Review: Legally Blonde: The Musical at Leeds Grand Theatre

“…for anyone who loves candy-floss musicals…”

Legally Blonde: The Musical by Amanda Brown adapted by Heather Hach, Leeds Grand Theatre

By Sean Sable

The song Barbie Girl by Aqua hit the radio in 1997, and the message was not ambiguous. Be decorative. Be fun. Be uncomplicated. The beauty standard of the era was aspirationally plastic, and the expected personality was not far behind. It was a template that gave women one option, demanded they conform, and then sneered at them for obeying. I was roughly the same age as Reese Witherspoon when Legally Blonde came out in 2001, living in the world it was satirising (well, with considerably less privilege and Harvard) and the movie was instantly iconic. Elle Woods took that tired, male-gaze finger-trap and tore it to shreds before promptly getting a pedicure. Is she pretty? Yes. Is she a little bit plastic? Also, yes. Is she fierce and clever? YES. As the titular blonde, Elle Woods is a wolf in Chanel shearling, and that is part of what has kept her compelling for twenty-five years.

Legally Blonde: The Musical began on Broadway in 2007, earning seven Tony nominations, before a West End run at the Savoy in 2010 that took three Olivier Awards. This new production, from ROYO and Curve Leicester, is directed by Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster, whose Kinky Boots tour I thoroughly enjoyed last year. The book is by Heather Hach, with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, based on Amanda Brown’s novel and the rather iconic 2001 film. Amber Davies leads as Elle, the sorority girl who enrols at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend and discovers she is considerably better at law than anyone, herself included, expected.

Before we begin, I have to confess my fashion faux pas. It’s the least Elle deserves. I was running late for my train, and I didn’t have time to change into my pink dungarees. Nightmare. Fortunately, last night’s super-fan audience made up for it. With pink everywhere, including some very stylish sparkly hair bows, the atmosphere was supercharged with Elle’s signature colour.

With that confession out of the way, let’s talk sets. When I first arrived to see an open semi-circular set made of full-length panels and an open architecture, I have to admit that I thought “here we go again – West End tour formula”. It wasn’t an indictment—I understand the demands of putting a show on tour—but after seeing this empty touring rig style so often, there is always a little trepidation. I needn’t have worried. The modular sets, including elaborate and detail-filled backdrops, did all the heavy lifting with style. Colin Richmond’s drop-in pieces were a delight to explore. With an eye for tiny details, every new scene was like playing a hidden-object game. The ivy-drenched neo-Gothic Harvard set was complete with Latin inscriptions, books galore and even a chalkboard with a Jaws-worthy shark sketch. Elle’s room was bursting with trunks of clothing, and the salon even had a broken aircon unit and decorative hanging plant pots. I was never let down by the love and attention given to each scene change.

Ben Cracknell’s lighting works hand in hand with the set design, the two disciplines in constant conversation with one another. The hyper-saturated lights transforming the panelled walls, and the inlaid LED lighting rope offer sparkle and pizzazz to every dance number. But it wasn’t a paint-by-numbers journey through the colour palette. Instead, there were subtle nods to something deeper. In the rupture, when Elle is left alone, contemplating a return to Malibu, we get textured spots downlighting the Harvard backdrop creating an almost cathedral-like sense of solitude.

Part of the open staging decision was almost certainly Leah Hill’s choreography. It brings the kind of explosive and athletic movements that need space to breathe. Each number was energetic and cheeky, with opportunities for the ensemble cast to shine. The narrative efficiency of a well-placed dance solo can do so much to bring life to peripheral characters. Tom Rogers’ costumes leaned into the bubble-gum joy of Elle’s world: neon yellows, Hawaiian shirts and dayglo trainers. It was 100% Malibu Barbie incarnate. As the story develops, so does the costuming, as Elle’s signature pink morphs to signature navy and the once all-black Harvard students break into business wear and finally, perfectly pink caps and gowns.
 

The casting was fantastic, with each player bringing their own vision to their roles, never once trying to replicate their movie counterparts. Amber Davies, whom I last saw as Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman in 2024, was even better last night. She was perky and earnest and her American accent (although geographically misplaced, sounding distinctly East Coast) was unwavering. George Crawford’s Emmett was warm and endearing, and his tenor voice was absolutely dreamy. The production’s expanded romance between Elle and Emmett gave them a more robust arc and deeper connection between the characters. This more complex narrative added several new scenes, including one where Elle gives Emmett a glow-up makeover—fleshing out both characters in ways the original source material never quite managed.

Jamie Chatterton’s Warner had a beautiful, honeyed voice that made him a little bit hard to properly hate—in the best kind of way. Karen Mavundukure as Paulette, though, was my standout of the evening. The power in her voice was like a zipper up my spine. Her expanded arc (including finding Irish love with her UPS man) was a take on the character that found its own joy without becoming a second-class Jennifer Coolidge, which was a relief.

But… but… but… I cannot give full cast kudos without mentioning the goodest boys of the show: Sprout and Milo, who played Bruiser and Rufus respectively. One even gives a little handshake! I am not above telling you that any show with two doggos is a show I am going to love. The set could burn down in the first act, and I am going to walk away saying, “but there were puppers!”

Adam Fisher’s sound design was robust, and the original score was largely a pleasure. I absolutely adored some numbers and “There! Right There!” had me in absolute stitches. I will be humming “Is he gay or European?” for a week. But the score also had a habit of crowbarring “legally blonde” as a lyric into multiple numbers in ways that felt like intrusive branding. The result was that some moments, like the love connection between Elle and Emmett, end up losing steam as my mind drifts to: what even is “I’m legally blonde” supposed to mean in this romantic moment?

Legally Blonde: The Musical presents its case with a scented, pink brief, and the argument holds up. For anyone who loves candy-floss musicals and a night out that is “for the girls”, the verdict is favourable. Elle Woods wouldn’t take no for an answer. Neither should you.

Legally Blonde: The Musical plays at Leeds Grand Theatre until Saturday 13 June. Tickets are available here.

Sean Sable is a Yorkshire-based freelance writer and editor specialising in Young Adult and Horror fiction, frequently at the same time. When she isn’t buried under a pile of books and manuscripts, she is looking for her keys and having extensive one-sided conversations, in Swedish, with her deaf cat. You can find her online at: www.seansable.co.uk