughable moments. For example, Elle Woods’ obsession with all things pink borders on outrageous while her best friend Paulette falls in love with an unbelievably camp delivery man who walks in a way words cannot describe.
For all of its over-the-top America humour Act II really had me enthralled. From the outset there was a new found seriousness with Elle having to defend Brooke Wyndham who stands accused of murdering her husband.
The clever staging of the court scenes really added a serious edge to proceedings and showcased the acting talent of the main cast.
There were two main performances to shout about. Faye Brooks playing Elle had a storming opening night and conveyed every part of her character’s personality and complexity expertly.
The second came from Iwan Lewis playing Emmett Forrest, Elle’s final love. Similar to Elle there was a real sense he understood his character meticulously.
A stand-out moment between the two comes at the end of Act I in their performance of Chip on My Shoulder. You could feel the tension and passion between the two as Emmett tells Elle that she needs to put all her efforts into her work if she is to get on at Harvard Law School.
I thought the performances of Brooks and Lewis, who hold the show together brilliantly, outshone those of Gareth Gates and Jennifer Ellison. But the latter did play her quirky role very well and Gates is, nevertheless, a good choice to play the arrogant, manipulative Warner.
Overall, this is a good show and worth the £15-£35 to go and see it until October 6.
For information and tickets please visit: http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-wimbledon-theatre/
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