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Writer's pictureTheatreLife

Legally Blonde, Springers AOS - Chelmsford




Legally Blonde began life in 2001 with the film starring Reese Witherspoon this then later was turned in to a musical and the West End production opened in January 2010 at the Savoy Theatre starring Sheridan Smith.


It is a high energy show which requires an outstanding female lead and strong supporting performers. This Springers had. Sophie Holmes as Elle Woods was a triumph. She encompassed the role superbly, not only did she look stunning, but she is also blessed with good vocals and gave us Elle’s fluffy pink personality.  She was well matched with Alfie Back as Emmett Forrest. Alfie had exactly the right level of gentleness and a good stage presence. I was impressed by his maturity in the role, and they worked extremely well as a pair.


Matt Scott as Warner Huntington III was perfect as the narcissistic, conceited ex-boyfriend and Alice Clements as his new girlfriend Vivienne Kensington was a good match, with a nice singing voice and requisite sharpness.


Rebecca Webber played Paulette and had all the quirkiness required for this part and brought great warmth to the role, while James Wilkins as Professor Callahan, had an ease and authority as the top-notch lawyer.  


The 3 main Delta Nu girls – Serena, Pilar and Margot were played by Kat McKeon, Karla Marie and Elysha Edwards respectively. All girls gave energetic performances, but it was Karla Marie who really stood out with strong facial expressions and clean, sharp dance moves.


The costumes were all very good, my only comment is the Spanx on Elle were clearly on view under her Playgirl Bunny Costume which spoilt the overall effect and looked very strange.


The orchestra under the experienced baton of Susannah Edom made a beautiful sound and supported the entire production very well.


However, I must address the Elephant in the room – the technical side of the show. While I am always supportive of how hard the technical side of putting a show together with limited rehearsal periods etc this has to be mentioned. 


The sound team missed so many cues, with microphones not being on or alternatively on while performers were in the wings, allowing us to hear backstage conversations on more than one occasion, the lighting was also inconsistent with harsh transitions, performers being left performing in the dark or lights not coming on at all.


Plus, the set was cumbersome, and either was too big for the stage or didn’t have enough crew to manage it.  I personally would not have used all the pieces to enable swifter changes. And the stage crew in white shirts was very distracting with, on several occasions arms, shoulders and bodies on view behind the set or creating large shadows on the back Cyc as they waved arms around behind static set pieces during dialogue and solo numbers.


This is such a shame as the performance standard from the cast was very high, but it was let down by all these elements combined.


However, as mentioned previously, this is a high energy show, with lots of humour and lots of great musical numbers. The show was directed by Aimee Hart with some great little touches and well executed dance routines.  Despite the issues, this show is well worth seeing, so get a ticket if you can.

 

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