Review: Legally Blonde, Grand Opera House

My daughter had been asking to go see Legally Blonde since she first saw it advertised at the Grand Opera House. She wasn’t disappointed.

I’m assured that ‘that was well good’ is high praise indeed for a 13-year-old. She was singing the songs and trying to copy dance moves all the way home.

Legally Blonde is an excellent movie, and was my only experience of the story. I love the character of Elle Woods, the fashion-mad girl who takes on all-comers at Harvard Law School.

As a great Reece Witherspoon fan, who played her in the movie, I was interested to see what was ahead.

Maya Tether put on a fantastic performance as Elle. There was plenty of humour, an amazing voice, and she had some smooth moves.

Much laughter

This was an outstanding cast and I was delighted to see many of my favourite local performers in there, even if some of them were in smaller roles.

Connor Mellor and Scott Goncalves played the pool boy and his gay lover to much laughter, a total contrast to their serious roles recently in West Side Story.

I also enjoy Sandy Nicholson’s performances, and we got to see her take on several roles this evening.

It was refreshing to see a cast that contained all shapes and sizes. The contrast in Paulette and Kyle’s characters made for some funny moments, Joe Mellor looked hilarious in his too-tight UPS shorts and walking boots (although he was well appreciated by the female members of the audience).

Jo Theaker as Paulette carried off the loveable, kooky character and has a great voice.

The sets were simple and effective, portraying the contrast between the girly Delta Nu sorority house, the legal grandeur of Harvard and the courtroom, and the quirkiness of the salon.

Liz Nicholson had my daughter almost speechless in the video scene where she freezes position on the stage in a gym position that almost had my eyes watering, and then holds it whilst the other characters sing.

She was perfect for the part of Brooke, with an amazing figure and gymnastic ability and an excellent voice.

I think one of the unsung heroes of the show is Emily Ramsden as Vivienne. Most of her role is dialogue, which she does well, but she shone in the second half when she got to sing. I’d like to see more of her.

Very enjoyable

Throughout the show there are adult themes and sexual innuendo that can be appreciated by the older members of the audience, yet go straight over the heads of the youngsters.

Everyone had a very enjoyable evening’s entertainment although I suspect a couple of cast members got more applause than they really deserved – the dogs!

They had the smallest parts, and probably got the most vocal reaction. Well done on taking the brave step to include animals in the cast, and even more well done to the dogs who were very well behaved.

It’s a loud, colourful and enthusiastic performance which makes an enjoyable family night out. Well done everyone.