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Legally Blonde - Cygnet Players


Cygnet Player’s production of Legally Blonde has been highly anticipated, selling out a few days ago before they began the run. I was glad to get hold of a ticket as (if you’ve read September Recommends) I am particularly fond of the show and I’m happy to report I was not left disappointed.

The Chairperson’s note in the programme states director Matthew Eberhardt has an eye for detail, and I would wholly agree with this. The stage was constantly alive with little moments, from the couple getting closer and closer at the party in act one, to the reporters with their recorders scurrying around the court, to the hairdressers enthusiastically noting the success rate of the bend and snap. Even when the focus was elsewhere, you knew these things were happening around the action, adding to the world of Elle convincingly and making ensemble scenes rich and colourful. It is testimony to Eberhardt, not only in how well thought through these moments were, but in how well the cast performed and followed them through. Scene changes were seamless, with cast intermingling and changing set swiftly and cleanly.

The set was highly adaptable, successfully expressing a wide range of physically areas. Alex Doidge-Green made the set work for the space and incredibly user-friendly with cast easily transitioning it from scene to scene. Before the performance, I had been marginally concerned at the suitability of the space bearing in mind the amount of locations the musical travels between and the lack of space at Putney Arts Theatre to store extra scenery, but this was not an issue and the space was very well used.

The music was good with strong singing throughout that was hard to fault. The band, led by Musical Director Steven Geraghty, was also consistently good, but sadly (and an all too common occurrence in the area) the bass occasionally overpowered the performers. The person I attended last night’s performance with does not know the show as well as me and often lost words due to sound balancing issues. Not helping this was some late cues on mics meaning the start of lines were unheard, despite the mics being amplified so loudly they emitted an annoying background hiss.

Della Bhujoo’s choreography was interesting and appropriate. Everyone was in time and looked as though they were enjoying themselves – something that sometimes goes out the window when less sure performers are dancing. This was not the case in Legally Blonde and each dance was fitting to the song and music it was set to, giving each musical number its own sense of life. Shout out to Rachel Kitchen for successfully shaking her stuff in impressively high shoes!

One thing that slightly perplexed me was the supposed updating of the show to the modern day. As the original book by Amanda Brown is based on her own experiences, it is safe to assume the events she describes originally happened in the recent past but, aside from the inclusion of laptops and modern camera phones, I struggled to see how the show has been updated. This is probably not helped by the resurgence of 90s fashion, meaning some of the sorority girl’s clothes looked historic (can I call the 90s historic?!) Even so, as a matter of dramaturgy, there was nothing evident in the language and adaptation of the milieus of the show that demonstrated this renovation. It is a very picky point, but as a noteworthy aspect of style (and style only in my opinion) to the production team, my thoughts are the performative purpose of the update were unclear and ineffective in providing context for a script that does not appear to point to a specific time period.

Rachel Kitchen as Elle Woods was a delight to watch, equally sweet and sassy. She has a fine voice that is entirely suitable in tone for the role, with the act one finale ‘So Much Better’ living up to its high reputation due to her performance. There was a brief moment at the beginning of the performance before the song ‘Serious’ where acting was a little flat, along with Nino Stylianou as Warner, but this appears to be a blip I would not mention if I had the opportunity of seeing the production again tomorrow and assuring myself this was a case of first night nerves. However, I do not have that pleasure and would recommend a brief moment to revisit the scene and shake off any staleness in the deliverance of lines in an otherwise superb performance from both actors.

One particular highlight for me worth mentioning at this point was the dialogue between Elle and Brooke (Kirsty Rome) concerning the latter’s alibi. There was perceptive comic timing aided by well-produced vocal variation for an amusing and interesting interaction between the characters.

Kate Chesworth as Paulette was a standout of the evening. She is an exceptional actor in my opinion, and kept the audience laughing with good comic timing.

Another standout cast member was Melanie Willis as Vivienne, exhibiting arrogant cockiness throughout with aplomb. She makes sensitive choices as an actor, sometimes as small as a brief scathing downward glance, which so well demonstrated Vivienne’s opinion and change of heart towards Elle.

Mark Stanford as Emmett Forrest has a good voice, with the narrative of ‘Chip On My Shoulder’ clearly being expressed through vocal clarity and a seemingly strong affinity with the character.

The production bought to life the comedic side of the book and score, with the audience easily and loudly laughing through ‘Serious’, ‘Positive’, ‘Ireland’, ‘Bend & Snap’, and ‘There Right There’. ‘There Right There’ is what it is in my opinion but was done very well, with Nigel Fullerton and Jack Beedle as Nikos and Carlos respectively gaining the laughs their wonderfully light hearted dancing deserved. ‘What You Want’ was particularly memorable due to its energetic dancing and all round feel-good factor, spearheaded aptly by Hannah McKenna-Vickerstaff (Margot), Siana French (Serena), Anna Howard (Pilar), and Deborah Lowe (Kate).

The highlight of the performance, however, was ‘Legally Blonde Remix’, with the cast turning the audience to putty in their hands through the sheer excitement and energy they exuded.

The standard of production was impressive and it’s impossible to pick my favourite performance. That being said, I did get to briefly meet Bossy (portraying Elle’s dog, Bruiser) after the performance and my heart was well and truly stolen. Had I met Rhapsody (Paulette’s dog, Rufus), I would’ve probably been equally in love.

As I’ve already mentioned, the run of Legally Blonde is sold out with waiting lists for tickets in place. If you have a ticket for one of the remaining performances, count yourself very lucky. Despite the incredible heat in the auditorium (no fault of Cygnet’s) and a few wandering accents both back to home in the UK and all around North America, the evening was sublimely entertaining. Cygnet Player’s Legally Blonde is amateur theatre at its best – every aspect well executed by obviously talented and dedicated individuals.

Snaps for Cygnets!

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