Wednesday, September 14, 2011

"Legally Blonde - The Musical" (UK Tour) - September 2011

We often enjoy a trip to a musical on our occasional visits to London, but we tend to be wary about the touring versions of the shows. We've always been worried that they are scaled down versions with a second string cast, squeezed into spaces they weren't really designed for. Legally Blonde may just have changed that.

Its songs didn't leave us rushing home to buy the soundtrack CD, some of the lyrics may be of questionable quality, and the 'plot' is wafer thin. But none of that matters when it explodes with such energy, its cast are top class, and the whole show is fun - with an enormous pink and fluffy capital F.

Faye Brookes gives an impressive vocal performance, lighting up the stage as Elle and along with Iwan Lewis' Emmett ensures that the audience is cheering for the inevitable happy ending. Liz McLarnon is one of the production's main attractions and although her stage time as Paulette is fairly limited, she makes every moment count. A special mention also for Hannah Grover as fitness guru Brooke Wyndham and the ensemble for the magnificent choreography in "Whipped Into Shape" which is undoubtedly the greatest dance number I've seen in any show. And of course they are all upstaged by the dogs (and Waldorf says 'and the thighs').

Legally Blonde - The Musical on Tour runs at the Edinburgh Playhouse until the 17th of September and then continues on a national tour including Birmingham, Manchester, Belfast and Aberdeen

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