Reviewed by Katy Hart
WOW! What a fun evening – pink, sassy, with a touch of classy musical comedy. Last evening (2 October 2017) I had the pleasure of going to see Legally Blonde The Musical at the Bristol Hippodrome and it was every bit as good as the 2001 film.
The story follows the blonde, beautiful, pink loving, sorority president Elle Woods (Lucie Jones) in her quest to prove herself as being ‘serious’ and win back her rather hot ex-boyfriend, Warner (Liam Doyle). Elle manages to secure herself a place at Harvard Law school so that she can study alongside Warner.
Of course, things do not always work as smoothly as planned for our pink, sassy Elle, as her classmates refuse to take her seriously, and she struggles to keep up with the reading and work required. Her plans to win back Warner also backfire when she discovers he is engaged to Vivian, another of their classmates. Elle finds friendship with Emmett (David Barrett) who assists in advising Elle on studying, and with his help, Elle sees her results improving and is awarded with an internship at Callahan’s Law Office. Callahan is defending fitness instructor Brooke (Helen Petrovna) who is accused of murdering her husband and unable to give an alibi. Elle recognises Brooke as a former member of her sorority and works with Brooke to secure her freedom.
In what would appear to be a hopeless case, Elle in her own unique ‘pink and fluffy’ style, manages to turn the case around and win the lawsuit for Brooke. As would be expected there are twists and turns in the plot that come together and make this such a fun, good hearted musical.
This really was a cast of incredible talent – Lucie Jones brings a warmth and perfect amount of sass to the role of Elle and her vocals are amazing – she did not disappoint. David Barrett playing alongside Elle as Emmett also excelled vocally. Rita Simons who plays the role of Paulette, the brassy salon owner that Elle befriends is hilarious and brings such a personality to the role – who can fail to love her ‘Bend and snap’ scene?
And who could forget the dogs – Bruiser and Rufus – who doesn’t love a cute dog? especially when they are obviously ad-libbing – absolutely brilliant.
The music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin are something else – the music is high energy, fun, and comical. You can’t help but want to join in, in fact I couldn’t wait to purchase the soundtrack so now I can join in.
Full credit to the creative and production departments – the choreography was spectacular, in particular the skipping rope routine was absolutely phenomenal. The musicians gave an outstanding performance – it is a pity they were hidden from view as the orchestra pits are being worked on, I’m sure this made their performing a little trickier, but it was outstanding. The staging and scenery was equally as incredible and there were no awkward moments and blackouts as you waited for the scene changes which so often is the case.
The show is undeniably fantastic – a real crowd pleaser and the medley at the end of the evening sees the entire company in outrageously pink outfits and has the whole audience on their feet dancing along. It was a show totally worthy of the standing ovation it received. If you’re looking for something serious then this really isn’t the show for you. However, if you want an evening of light hearted fun with a touch of pink sassy musical comedy, then you will not be disappointed.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £15 to £53.50 (plus £4 transaction fee).
Legally Blonde The Musical is at the Bristol Hippodrome from 2-7 October 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/bristol or call the box office on 0844 871 3012.
Bristol Hippodrome, St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol, BS1 4UZ | 0844 871 3012
