Legally Blonde | UK Tour | New Theatre

Legally Blonde has long been one of my favourite films: it's a story about being true to yourself and fighting for what you believe in. It's inspiring whilst still being a lot of fun and I think it's fair to say that the main character, Elle Woods, influenced my love of blonde hair and the colour pink! I saw an excellent amateur production of the show a few years ago (by Wolverhampton Musical Comedy Company at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre) so I was obviously thrilled to find out that the official tour would be stopping off in Cardiff. I grabbed my gal pals, donned my sassiest pink outfit and headed to the New Theatre for what really was a spectacular performance.


Of course, I first have to mention Lucie Jones who is spectacular as Elle. She has big shoes to fill - as Reese Witherspoon portrayed the role in the film and Sheridan Smith was the original Elle in the West End cast - but Jones commands the stage and was truly a pleasure to watch. Her voice is very strong and she gave a performance that was hilarious but also quite nuanced and controlled. I could tell that the audience really fell in love with her character. Jones was also supported by a very strong cast all round. It would take too long to list everyone's standout moments but I will say that Rita Simons as Paulette was very funny and David Barrett really did suit the role of lovable dork Emmett. 

The staging of the production was really interesting. It's not the most technical set but the lighting, costumes and choreography completely make up for that. It's bright and fun to watch, with lively music to match. While I adore the film version of Legally Blonde, the musical comes with a lot of extra moments which I love. It is also so lively and upbeat, almost throughout, that means that when the serious moments occur they have real weight, as they contrast with the rest of the show and this is something that makes the show very special.

I left the theatre with a huge smile on my face and humming a catchy tune (or few). Legally Blonde is a highly uplifting and upbeat show which I love, and it was clear that the rest of the audience loved it too. You can catch the show at the New Theatre in Cardiff until Saturday 25th November (tickets here) and the tour is running throughout the UK until June 2018, so there's plenty of time to check it out for yourselves - I'm even tempted to pay the show another visit when it stops off in Birmingham next year! For the full list of tour dates, check out the Legally Blonde website. Snaps!