Review: Legally Blonde [UK Tour]

Musical: Legally Blonde: The Musical [UK Tour]

Venue: Opera House, Manchester, UK

Date: 18th October 2011 at 19:30

Cast: Faye Brookes (Elle Woods), Iwan Lewis (Emmett), Dave Willetts (Professor Callahan), Claire Sweeney (Paulette), Neil Toon (Warner), Charlotte Harwood (Vivienne), Hannah Grover (Brooke), Lewis Griffiths (Grandmaster Chad/Dewey/Kyle), Sinead Long (Serena), Sophie Issacs (Margot) and Lori Barker (u/s Pilar)

Rating: ****1/2

Review:

I managed to get a couple of my friends to join me for the UK Tour of Legally Blonde: The Musical in Manchester at quite a bargain price thanks to LiveCard. Though I have seen the show before in London with the brilliant Sheridan Smith, I am quite happy to see it again because I enjoyed it the first time so much and was curious to find out how different the show will be on tour.

Firstly, I must say that the production was pretty identical to the London one except for the opening scene at the Delta Nu House which was downscaled quite a lot. So I'm pretty happy with most of the sceneries. 

Before the show from where I sat

The cast was superb! Faye Brookes made an excellent Elle Woods right from her first moment on stage when she tried on the dress for her big "life-changing" date with Warner down to the very end of the show. Also, Brookes added a little touch of her own into the role which I quite enjoyed such as how she would brush her hair when she sang "Till I learned I could be more than this" during "Find My Way" to indicate her blonde hair. Her "Legally Blonde" and "So Much Better" were highlights of the night.

Faye Brookes (as Elle Woods) with Bruiser

Iwan Lewis played a very dorky Emmett and suited up really nice towards the end of the show. I really enjoyed the chemistry between him and Brookes especially in the department store scene. I was quite moved actually, didn't remember being moved the first time I saw it. Though I would disagree with some of his reaction choice in the court scene, but that's just my small quibble.

Faye Brookes and Iwan Lewis
(as Elle Woods and Emmett Forrest)
during "The Harvard Variations"

Neil Toon was our Warner and he fit the role quite well. He got the good look and the charm that you need for the role while possessing that attitude of a high school jock that led him to his not-so successful outcome. He also could sing quite nicely but I found his comedic timing in act two a bit lacking. 

Neil Toon as Warner during "Serious"
seen here with Faye Brookes

Stage veterans Dave Willetts and Claire Sweeney didn't disappoint at all in their roles as Professor Callahan and Paulette respectively, though it was a bit hard to understand the latter's accent. 

Dave Willetts as Professor Callahan

Claire Sweeney as Paulette

I was not too keen on Charlotte Harwood as Vivienne though. Her acting was all right and she got that "bitchy" attitude which I enjoyed. As for her singing, the girl could sing but she obviously seemed to struggle with the high note in "Legally Blonde Remix" and she definitely was no Kate Shindle (Original Broadway Cast) or Caroline Keiff (Original London Cast).  

"Legally Blonde Remix"
seen here with Charlotte Harwood as Vivienne on the far left

Hannah Grover was our Brook Wyndham and while she was so damn fit and I salute her for singing "Whipped into Shape" while jumping ropes beautifully, I found that I didn't really like her portrayal as much as the others I've seen and I was hoping that it could have been funnier.

I also need to mention Lewis Griffiths (whom I'm sure that I've seen him in something before but I just can't figure out what) in the multiple roles of Grandmaster Chad, Dewey and Kyle (the UPS guy). I was actually quite disappointed in his first two roles but he was a definite scene stealer as Kyle, probably one of the best Kyles I've seen.

The ensemble was very strong and did a great job in all the many roles they had to play. The girls of Delta Nu were a bit all over the place during the very first "Omigod You Guys" which worried me a bit but they just kept getting better and better in each song up to the finale. Oh, and did I mention that the dogs were so cute!

The Courtroom scene
during "There! Right There!"

Overall, I think it was a lovely production and I just couldn't stop smiling from the scene in the courtroom onwards up until the very last curtain call. The audience around me seemed to have a great time as well but I was surprised that there wasn't a standing ovation that night. The Sunday Telegraph wrote about the show as "...a great big empty vessel of a show that makes a lot of noise and not much else..."and though I agreed that the show was very nonsense and unrealistic, I found it highly entertaining and would love to come back anytime just to have a good time at the theatre and I think that's what matters when you go to a theatre, to have a good time. So if you want a harmless good fun night out at the theatre, Legally Blonde is a definite must-see! Highly recommended!

"So Much Better"

"What You Want"

P.S. I just hate how they did not control when to let late audience enter the venue at the performance I attended. Shame on you, Manchester Opera House!! There seemed to be people walking in every 2-3 minutes or so and that was just plain annoying for the rest of the audience members who did their best to make sure they arrived on time!!

MUSICAL NUMBERS

ACT ONE

Omigod, You Guys... Margot, Serena, Pilar, Elle and Company

Serious... Warner and Elle

Daughter of Delta Nu... Delta Nus

What You Want... Elle, Margot, Serena, Pilar and Company

The Harvard Variations... Emmett, Aaron, Padamadan, Enid and Company

Blood in the Water... Callahan and Company

Positive... Margot, Serena, Pilar, Elle and Greek Chorus

Ireland... Paulette

Ireland (Reprise)... Paulette

Serious (Reprise)... Warner and Elle

Chip on My Shoulder... Emmett, Elle and Company

So Much Better... Elle and Company

ACT TWO

Whipped Into Shape... Brooke, Callahan and Company

Take It Like a Man...Elle, Emmett and Salespersons

Bend and Snap... Margot, Serena, Pilar, Elle, Paulette and Salonfolk

There! Right There!... Elle, Callahan, Emmett, Vivienne, Warner, Enid, Brooke and Company

Legally Blonde... Elle and Emmett

Legally Blonde Remix... Vivienne, Elle and Company

Omigod, You Guys (Reprise)... Elle and Company

Find My Way/Finale... Elle, Paulette and Company