Blondes do have more fun
A MUSICAL that was last on Wearside nearly seven years ago is firmly back in the stand at Sunderland Empire this week – but do Legally Blondes really have more fun?
Well, if opening night is anything to go by, the show’s naturally brunette leading lady Lucie Jones is having an absolute ball in the all-singing, alldancing, all bend and snapping (more on that later!) stage interpretation of the hit 2001 Reese Witherspoon movie.
You’ll know if you saw Lucie on X Factor in 2009 or on Eurovision that she has a top-drawer voice and, while she didn’t get the plaudits she deserved, at Euro song contest, she’s going to get some here.
Playing Elle, the girl who shocks everyone by following her heart all the way to Harvard Law School, with real warmth, Lucie blended the right amounts of glamour and goofiness to great effect. Her vocal talent speaks for itself and, my word, she let it do the talking in big numbers such as the show’s title track and first half closer So Much Better, but it must also be pointed out that her comic timing is pretty darn good too.
Her mannerisms, delivery of lines and added nuances were all perfect for the role.
The same could most definitely said for Rita Simons as hard done to hairdresser Paulette.
If you’re still not over her character’s dramatic death in Eastenders – RIP Roxy! – get over your grief by going to see her in action in Legally Blonde this week as she is absolutely brilliant.
Her raspy vocals bring a really gritty edge to Paulette’s shining moment Ireland and, while I’m on, if there’s a Riverdance revival in the offing she might well be getting a call. That girl can Irish jig with the best of them.
Rita builds Paulette into an, a first totally unassuming, but then totally fierce, force to be reckoned with – and her performance is absolutely fantastic.
Sticking with soap stars, ex-Corrie actor Bill Ward brings all the required stern and self assured presence to the ultimately slimy Professor Callahan, while at the other end of the personality scale, David Barrett really gathers momentum as the show progresses in the part of Emmet, Elle’s unlikely love interest, underlaying songs such as Chip On My Shoulder and Take It Like A Man with charm and vulnerability.
Elle’s original true love, Warner is portrayed with preppy perfection by Liam Doyle while, with sass, a stiff upper lip and an eventual smattering of sensitivity, Laura Harrison’s Vivienne is a brilliant asset to proceedings.
The real charm of Legally Blonde lies .... secret with its ability to strike a chord with both ballads and bold and brash big bells-on numbers such as What You Want, Legally Blonde Remix, the mightily impressive and almost too exhausting to watch Whipped into Shape and Gay or European – the latter making scene-stealing stars of Felipe Bejarno and Connor Collins.
If you’re needing some serious cheering up light relief from the working week, Legally Blonde is a must.
Now I’m off to find some peroxide and practise my bend and snap – apparently it works every time!
Legally Blonde is at Sunderland Empire until Saturday, April 21. Get your tickets from the box office and www.atgtickets.com