Allegro’s Legally Blonde the Musical is good enough to shame some professional productions.
📍Church Hill Theatre, Edinburgh
📅 1st – 5th November
💷 From £16 (plus booking fee)
🕖 7:30pm
🕖 Running time (approx.): 2 hours 20 minutes (with interval)
🎶 Music & Lyrics: Nell Benjamin, Laurence O’Keefe
✍️ Book: Heather Hach
🎬 Director – Dominic Lewis
🎵 Musical Director – James McCutcheon
🩰 Choreographer – Felicity Halfpenny
🎂 12+
🎭 Wheelchair Accessible Venue, Wheelchair Accessible Toilet, No Audio Induction Loop
Legally Blonde first saw print in 2001, based on author Amanda Brown’s experiences at Stanford University. Adapted for the big screen to huge success in the same year, it wasn’t until 2007 that it took Tony-award nominated musical form on Broadway.
It’s a high-energy, demanding show to stage, requiring a cast not only vocally capable, but also skilled in dance, physical comedy…oh and with access to reliable canine actors. The soundtrack is catchy, the message of individual empowerment still timely, and the show has duly enjoyed successes on the West End, and around the world ever since. Oh, and it enjoys a significant cult following from a worldwide fanbase.
In short, it’s no small challenge for a full-time professional company to put on, never mind one which has to make all its preparations in the cast’s spare time!
So kudos galore to Edinburgh’s own amateur musical darlings, Allegro, for smashing their rendition of Legally Blonde, the Musical out of the park. This is a tour-worthy production, such is the quality found in every single aspect.
The cast, led by a tireless, and superbly melodic Laura Green as Elle Woods, has talent in spades. Vocally there’s not a weak link on stage, and be it solo, or in chorus, no song goes under-served. Just as impressive is some frankly stunning dance, and choreography, under the deft hand of Felicity Halfpenny. Believe me when I say that there are professional productions touring the biggest stages in the country right now, which haven’t a patch on the physical excellence Allegro display in this production. Completing a virtuous triumvirate are the band under James McCutcheon: tight, dynamic, and a match to the exuberance on stage.
This isn’t good musical theatre by amateur standards, this is good musical theatre, full stop. Indeed it’s clear from the opening ‘Omigod You Guys’, a big pop-tastic tribute to Elle, her love-life, and wardrobe, that Allegro mean business. For the uninitiated, Legally Blonde follows Elle Woods from life as a Malibu princess, student of fashion merchandising at UCLA & sorority president, to Harvard Law School. She’s chasing the boy who dumped her, Warner (Greg McCafferty-Thomson), who just couldn’t picture the party in girl in pink as a life partner.
Cue a fabulous montage, think Rocky, if Rocky was preparing to ace exams, and convince a world-class law school that he could be a contender. Oh, and if Rocky were a musical dance extravaganza, and instead of submitting a personal essay, opted for for a cheer routine in the Dean of Admission’s office. Green handles it all comfortably, slipping from big voice show stopper to dancing queen effortlessly, and multitasking both regularly.
Now, whilst there’s an undeniably bubble-gum feel to the show, there’s plenty of good acting on display. Director Dominic Lewis hasn’t rested upon the singing & dancing virtues of his cast, and instead fostered a raft of excellent, sympathetic, and genuinely comedic performances.
It’s a show in need of a large, and strong supporting cast, and Allegro don’t disappoint. Elle’s three best friends, Margo (Anna Spence), Serena (Monica Fowler), and Pilar (Rebecca Drever) are terrific, an all singing, all dancing backing group and motivational squad. Elle’s attending Greek Chorus (summoned to attend to the tragedy of Warner’s engagement to another), prove a white clad spiritual cheer squad, and another source of joy each time they take the stage.
Discouraged but not defeated by her love’s betrothal to the snobbish Vivienne (Jo Heinemeier), nor by the bullying tyranny of Professor Callahan (Russell Coid), our girl Elle soldiers on, encouraged by the professor’s assistant Emmett (a very sweet turn from Joe Purcell). Adventures and misadventures in life, law, love & friendship beckon.
Amidst this great cast, Rachael Anderson proves the grounded heart of the show, as wise but lovelorn hairdresser Paulette. It’s a grand bit of character acting, inviting empathy and affection; not least when needing Elle’s legal assistance to wrest back custody of her beloved dog from a thuggish ex.
Production wise, the show looks grand, the set forced into smoothly handled evolutions multiple times to track the script’s relentless changes of scene. The lighting is well executed, and the sound quality strong. The mixing could be sharper in places however, prioritising lyric clarity over big band oomph, and on opening night at least, there were a few late fade-ups on mics here and there.
None of this should detract from a show which, I re-state, is good enough to tour. The above notes pertain to readily solvable, and probably already solved, technicalities. I only nit-pick, as a show with so many outstanding qualities deserves to aim at perfection in every respect.
There are extended passages of real brilliance, not least the empowering & anthemic, ‘So Much Better’ to end the first act, and ‘Whipped into Shape’ which opens the second. The latter affords a star turn to Louisa Everett, as fitness guru, and accused mariticide Brooke, who skips, dances and belts out the 80’s inflected exercise video number. In every case, the supporting cast go for gold: the formation dance is sharp, the harmonies really on point, the prop work slick. Even when playing by-standers in a scene, the supporting cast never lose focus, or start dialling it in.
Now there’s a number in the show, ‘Gay or European’ upon which hinges the fate of Elle’s client, Brooke, and concerning an alleged witness to the killing. Allegro lean into it, seeking to ridicule the idea through absurdity with a good heart, but it might play better if cast against stereotype, as per the recent staging in Regent’s Park London. In a production which defies stereotypes in casting, and attitudes, it sits a wee bit awkwardly. It’s a subjective matter, however, and the audience most certainly enjoyed yet another well executed song and dance number.
It’s a tribute to the professionalism of the show, that it invites criticism of artistic choices and decisions. This isn’t a production to be congratulated for simply staging a musical, Allegro have created something genuinely special. Legally Blonde the Musical is blessed with stars, and not least a winning Elle in Laura Green, but it’s the ensemble which makes Allegro’s show so very good.
There are big ticket musical shows on nigh-permanent tour that aren’t achieving this level of excellence. Those shows often sell-out, and frankly they don’t deserve to. Allegro, and Legally Blonde the Musical, however, shouldn’t have a seat to spare until their run is complete.
P.S. The dogs are amazing, but you’re going to have to see the show to believe it’s possible to have not just one, but two flesh and blood canine stage-stars. There’s no stuffing here.
(Photography Credits: Rachel Bolton Photography (@rachelboltonphotography))
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