A full-on, fun-filled, fuchsia fantasy!
Whilst Barbie dominates the IMAX, we spent Saturday night reliving the original pink takeover. As the Empire theatre filled with pink dresses and shirts, two realisations struck us. Firstly that we had missed the dress code memo and the second being that a thrilling performance of ‘Legally Blonde: The Musical’ was about to begin. This show was presented by the Liverpool Empire Youth Theatre, a company which unites local talent with industry professionals to provide real-world experience for those between the ages of 15 and 21. I am certain that amongst the fictional ranks of Delta Nu and Harvard Law we will see many of the cast returning to the Empire and beyond!
The leading character Elle, played by Erin May, was portrayed in an appropriately quirky and light-hearted fashion. We felt that Ms. May went above and beyond and showed tremendous professionalism through two separate mishaps. She was able to lead the cast through the distractions and into each proceeding number with ease and stability in her stylish stilettos. Her superb handling of the situations, however, should not diminish the impressiveness of the rest of the company’s acting during those scenes.
As the show hurdled and piked through the first act we met Paulette (Libby Sunter) who delivered the song of the night with a silencing performance of ‘Ireland’, with a truly magnificent voice that echoed well across the Mersey towards the misty Irish breeze. The performance of ‘There Right There’ in the second act was another highlight which fans of the film, stage show or even book will know well. For those who remain in the dark I shall not spoil the iconic refrain however, as this is a review I will hint that it involves stereotypes of both a personal and national nature, leading to some dubious speculation. This song garnered the most laughs and a young theatre goer next to us loudly declared it to be her favourite song, which if it wasn’t for ‘Ireland’ I would have agreed. The choreography was at times messy; however this was tightened up by the second act and with the heavy emphasis on complex routines this production remains a credit to the work of Laura Meeson and Paul Lawton. Throughout the performance, the canine companions playing Bruiser and Butch were an excellent choice instantly gathering a cheer, this was compounded by their excellent execution of stage directions.
In summary, this was a superb performance and an assurance that the future of theatre is secure. Make sure to catch the company in their next performance, I know for a fact I’ll be there; hopefully dressed more appropriately!