Posts with the label David Barrett
Showing posts with label David Barrett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Barrett. Show all posts
Tuesday, 19 June 2018
Legally Blonde (UK Tour), New Wimbledon Theatre | Review
Legally Blonde (UK Tour)
New Wimbledon Theatre
Reviewed on Monday 18th June 2018 by Olivia Rose Dowden
★★★
Based on the 2001 teen movie, Legally Blonde tells the story of Elle Woods, who follows her high school sweetheart all the way to Harvard Law School, finding herself along the way.
This UK touring production is led by the hugely energetic Lucie Jones as Elle Woods. Vocally, she was extremely secure and tackled Elle’s huge numbers with confidence and charisma. Her portrayal of the character was a lot more goofy than I’ve seen done before, which was refreshing and quirky. However, there were moments where Jones occasionally missed the mark with her comedic timing and some of the jokes were lost. There wasn’t as significant a transformation of character as I would have hoped; it was only really at the most serious point in the show during the song Legally Blonde, in which Elle decides to give up on Harvard and return home, that Jones began to show another layer to Elle. Despite this, she remained charming throughout and truly won over the audience, gaining a standing ovation at the end of the performance.
David Barrett was a very strong Emmett Forest, creating an endearing and likeable character. Unfortunately, as his key number Chip On My Shoulder was played so slowly by the band, the song struggled to build as much as it should. This is not something he should be personally scrutinised for, but it admittedly affected his performance. I felt the same was the case for Rita Simons’ number Ireland. Simons mastered the voice of the brassy Paulette but could have offered more in terms of character.
Act One, in particular, was paced very slowly. The songs of Legally Blonde are admittedly very “wordy”, but the slow speed at which they were played meant there was a distinct lack of energy that only really emerged in the final number of Act One with So Much Better. Act Two was much more secure, with the comedic numbers Whipped Into Shape and There! Right There! being definite crowd-pleasers. The cast also coped extremely well with one of the dogs who was rather reluctant to stay in character, ad-libbing in order to keep the piece moving.
The production is nearing the end of its tour and I hate to say it but unfortunately it shows. Some half-hearted American accents and very mechanical blocking meant the production just didn’t have that spark that makes this show so special. I also felt the addition of a Legally Blonde megamix after the bows undermined the genuine message the piece portrays at the end.
Nevertheless, after watching a show with so much wit and charm, portrayed by committed and skilled performers, it’s difficult to leave without a slight smile on your face. I want to emphasise that the cast themselves were very strong, with impressive dance numbers and secure vocals. Those seeing the show for the first time will most likely have an enjoyable evening due to the warm-hearted nature of the piece. However, the many patchy moments made me feel as if the piece had lost some of its soul somewhere along the tour.
Legally Blonde runs at the New Wimbledon Theatre until 23rd June
Tuesday, 10 October 2017
Five Reasons to See Legally Blonde on Tour
Last night I visited the New Victoria theatre to see the UK tour of Legally Blonde. Seeing as I've already seen the show and reviewed it here, I thought I'd do a bit of a different post and tell you some of my top reasons to see it.
The production is great and all my thoughts were pretty much the same during my second viewing; the only difference was that Rebecca Stenhouse was playing Elle. Whilst I'm not re-reviewing I have to talk about Rebecca for a little bit. Her debut performance as Elle was completely outstanding, her voice sounded beautiful and she perfectly embodied the role. If I hadn't known she was the understudy I would have noticed zero difference or nervousness; Rebecca owned the stage and won over the audience with her heartfelt performance.
So now my moment of gushing is over, lets get on with the reasons to see the show...
It's Feel-Good Fantasticness: Legally Blonde is brilliant because it's exactly what it claims to be: a feel good, pink and positive show. So many shows I've seen recently have been depressing or try and be dramatic, moving or life-changing so it's really a breath of fresh air to see something fun and lighthearted. You'll leave the theatre smiling and feeling great- what more can you ask for?
Dogs: Need I say more? Who doesn't love a cute little pup scuttling across the stage? Whilst they're not in the show a lot, their moments in the spotlight gain "aw's" all around and are as cute as can be!
The Music is Crazily Catchy: I think Legally Blonde is a pretty underrated musical, I don't really hear people talking about it much, but they should! The music is catchy, upbeat and has so many witty lines. There are various styles and so many wonderful vocal moments. You'll definitely have the tunes stuck in your head.
The Performances are Brilliant: A great show with rubbish performances is pretty pointless to see, luckily they're fantastic in this production. I've gone into detail in my review but the cast are super strong and very attractive as the larger than life characters. Especially great is Helen Petrovna's 'Whipped into Shape' which makes me out of breath just watching!
It Has Lots of Heart: The story of Elle following her man to Harvard and realising she's more than a typical Malibu blonde is sweet and heartwarming. The romance, drama and humour makes you root for the characters and provides a fantastic night out.
So there (right there!) we have five reasons to see Legally Blonde. To sum up, it's a fun, lighthearted, brilliant show which you will definitely enjoy. As the days get shorter and colder, Legally Blonde is precisely the pop of warmth and light that you need.
Legally Blonde runs at the New Victoria Theatre until October 14th before continuing on its tour.
Friday, 22 September 2017
Legally Blonde (UK Tour), Churchill Theatre | Review
Legally Blonde (UK Tour)
Churchill Theatre
Reviewed on Thursday September 21st 2017 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
Pink, energetic and a whole load of fun, the current tour of Legally Blonde is a joyous way to spend a carefree few hours at the theatre. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who hatches a plan to get into Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner who would rather marry someone “serious”. Once there Elle realises she’s more than just the dumb blonde she’s been brought up to be and, joined by her Greek chorus and adorable dog Bruiser, she turns the world of law upside down.
Lucie Jones is a complete triumph as Elle. Having seen her in Les Mis, a solo concert and Rent, I was looking forward to seeing how she'd take on the role of Elle and she just does it wonderfully. Her comedic timing is completely perfect, bringing laughs in left, right and centre with her various one liners, squeals and movements. Lucie’s voice is as clear as a bell, her beautiful tone rings out on every word and she is just outstanding from start to end.
Alongside Lucie is David Barrett as the hard-working, slightly dowdy, Emmett. They have a wonderful chemistry and bounce off each other to create a believable blooming relationship. David has a lovely voice and he perfectly balances his calm and collected self with Elle's hyperactivity. Liam Doyle and Laura Harrison take on the roles of Warner and Vivienne well, both with lovely voices and good characterisation to show their development throughout. The audience were drawn Rita Simons as Paulette as she poured her heart out at her first meeting with Elle; she radiated warmth and nailed the comedic role although her singing could've been slightly more powerful at times.
The ensemble are great and full of energy, especially during Whipped into Shape and There! Right There! both of which were stand outs of the show with the UV skipping ropes in Whipped being particularly effective. I do feel that the Greek chorus could have been developed a little more with extra emphasis on the personality of each member, but their vocals were spot on and I loved their costumes, especially their Heathers-esque court room attire.
The choreography worked well with the piece and was energetic and fun enough to keep the momentum up throughout. The movement in There! Right There! was especially enjoyable to watch and the build throughout the piece was fab. The cheer section in What You Want could definitely be developed more to actually include cheer moves and give it more power but it was by no means unenjoyable.
I have a few reservations with the costumes purely from a picky point of view, such as Vivienne's heels being too high to fit with the frumpy look she is supposed to have and Elle's final court room suit just not having enough oomph and again being a little old-fashioned. Some of the costumes could have been updated to make them look less dated but I did enjoy the various changes and the various shades of pink!
The megamix at the end was over the top and quite unnecessary as, in my opinion it somewhat cheapens the production but it did work well to get everyone clapping along and smiling their way out of the auditorium and I certainly left feeling warm and joyful...
though I would've anyway without the mix!!
Overall this is a really enjoyable production. It's the perfect mix of lightheartedness and a little drama, it doesn't claim to be anything it's not and it's the ideal show for a girls night out. Charming and funny it reminds us that being yourself is the most important thing and will definitely leave you wanting to channel your inner Elle... I'm finding pink, sparkly clothes this minute!
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