Legally Blonde, Leicester Operatic Players Review
Reviewed by Sam for Theatre and Tonic.
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
Legally Blonde the Musical is based on the novel and fantastic motion picture (Legally Blonde) featuring Reese Witherspoon. The musical is very similar to the original story and follows Elle Woods on her journey to becoming a Harvard Law student to impress her former boyfriend, Warner Huntington III. Warner dumps Elle because she’s not serious enough for him but coming together with her sorority sisters, she gets her place at Harvard and shows the world what she’s really made of.
Whilst at Harvard, Elle becomes friends with fellow student Emmett Forest, salon owner Paulette Bonafonte and celebrity sorority sister, Brooke Wyndham. The team land a murder case which needs to prove that Brooke is innocent and Elle’s knowledge of hair products and her ‘gaydar’ save the day!
Firstly, it was wonderful to see Emily Haywood on stage again, especially in the spotlight as Elle Woods. I have seen Haywood in two other productions at The Brewhouse in Burton-upon-Trent and back then she blew me away and it happened all over again! The raw emotion in Haywood’s voice, makes what she’s singing seem even more real. I actually recognised her voice due to her whispy tone and couldn’t work out where I’d heard it before until I flicked through the programme. She has excellent voice control and personally, I think the Legally Blonde soundtrack is a hard one to sing due to the high tones, but she nailed it!
There were several standout performances including Martin Green’s portrayal of Professor Callahan – he definitely added the e to evil. His vocals are so smooth. I saw Green in Nativity! and was a huge fan of him then, he adapts well to who he is portraying and adds that little extra. I think we all hated Professor Callahan in the end so well done to Green!
I would not have guessed it was Alice Oakley’s first performance with Leicester Operatic Players (LOP) because what a fabulous casting. Her chemistry and aura with the other cast members was fantastic. I could not have picked a better Paulette Bonafonte. Oakley made the character her own, she did not copy Jennifer Coolidge’s portrayal which I know can be hard to step away from, but she was hilarious! I think her performance of ‘Ireland’ and ‘Bend and Snap’ were my favourite parts of the show as she filled the stage with her humour and the clever choreography.
Now, the Greek trio. I loved them, they gave me Hercules vibes (the muses). All three actors were so good at what they were doing, and they filled the stage and made great use of the space. The energy that came from them brought Elle’s visions to life. I liked that they were wearing white and came across as a little ditsy but innocent and it definitely reflected what was going on in Elle’s head. Let’s be honest, we all want a Greek trio to talk through our next steps when we’re put in a difficult situation.
As it was opening night, a few teething problems were expected, but it was hard not to focus on them as they unfortunately, carried on throughout the whole show. The mics, sound, set and lightning cues/positions were off a lot of the time and the cast did their best to project their voices but as an audience member, it was hard to ignore.
There were also complications with the projector. The first half of the show featured the sorority house which occasionally kept flickering, but this was resolved during the second half. Personally, I don’t feel the projections added much to the show, but this may have been because I was used to the one background for the first hour. Unfortunately, the show lacked props and scenery for me – I missed atmosphere and depth. The stage offers a large floor space and I think the set changes could have been smoother as they were quite clunky and loud. I would also suggest the volunteers/stagehands wear all black rather than bright colours as I couldn’t take my eyes off them when they were moving the set around. It was a little distracting.
I’m sure the above issues will be resolved before any future performances as they will have been able to reflect on the show last night. This is a fun and uplifting show, so LOP deserves the support.
Legally Blonde is only on at The Little Theatre until 20 April, so if you want to have a fun evening out, grab your tickets here.
