“Comical, camp and current”
Bending and snapping its way into Nottingham, “Legally Blonde” continues its UK tour, painting each city it visits hot pink and bringing with it an uplifting message to be yourself, and change for no one. Having already seen the musical at the beginning of the tour, the show has clearly gone from strength to strength. Every moment of comedy is pitched at the perfect level, drawing laughs from the crowd without being forced or dragged out for too long. The cast are on top form, effortlessly slipping between choreographed pop-fuelled musical numbers and the more serious business of broken hearts and manipulative lecturers. What’s more, everyone is clearly having a ball – the smiles on the faces of the performers are in no way forced, and their energy is infectious. The audience will be bouncing with adrenaline as they leave the theatre, unable to contain the joy that this musical continues to spread.
In the lead role is Amber Davies, firing on all cylinders following a brief departure from the musical due to illness, as Elle Woods, a fashion merchandising grad from Malibu who attends Harvard Law School with the main aim of winning back ex-boyfriend Warner (Jamie Chatterton). Although Davies is probably better known to the general public as a reality TV star (counting Love Island, Dancing on Ice and Strictly Come Dancing among her credits), this is all eclipsed by the fact that she is truly shaping up to be one of the greatest musical actors of this generation. From the moment she steps onto the stage, she connects with the audience, winking and smiling at them, mouthing ad-libs, pulling faces, gradually bringing them into her glamorous world. She is genuinely funny, and instantly likeable. In Act Two, upon picking a new outfit for George Crawford’s Emmett, she casually encourages the audience to give him a cheer, almost like we are her friends, pulled into her sorority circle. They say pets are like their owners, but here it is the other way around, Davies bounding around the stage like an excitable puppy, her movements mimicking those of pet chihuahua Bruiser (Sprout the dog, from Performing Pets). It is an unashamedly joyful performance, and clearly one that Davies relishes – she is the perfect role model for teenage girls up and down the country.
In my previous review, I mentioned that Elle’s love interests were the “least interesting aspects” of the show, but I can safely say that this is no longer the case. As the tour has continued, both have become fully-fledged, three-dimensional characters. Chatterton’s Warner enjoys some comic moments in his first appearance, turning love ballad “Serious” on its head as he dumps Elle to pursue his dreams of becoming a lawyer. He initially appears selfish and uncaring, but upon Elle’s departure, he sinks to his knees and pulls out a ring – lines are added in this update to suggest he has been influenced by his parents to break up with Elle, rather than ending the relationship on his own terms. Maybe he’s not as bad as he first seems? When we meet him later, despite his relationship blossoming with Annabelle Terry’s Vivienne, there is still clearly an attraction to Elle, and it is an attraction that feels more than simply physical, despite his tongue-in-cheek comments over Elle’s suggestive Playboy Bunny costume. It helps to add important context to their past relationship, which is vital in a show where that relationship is the driving force.
Crawford’s Emmett is a little more reserved, a character who seemingly never judges Elle for her appearance, but is in danger of coming across as a little mansplain-y at times. This is counteracted by the song “Chip on my shoulder“, which adds important backstory to Emmett and shows us why he is hyper-focused on his studies. It is a quieter moment in a musical that is often very loud, and a moment that is paramount to our enjoyment of act two. This is a musical where the men are often portrayed as sleazy and sex-obsessed, and it is important that we understand that Emmett is not like this. His reaction during the song “Legally Blonde” does raise some concerns however – there is a clear disappointment when Elle becomes flustered thanks to some positive comments from ex Warner, and it is obviously because Emmett has developed feelings for her, but one can’t help but feel a sense of entitlement here; that Emmett expects a romantic liaison in return for helping Elle to achieve her grades. Following on so soon from lecturer Callahan’s (Adam Cooper) attempted pass at his blonde student, it can feel a little icky, saved only by the fact that Crawford is incredibly charming in the role.
Elle’s Greek chorus of Delta-Nu girls (Hannah Lowther as Margot, Rosanna Harris as Serena and Remi Ferdinand as Pilar) remain fairly one-note and bland. The musical doesn’t give the girls an awful lot to do, except as a sounding board for Elle’s thoughts and feelings, yet one cannot help but feel that they could be made a little more visually distinguishable (although Tom Rogers’ costume design does dress them each in different colours). In a play where the core message is about being yourself and not trying to fit in with the crowd, the three Delta-Nus can feel a little performative and surface-level, which is a bit at odds with the overall themes. Thankfully, we have Karen Mavundukure’s Paulette, whose journey of self-discovery and growth in confidence is a beautiful representation of a character who has no intentions of fitting in with any crowds. Paulette radiates delight, and Mavundukure lifts every scene she is in. Her relationship with Ty-Reece Stewart’s Ryan is one of the highlights of the play, and here is a point where director Nikolai Foster finds visual clues to add more to a character that the book leaves fairly stereotypical. He gives Ryan a twin sling for his and Paulette’s babies and makes him chief dog-handler for Bruiser and Rufus (Milo the dog), helping us see him as an all-round family man rather than simply an Amazon delivery driver with a big package. It is a shame Margot, Serena and Pilar don’t get similar treatment.
If it feels like I’m being nit-picky here, it’s because I am. Without a doubt, this is an excellent musical that has very few faults. Comical, camp and current, this is a feminist musical wrapped up in a pink bow, yet one that feels like it is made for all ages and genders. For further comments on the stunning set design (Colin Richmond), exquisite lighting (Ben Cracknell) and jaw-dropping choreography (Leah Hill), see my previous review – there is only so much one can wax lyrical about such impressive design choices, but rest-assured that all have translated beautifully from the Curve theatre to touring venues. Each aspect of the production fits so naturally with the underlying text that it means the audience can simply sit back and enjoy the story being told, without anything feeling too jarring or unexpected.
Some theatre exists to make you think, some theatre is there to make you squirm, and some is there to make you smile. This is definitely the latter – and I am definitely here for it. If you’re having a bad day, go and see this – as Elle tells us in the Act One finale, it will make you feel “So Much Better“.
Tom Morley, May 2026
For more information on how I decide on star ratings, see here: Star ratings – Broken Legs Blog
Review Round-up:
Elemental Theatre: Legally Blonde – 5* from Elemental Theatre, calling the show “funny, fast, visually intoxicating, vocally immense, and completely unapologetic about its sincerity”
East Midlands Theatre: Legally Blonde – 5* from East Midlands Theatre, where reviewer James confessed to not being familiar with the source material, yet was still blown away by the show, saying “I’m completely won over. I LOVE it.”
What’s Good to Do: Legally Blonde – What’s Good to Do break their own rating system for this production, giving the show a 6/5 rating, saying this is “a fantastic chance to enjoy a West End-quality show in the comfort of Nottingham”
I genuinely tried to find a sub-5* review to include here but to no avail.
I also want to highlight this fab Reddit post from u/Ok-Remote-1174 which provides a song-by-song breakdown of the show, and comparisons to the original 2007 production.
Broken Legs Blog 