Have faith in yourself... you will totally love this musical!
LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, until tomorrow Verdict: OMG, totes hilarious! ★★★★☆
IT was one of the first seminal films of the Noughties and, oh my God, it went on to become a juggernaut hit. In the week of International Women’s Day, it’s perhaps fitting that a story which details a woman discovering she’s more than the man she marries takes to the stage in Dublin.
The movie was a whimsical, comedic, over-the-top look at the life of Elle Woods, and the theatrical version is no different — if anything, it takes the excessiveness to another level. Well, if you can’t be extravagant in a musical, what’s the point?
Legally Blonde is the story of Elle and how she deals with the fallout from her broken relationship to Warner Huntington III, who decides he needs to find a serious wife if he’s to follow his — and his father’s — political ambitions.
Elle, a proud Delta Nu sorority girl and UCLA fashion student, decides she’ll follow him to the prestigious college and prove that she can be serious too.
Having managed to inveigle her way on to the law course, she realises she may have bitten off more than she can chew.
Although Elle personally believes she can succeed, there are several obstacles in her path, not least some of her fellow students — who struggle to believe this high-heeled, pinkclad beauty deserves her spot on the course — and an over-amorous professor.
But with the help of the small number of classmates who see her potential, her hairdresser Paulette and her Delta Nu sisters, Elle tackles the prejudices head-on and seeks to change people’s opinions of her. Reese Witherspoon so commanded the role of Elle in the movie that it’s hard to think of anyone else doing it justice, but former X Factor star Lucie Jones certainly gives it a good shot. She has an incredible voice and strikes just the right tone between naivety and assuredness that makes Elle so believable and lovable.
Former EastEnders stalwart Rita Simons is the runaway star of the show as Paulette, while special mention must also go to Bill Ward as Professor Callahan and Laura Harrison as Vivienne Kensington.
The ‘aaah’ factor has to go to both Bruisey Williams-Dodd as chihuahua Bruiser and Dublin native Mugzy T Garland as Rufus, who clearly stole the hearts of the audience and never put a paw wrong.
The choreography also deserves a highlight, with uptempo dance sequences throughout — Helen Petrovna’s incredible skipping rope skills in the role of Brooke Wyndham are worth the ticket price alone.
This is a lively, funny, engaging night out that all fans of the film should see.
For those not familiar with the story, well, oh my God, you’ll love it!