Legally Blonde

Review by: Paul Towers, 14 April 2016

Legally Blonde the Musical by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin

A Made At Curve Production directed by Nikolai Foster

Curve 111 April – 14 May

“unadulterated feel-good blonde, pink silliness”

Legally Blonde is not highbrow musical theatre; it is not a production with a message. It is sheer, unadulterated feel-good blonde, pink silliness.

The original film crept onto our screens back in 2001, a supposed throw-away teen movie with limited appeal beyond bachelorette parties. Surprisingly it became a camp, cult hit propelling Reese Witherspoon to superstardom.

Then in 2007 it came of age and morphed into a full blown Broadway musical that the New York Times labelled a ‘non-stop sugar rush of a show’ and three years later it made its way across the pond where Sheriden Smith had a huge success with it in the West End.

So we come to today and Curve’s revival starring Lucie Jones in the title role. Director Nickolai Foster has used every technical trick that Curve has to offer to give us an evening of pure fun and laughter. With a script that is full of one liners and in-jokes and a score of hilarious songs this is a hit guaranteed to brighten Leicester’s traditionally damp spring.

A hugely talented cast led by Jones, Ian Kelsey, Danny Mac and Jon Robyns keep the pace high and Coronation Street’s Tupele Dorgu has great fun as hairdresser and confident to Elle, Paulette.

Matthew Wright’s set is a blaze of neon (mostly pink of course) and props that sweep on and off seemingly unaided or pop up through the trap in the centre of the stage. Add to that the back projections and the enormous screen/ceiling that flaps up and down all through the show and you have a dazzling array of effects to add to the songs and dances.

If I were to have any complaint it would be that occasionally the on-stage orchestra was sometimes a little overpowering and muffled the lyrics.

A completely full house was, justifiably, on its feet for the finale and rewarded the hard working cast with a well deserved standing ovation.

Once the run at Curve finishes on 14 May the entire production starts on a world tour starting in South Korea, of all places.

First pulished on Western Gazette