Review: Legally Blonde - Norwich Theatre

Amber Davies as Elle Woods - image credit: Matt Crockett

Review by Annabel Johnson

Despite only 6.5 stars on IMDb, Legally Blonde is one of those films that seems to be stitched in to the DNA of most of my generation - even my 12 year-old daughter has watched it countless times. Now, I consider myself to be a walking millennial girl stereotype a lot of the time, but somehow, Legally Blonde passed me by.

In the musical, we see sorority president, Elle Woods, played by Amber Davies, follow ex boyfriend, Warner, to Harvard to study law to prove to him that she can be ‘serious’. We watch her unexpectedly flourish, win a criminal murder trial (as a law student), and graduate. It’s far-fetched, but as a chick flick/comedy storyline, I get it - it’s adorable. If I’d have watched the film, I’m sure I'd love it, and I can see how it holds the hearts of so many 25 years later.

I’m not sure I’m as bowled over by the musical as I should be, however.

Elaine Paige recently said in an interview with The Times that new musicals were too loud and had no hit songs. "They don’t make them like they did," she remarked, acknowledging what a cliché that was. At the time, I rolled my eyes and disagreed with her - vehemently - but in the case of Legally Blonde…the old gal might have a point. The songs just didn’t have enough identity for me to remember any of them. Every song felt like the same repetitive beat, mix belt, mix belt, mix belt, and screaming girls. So many screaming girls. Amber Davies and the cast had gorgeous voices, don’t get me wrong, but the songs were boring to listen to. 

I felt optimistic that Adam Cooper as Callahan, was going to bring us something to change the dynamic with jazz-influenced number, Blood in The Water, but something felt missing. Whether vocally or instrumentally, I’m unsure. There was nothing inherently wrong with Cooper’s performance, it just didn’t feel as rich as I was expecting. My instinct tells me it required a deeper baritone in the role. 

I know I sound like a miserable old woman, and I’m certain that for fans of the film, this will absolutely scratch that itch. It’s an easy watch, it’s light-hearted, and it’s fun - it just didn’t have that edge for me to want to rave about it. In the interests of justice, however, my daughter thought it was incredible. In fact, when I asked her how it compared to the film she said, "It’s much better, the film doesn’t have any singing or dancing!" So, if you’re a fan of the film, listen to 12 year-old Eleanor; go see the show, and you’ll have a fab time. And of course there are real dogs on stage for this one, which was enough to win me over.

Legally Blonde continues at Norwich Theatre Royal until 26 Sept.