LEGALLY BLONDE LONDON REVIEW
REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE, LONDON
THURSDAY 30TH JUNE 2022 @ 2.15PM
***** 5/5
Now I’ve seen the show before on tour, but this production looks so much better! I usually hate day trips to London because they’re so exhausting, but London hotels have gone up in price lately! Off I went on a quick trip and here’s my Legally Blonde London review.
NOTE: I know this review is months late but I still wanted to get all of my reviews live on the blog!
PRE-SHOW THOUGHTS
As soon as I saw this casting, I KNEW I had to see it. I was thrilled to see a diverse cast full to the brim with talent! I’ve seen so many reviews of the show and the majority of them have raved about it. In fact, I was gutted not to see it earlier in the run. Better late than never, right? The only negative reviews I’ve seen are from those ‘old’ journalists, who worship Andrew Lloyd Webber. Enough said really!
THE MAIN CAST
Can I just start by saying this entire cast is PHENOMENAL? Every single person is a triple threat and I cannot wait to follow their careers from now on! Now onto a few standouts amongst them. Let’s start with Courtney Bowman (she/her), little Miss Woods, Elle (IYKYK). She brought such a new take to Elle and made her even more likeable. Bowman shows us Elle’s flaws and fully lets us into her fabulous pink world. She’s not portrayed as dumb as previous productions and the films suggest. It’s about damn time that someone who isn’t white and skinny plays Elle Woods. Bowman has a powerhouse voice and gives Woods a bit of an edge. She’s able to portray the messages of sisterhood and self-belief so much more than previous actors.
Nadine Higgin (she/her) as Elle’s best friend, Paulette, is the perfect partner for Elle. In fact, I was much more invested in their relationship than any other in the show! Higgin commands the stage from the first moment she steps on stage. She provides the most comedic value but it’s her singing voice that is captivating.
I’ve been a Lauren Drew (she/her) fan for some time and now I’m just in awe. During the first act, she plays a girl from Delta Nu before transforming into Brooke in act 2. I’ve always loved the opening act 2 number, Whipped Into Shape, and this version is the best one yet. Drew manages faultless vocals and skipping with a rope at the same time! The woman is an absolute machine!
THE SUPPORTING CAST
The girls of Delta Nu are led by Isaac Hesketh (they/she), Hannah Yun Chamberlain (she/her) and Grace Mouat (she/her) as Margot, Serena and Pilar. Each of them is full of energy and massively entertaining with slick vocals and dance moves to boot.
Vanessa Fisher’s Vivienne (she/her) doesn’t get a great deal of stage or singing time but when she does, she’s a scene stealer. Her range is through the roof and I just wanted her to continue her riffs forever more!
Whilst it’s a female-led piece, the men more than pull their weight! Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (he/him) as Emmett is the perfect leading man. Intelligent and cool yet nerdy at the same time, Ahomka-Lindsay has such a gorgeous tone to his voice and I can’t wait to see him take the lead in other shows too.
Alistair Toovey’s Warner (he/him) is considered one of the villains from the very beginning but it’s very hard to dislike him, despite his many, many faults. I’ve always thought Warner should get more stage time in the show and with Toovey in this role, I think this even more!
Finally, I have to give a special mention to Billy Nevers (he/him), who is in the ensemble. He has some of the funniest moments in the show, including the legendary “Courtney, take your break”. You can see the West End Live performance here. I’m so excited to eventually see him as Francois in & Juliet!
THE PRODUCTION
I’ll start by saying that Legally Blonde is one of my favourite musical theatre scores going. It’s so untraditional and despite being 15 years old now, this production has modernised it. I’ll admit some lyrics went over my millennial head (it’s very Gen Z-geared) but it still made me giggle frequently.
If you’re not a fan of the colour pink, you might have gotten a migraine because it is everywhere. The costumes, the staging, the props and the lighting all cover various shades of pink so it is a lot. Probably too much for me but it didn’t seem to detract from the performances too much.
This was my first visit to an outdoor theatre and luckily, the bad weather managed to hold off. It did look iffy in patches so good job I took my cag-in-a-bag!
My only slight negative was that although the choreography was solid, it would’ve been nicer to have a fuller stage during certain numbers. Whipped Into Shape was phenomenal but would’ve looked even better with a larger group of dancers, instead of just Drew and two members of the ensemble.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is a much-needed production. Most importantly, it’s 100% possible to cast people based on talent and not what you ‘think’ they should look like. Elle Woods is a blonde and that’s all we need. Bowman’s selection of wigs were amazing and you forget about every other version of the show.
You could see so many kids in the audience with various skin tones and of different ethnicities and every single one of them was delighted when they saw someone who looked like them on stage. Representation does matter.
Also, I’d add that Legally Blonde is an incredibly infectious show that should be back on tour or have a permanent spot in the West End somewhere. My overall verdict in my Legally Blonde London review: a massive triumph!
If you enjoyed my Legally Blonde London review, check out my other theatre reviews here and follow me on Twitter and Instagram for my stagey trip updates!
