Legally Blonde The Musical
The Savoy Theatre
In August 2010 I was practically
bullied into going by a friend. Arriving at the incredible Savoy Theatre I was planning to sit there and make it clear I was not enjoying it, however from beginning to end I sat there with the biggest smile on my face and left walking down the stand singing 'oh my god, oh my god you guys' (I would have said I was holding it in but that would be a lie). It has to be said though that for me, the reason it was so amazing was because of the incredibly talented Sheridan Smith. Not because of her strong voice or comic timing but because of that relationship she created with the audience and the way she completely understood the character she was playing. The best thing about her portrayal of Elle was that because she is nothing like her in real life, she played her in a way, where it was like she was almost taking the mickey out of her. This is why I think British people loved her because they related with her and were almost laughing at the Americans. Also other actors in the show did this and it was as if they were taking the mickey out of there own characters.
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| Susan McFadden as Elle |
Once Susan McFadden took over the role, that extra omph Sheridan brought left the show. Susan was the best vocalist to ever play Elle in my opinion and her acting was also good, I loved her sarcasm, however she didn't lead the show and didn't create that relationship with the audience. However I do think Carley has started to bring this back to the show. Also I think Tamara Wall and Denise Van Outen were also good at creating that relationship with the audience.
I also love the three friends who follow Elle round in the show. I once saw, Pilar, Lucy & Emma together and they were soooo funny together, adding lots of bits in. Legally Blonde also has tones of great songs across all different genres! I thought it would just be poppy music and when 'oh-my-god' started I feared the whole show would be like that however I love how funny 'Serious' is. 'What You Want' is also great and I love how so much time passes during that song. It also includes a bit of rap. The 'Gay Or European' is so so funny and is just like Old British Theatre.
Something else that shows that Legally Blonde is so great is that all three Elle's have gone on to do great things. Since leaving Legally Blonde Sheridan smith has filmed 6 films and is Currently filming a new ITV drama in which she plays the title role 'Mrs Biggs'. Susan McFadden is currently touring America having joined 'Celtic Woman'. And as I previously wrote about on the blog
Carley Stenson is joining the cast of Shrek and is to perform in her first cabaret. Also I'm pleased for Swing Ruthie Stephenson who is to be the Dance Captain on the new Starlight Express UK Tour!
If you haven't seen Legally Blonde you must see it before it closes in a few weeks! The whole cast always put all their effort into every performance and I grantee you will leave feeling uplifted!
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Ben Freeman & Carley Stenson will star as
Warner & Elle until the end of the current west end run |
