Sassy Sheridan gets a big kick out of Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde: a sassy story of self-empowerment
10 April 2012

It's not often that a West End musical references Simon Cowell, case law and the science of getting a perm.

But this is Legally Blonde, in which gags about spring break rub up against throw-aways about Gloria Steinem and Thomas Hobbes, and with its mix of daftness and knowingness this sugary yet far from stupid romp will surely be a palpable hit.

Increasingly, new musicals derive from hit films, and while Legally Blonde nods to Amanda Brown's original novel, there's little doubt that the inspiration for this production is 2001's winningly goofy Reese Witherspoon vehicle.

For those unfamiliar with the plot, it's a sassy story of self-empowerment.

Elle Woods is a perky sorority girl from Malibu, who's smitten with overprivileged Warner Huntington III.

When Warner dumps her to pursue his political ambitions at Harvard Law School, Elle responds by acing her admission test and following him there.

With her love of all things pink and her microscopic dog Bruiser, Elle isn't exactly your average denizen of an Ivy League lecture hall.

But she stands up to the snoots, smashes a few stereotypes, and proves herself a punchy operator in the classroom, the courtroom and one or two other rooms besides.

Even more than the film, this stage version is cartoonish and unremittingly silly. Director Jerry Mitchell has imbued it with an exultant liveliness; his choreography is so camp it could be Eurovision.

Sheridan Smith is emphatically the star of the show. Elle says her favourite drink is Red Bull, and there's a caffeinated kick in everything Smith does. It's a performance of great warmth and enthusiasm.

She has a huge amount to do, and does it all with breezy joie de vivre. Jill Halfpenny is excellent also as Paulette, the big-hearted beautician who doubles up as a therapist yet needs some counselling herself. She has the strongest voice of any member of the cast, but it's surprising to see so little made of her considerable dance skills.

Alex Gaumond is appealingly nerdy as Emmett, the graduate who nurtures Elle, and there's abundant game support, with Aoife Mulholland and Ibinabo Jack especially eye-catching, while Peter Davison is sublimely ghastly as the supercilious professor.

On the deficit side, Duncan James as Warner is insipid. While he looks good and seems to be enjoying himself, his voice is effete.

David Rockwell's sets, though grandly conceived, appear rather rough around the edges, and none of the songs is going to become a standard.

Nevertheless, Legally Blonde is a winner. It's energetic and amusing, with a sprightly sense of pace, and all but the most flinty-hearted theatregoers will leave it flushed with delight.

Until 23 May. Information 020 7432 4220

Legally Blonde: The Musical
Savoy Theatre
Savoy Court, Strand, WC2R 0ET

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