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Legally Blonde The Musical

This event has now finished Until Sat Apr 7 Savoy Theatre, The Strand, London, WC2R 0ET Full details & map

Theatre: West End

RecommendedLast chance

Time Out says   4 Users say 5/5 Rate it

Posted: Mon Jul 25 2011

When 'Legally Blonde the Musical' sashayed to the front of the movie-to-musical pack last year, the response was not so much 'Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin have written THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT MUSICAL OF OUR TIMES', more a general consensus that Jerry Mitchell's production was fabulous fun, powered by a career-making turn from Sheridan Smith as ditsy wannabe attorney Elle Woods.

With Smith gone, the glamour has faded a little. Ex-'Hollyoaks' starlet Carley Stenson is emphatically likeable as Woods - and that's no mean feat. After all, we're talking about a coddled Valley Girl who trades in a life being idly rich in favour of becoming (hoik, spit) alawyer. Stenson offers a fresh-faced lack of guile, boundless joie de vivre and strong but unshowy lungs. You could no more despise Elle than despite her Chihuahua Bruiser, and Bruiser -played by a quartet of canine thesps - is pretty adorable.

But Stenson lacks Smith's megawatt charm. She sometimes seems dwarfed by the dizzyingly glam edifice around her, by Mitchell's energetic choreography, by David Rockwell's Barbie house sets, and doesn't have the effervescent charisma required to bring consistency to a show whose tenor lurches between radiant positivity and glib knowingness. Still, 'Legally Blonde' remains an exhilaratingly big-hearted evening.

If O'Keefe and Benjamin's lyrics are overly arch, they're generally very funny (see especially 'There! Right There!'s 'Is he gay or European?' refrain). The supporting cast is tip-top. Simon Thomas is excellent as Warner Huntingdon III, Elle's WASP-ish ex, whom she follows to Harvard Law School. Looking like a sort of vampiric whippet, he brings a mix of caddish smugness and little boy lost plaintiveness to the role. Fellow 'Hollyoaks' alumnus Natalie Casey gives great kook as Elle's perma-stoned hairdresser chum Paulette. Original cast survivor Peter Davison is still having a whale of a time devouring the scenery as appalling lawyer Professor Callahan. And reality TV winner Lee Mead is almost supernaturally likable as Elle's love interest Emmett.

Post-Smith, this show is not perfect. But when 'Legally Blonde' hits its stride - as on de facto theme tune 'Omigod You Guys' or the giddily climactic courtroom scene - it's the purest sugar rush you ever felt, a glowingly optimistic tribute to friendship, sisterhood and the merits of a well-chosen outfit.

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Savoy Theatre, The Strand, London WC2R 0ET

Savoy Theatre

The Savoy was the first theatre in London to be fitted with electric lights. Sadly, any evidence of the original electrics was lost in 1990 when...

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Transport Charing Cross ,Charing Cross

Telephone

020 7492 9930

http://www.ambassadortickets.com

£29-£66. Runs 2hrs 30mins

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Comments & ratings 5/5 (Average of 4 ratings)

By Neil - Jan 28 2012
5/5

Have a read of an interview with Carley Stenson at
http://www.lastminutetheatretickets.com/blog/index.php/3380/an-interview-with-carley-stenson/

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By Jo - Oct 23 2011
5/5

Amazing!!!! Already booking tickets to go again! I have seen a lot of musical theatre productions, but Legally Blonde is by far THE BEST!!!!! There a some changes from the film, however this is forgiven. The production is light hearted, yet at times quite poignant, and humourous throughout, the gay or european scene was so funny, and the ups delivery guy is used well, hilarious!! We came out and purchased the CD soundtrack straight away, singing along on the car journey home, can't wait to go again!!

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Doris Smith
By Doris - Sep 10 2011
3/5

Really more 3 1/2. Legally Blonde works surprisingly well as a musical, but I felt it was poorly cast. Most of the cast were too old, especially Warner; and I found Paulette annoying, plus she really didn't get the "bend and snap" at all. The plot differed from the movie in mostly minor ways, but one change I disliked was the casting of Emmet as a Pygmalion who coached Elle. But the music was lively and I did laugh, so I wouldn't try to steer anyone away.

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By Layla - Sep 24 2010

In fact contrary to this advertised price, these tickets are not available.

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