Legally Blonde the Musical, bought to life by the Nelson Youth Theatre is a lively and entertaining show that left the audience in high spirits. Perfect for teenagers and older, the show brings together catchy tunes, energetic dances and hilarious comedic antics.

Elle Woods played by Michaela Carruthers was a stand out capturing Elle’s blend of determination and charm. She effortlessly embodied Elle’s transformation from a seemingly shallow blonde to a fierce and determined law student.

She displayed impressive vocal prowess and maintained Elle’s signature bubbly charm through the performance. This was complimented by Emmet (Tobias Young) who’s singing was on point as he subtlely portrayed his growing affection for Elle.

This was the first show of the week and there were some teething difficulties with sound issues and cast pulling on their costumes on stage that distracted somewhat from the experience.

One piece of advice I would give to the cast is to slow down and take your time when delivering lines as some lines were hard to catch. However, the casts energy and commitment more than compensated for the minor hiccups.

Strong performances by the supporting cast included Holly Cameron, playing the poised and sophisticated Vivienne delivered a strong and convincing experience. Paulette (Coco Morrisey-Smith) and Kyle (Ollie Petrie) provided a delightful comedic twist to the story both keeping the audience laughing with their hiliarious antics and impeccable comedic timing.

Brook (Casey Jenkinson) was a strong and outstanding character. I was especially impressed with her strong singing during the energetic song “Whip into Shape” all whilst performing a spectacular jump rope routine.

The show is on 6pm 25 to 30 September at the Theatre Royal, Nelson. If you are looking for a musical full of fun and energy be sure not to miss this show.

Legally Blonde the Musical at Theatre Royal until 30th September, Reviewed by Katrina O’Connor

REVIEW: Legally Blonde

An enthusiastic cast has bought the classic film Legally Blonde to the stage in a toe tapping, high energy musical.

The story is about Elle, a blonde from Malibu (played by Michaela Carruthers – a seasoned actor) who follows her ex-boyfriend Warner (played by Dylan Welsh) to Harvard Law school.

Elle is not fully understood by her fellow law students, but her never ending ability to see the best in everything wins them over and proves that blondes maybe do have more fun, and Elle is accepted for who she truly is.

I enjoyed the fast pace of the show and especially enjoyed ‘Whipped into Shape’, a fitness dance led by Brook, played by Casey Jenkinson, with some great choreography.

I think there were a few opening night jitters with some actors rushing their lines and the audience would have had trouble understanding what was sung or spoken. There were a few mic issues that was a little distracting in parts, but I am confident these will be sorted.

I enjoyed the interaction with Elle and Warner and they both sung clearly and confidently and Elle really kept the show moving along nicely.

The costumes in some scenes were a little lacklustre but the big dance numbers made up for this. Some of the hair was a little messy and distracting as you couldn’t see some characters facial expressions.

I really enjoyed Elle’s delta Nus who kept the pace of the show going with great singing and dancing, and thought that Kyle the UPS delivery man played by Ollie Petrie was outstanding with his comical acting and stage presence.

Legally Blonde runs every night this week until Saturday 30 September and starts at 6pm.