Having never seen the 2001 movie Legally Blonde, I deliberately kept myself in the dark re its storyline. I know from past experience that the talented performers of the Hessle Theatre Company would expertly bring the Legally Blonde musical to life, when performing it at the Hull New Theatre. And that’s exactly what this amateur group did on Tuesday evening, the first of a five-night run.
The story follows love-sick UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles – I Googled) student, Elle Woods and her quest to hang on to the love of her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III. Elle is a frothy blonde, who loves to dress in pink – shoes and bag included – and former law student Tanya Sewell plays her to perfection.
Warner, meanwhile, has his eye on his future statesman role, and Elle’s appearance doesn’t sit well with his vision of her being his partner as he serves in the United States Congress. Dressed soberly in suit and tie, Warner (Aaron Bolton) has passed for the prestigious Harvard Law School and rubs that fact in to a dejected and heartbroken Elle. Oh Warner, you poor, poor idiot – don’t you know there is nothing more scary than a woman scorned.
Aided and abetted by her former classmates – a bunch of joyful, screechy, energetic, loud, cheerleader types – Elle goes all out to regain Warner’s affection. Clad in pink, tossing her blonde locks and carrying her pooch, Bruiser (take a bow Chihuahua, Millie; also bulldog Ernie as Rufus, who appears later in the show), Elle, using her feminine wiles, blags a place at Harvard to study law.
No way does she take it seriously until Emmett Forrest, three years into his Harvard law studies, shows her the error of her ways after he discovers she hasn’t studied. Emmett (James Galer) is a good-looking guy – but will he take the place of Warner in Elle’s heart? In classes, the other students take out their laptops, while Elle writes in a pink, fluffy, heart-shaped notebook, with a pen topped with a deep pink heart.
No wonder the other students look down on her, the snobby so-and-sos. And there are none more snobby than fellow classmates Warner and his new girlfriend, Vivienne (Georgia Wormald). Poor Elle even decides to change her appearance to look more like the brunette who has captured her ex’s heart but, thankfully, hairdresser Paulette (Emma Burgess) refuses and becomes a really good friend to our blonde law student.
Eventually, Elle is able to repay Paulette’s friendship in an amazing way. Elle’s passage through Harvard is tough, cruel and unpleasant at times, especially when she discovers the real reason Professor Callahan (Ian Appleyard) accepted her at the world-famous Harvard. But she battles through, gaining the respect of her classmates and a new love.
This colourful, energetic production, directed by Martin Beaumont, rattled along at a cracking, breathless pace. Everyone played their part in keeping us, in the full theatre, entertained for almost three hours (including a short interval). The scene shifters did an admirable job bringing us into a hairdressing salon, a courtroom, a shack and everything in between.
Colourful costumes abounded – memorable ones being the red and white cheerleader costumes with Elle’s white creation decorated in silver sequins. Amusement came in bucketloads. Apart from the continuous antics of Elle’s UCLA classmates, one lengthy scene stood out. A trial in which the question was asked about a chief witness in court “Is he gay or European?”, was really funny, especially towards the end as one man theatrically revealed “He’s gay AND European”.
Elise Johnson’s choreography was executed to a very high standard by all concerned. A skipping scene was unbelievably energetic and no-one got their ropes baffled. All the singing voices were truly remarkable, especially that of Sewell as Elle and Galer as Emmett.
My only gripe was the louder sounds came across as a bit tinny, making many of the words unclear. My theatre buddy on the night mentioned it, too. Despite that, this talented bunch portrayed events so cleverly, words weren’t needed for us to get the gist of the story. And the atmospheric music emanating from the orchestra pit, from top-class musicians led by musical director Rebecca Barques, was the glue that held everything together. And the moral of Legally Blonde? Be yourself.
This marvellous company goes from strength to strength and it’s always a delight to watch them treading the boards. Bravo to all concerned.
Reviewer: Jackie Foottit
Reviewed: 8th April 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Rating: 4 out of 5.
