Omigod you guys, “Legally Blonde” is back with a reimagined Made at Curve production from director Nikolai Foster, most recently seen at the helm of Curve’s “The Sound of Music” last year. Based on the 2001 film, and first adapted into a musical in 2007, here “Legally Blonde” receives a thorough update for 2026 – so be prepared for selfies, TikToks, and lusting after Timothée Chalamet. Strictly finalist and Love Island winner Amber Davies takes on the lead role as Elle Woods, a fashion-obsessed blonde keen to break out of her stereotype, who gets accepted into Harvard Law School for questionable reasons (mainly, LOVE). What begins as an ambition to merely impress her childhood sweetheart soon transforms into determination to prove herself as a legal eagle, in a production that will be sure to leave you beaming from side to side as Elle finally overcomes the obstacles in her way and shows that you should never judge a book by its cover.
Davies is, quite simply, extraordinary in the role. There could be a tendency to portray Elle as superficial and surface-level, a naive wannabe who is all hair and no substance. But here, Davies shows from the outset that Elle is so much more than that – the character’s potential is plain to see from the outset when Elle quietly uses her knowledge of textiles to prevent a dressmaker from pulling the wool over her eyes during opening number ‘Omigod You Guys‘. There is a spark that Elle too often tries to suppress, for fear of not fitting in or being regarded as stupid. She is so keen to impress that she ends up second guessing herself – whilst the views and reactions of her Harvard classmates don’t help matters, it is Elle’s own confidence that is the biggest battle she must overcome, not confidence in her appearance but confidence in her own abilities. It is what makes Act One finale ‘So Much Better‘ the standout moment of the show. Often this number can simply be performed as Elle sticking it to her disbelieving contemporaries; here it is given an additional level of meaning, as Davies transforms the number to be the culmination of Elle’s own internal battle with her self-confidence. The revelation is plain to see – this isn’t just Elle saying she is “so much better”, she actually starts to believe it.
Comic relief comes courtesy of Karen Mavundukure as Paulette, whose rendition of ‘Ireland‘ begins tongue-in-cheek, and transforms into something much more meaningful and sincere by the end. Her relationship with Ty-Reece Stewart’s Kyle comes out of nowhere and is initially played for laughs, but again it shows how Paulette’s change in perspective is all that is needed to improve her confidence. There is no need for her to change her appearance or her personality to be accepted. It is something this production excels at throughout – taking a storyline that often feels flimsy and bland and finding hidden meaning and real depth to the characters.
Throughout, Elle is accompanied by her own self-titled Greek chorus in the form of her fellow Delta-Nu girls Margot (TikTok star Hannah Lowther), Serena (Rosanna Harris) and Pilar (Remi Ferdinand). Tom Rogers’ costume design gives each girl a unique style and colour, which helps them stand-out whilst the script remains fairly generic across all three characters. Lowther portrays Margot as particularly ditzy and gullible, whilst Harris is more outgoing and impulsive, and Ferdinand gives a warming, steady hand to influence Elle’s decisions. This is all accompanied by ferocious, exhausting dance moves, in particular during the ‘Bend and Snap’, which sees the three girls and Elle trying to teach Paulette some flirtatious tricks.
Leah Hill’s choreography shines the most during Act Two opener ‘Whipped into Shape‘, which sees the stage turned into an old TV set through which we watch a live-action remake of a noughties fitness DVD, led by Jocasta Almgill as fitness guru and murder suspect Brooke. The dance incorporates skipping ropes in what is surely the most complicated piece of choreography of the night, providing an energetic start to act two which neatly brings us back into Elle’s world filled with heightened, melodramatic stakes.
The melodrama is mirrored in Colin Richmond’s set design – sometimes bigger really is better, and that is most definitely the case here. Each set piece towers high on the stage, large flats lowered from above to recreate Paulette’s salon or the Harvard classrooms. This is most notable during the courtroom scenes, which sees James Lim’s deliciously camp judge towering over the rest of the cast in an impossibly high bench. When the scene transforms into a bathroom, it is the icing on the cake, such a clever piece of set manipulation that is simple and yet oh-so-clever. The production also makes use of scale models of Elle’s old home in Malibu and Harvard Law School to help with the transition from California to Massachusetts. This also creates a wonderful visual of Margot, Serena and Pilar climbing over the Harvard Law School during the number ‘Positive’, which feels like something from a horror-movie – albeit a very pink, glitter-fuelled horror movie. The backdrop is painted pink, but Ben Cracknell’s lighting design helps to bring out different shades in increasingly clever ways – the hallowed halls of Harvard are lit with orange lighting that makes the pink flats appear as wooden panels, whilst the culmination of ‘Gay or European’ sees the entire stage lit up in rainbow colours, which is a little on-the-nose but a fun inclusion nonetheless.
The updates feel natural and not shoe-horned. This is Legally Blonde with a Gen-Z twist. Casual references to celebrities and films are switched to be more relevant – one line about MTV in ‘Whipped Into Shape‘ is altered to reference Instagram instead. The candles lit in Elle’s honour during ‘Omigod You Guys‘ are instead mobile phone torches. Part of ‘What You Want‘ is reimagined as a Nikki Minaj-esque rap, delivered with excellent timing by Keanna Bloomfield, and Elle’s father is presented as a surfboard wielding has-been, presumably a common finding on the West Coast of the US. The story remains as relevant as ever – these updates will allow teenagers to feel like the show belongs to them rather than their parents, whilst it won’t detract too much from fans of the original ’07 production. It is clever and not in-your-face, it just works.
In terms of love interests, George Crawford’s Emmett and Jamie Chatterton’s Warner are probably the least interesting aspects of this bold, colourful production, the two male protagonists struggling to match the rest of the extravagant characters on show. Without doubt, it is canine performers Sprout and Milo as Bruiser and Rufus who steal the show, Sprout yawning his way through some of the earlier scenes, whilst Milo managed to slip his collar at one point, only to be expertly caught by Stewart. What is plain to see is the actors’ devotion to their animal performers, and when Sprout appears in his own little pink mortarboard at the end, it raises one of the biggest ‘awww’s of the night.
The focus of this show is about celebrating women and the power of breaking down barriers. We see different women take different approaches, such as Annabelle Terry’s Vivienne, and Bloomfield’s Enid. This clash of personalities quickly leads to cattiness between the female characters, but by the end it shows that if we learn to accept our differences, we can work together and be more successful as a result. This show is uplifting, fun and filled with moments to love. Under Cerys McKenna’s musical direction, the soundtrack has never felt so bombastic. By the final curtain, as the audience sit covered in pink confetti, you will be unable to take the smile off your face, and sometimes, that’s all we need from a theatrical production.
Tom Morley, February 2026
Review Round-up:
East Midlands Theatre: Legally Blonde – 5 stars from EMT, who call the show “bright, bold and bursting with energy”
Lauren in Leicester: Legally Blonde – Also 5 stars from Lauren in Leicester, who says the show is “escapism, feminism and an absolute pleasure to watch” and points out that it is “modernised […] whilst remaining true to what works”
DLUXE Review: Legally Blonde – And it’s a clean sweep, with 5 stars also from DLUXE magazine, saying the show “is a joyous, high-energy reminder that confidence, kindness, and a killer soundtrack can go a long way”
Broken Legs Blog 