Leeds Grand Theatre – until Saturday 13th June 2026
Reviewed by Adam Craddock
4****
Last night I had the privilege to be invited along to the lovely Leeds Grand Theatre to review the latest leg of the tour of Legally Blonde: The Musical. Starring Amber Davies as Elle Woods, Legally Blonde follows the famed sorority girl turned law student as she leaves sunny Malibu to study at the world famous Harvard Law. We also follow her story of young love and just what she will do to keep it.
Amber Davies is strong as Elle Woods, really playing the ditzy blonde well but having enough depth to show us the woman underneath. Davies has a strong dance ability although sometimes the vocal did lack in my opinion compared to her peers, for me there was too much of a growl to her tone that I would perhaps expect from a far less experienced singer than Davies. George Crawford co stars as Emmett, the lawyer who welcomes the new students at Harvard and supports them along the way. Crawford and Davies have a real natural chemistry and this was one of my personal highlights in the show. Hannah Lowther was fabulous as Margot, giving the expected level of energy and a very strong vocal. I would definitely enjoy seeing her alternate Elle performance. Karen Mavundukure was strong as Paulette, with a great comedic performance and vocal, although in the more serious moments I didn’t really feel much emotion there, for me some key beats of the song Ireland were missed from a character point of view. Adam Cooper was fair as Callahan, with a smooth vocal but perhaps missing some of the suaveness I would want from this character. Jamie Chatterton was good as Warner, again with a strong vocal but for me he could’ve been even more of a bad guy, I didn’t actually dislike him that much which for this part was strange to me. Annabelle Terry was fabulous as Vivienne, playing the awful new girlfriend well but having the best character journey in the show for me and definitely the most impressive vocal. Bravo!
In terms of production values the sound was mostly strong, although there were a few patchy mics throughout dropping in and out which can ruin your immersion. The lighting was crisp and spot on and the costuming was strong. I also thought the set worked well for what was required. Special Mention to the adorable Sprout and Nellie playing our four legged friends, Bruiser and Rufus and their handling team as both did a pawfect job!!
Overall I would recommend a visit to see Legally Blonde whilst it is in town. This is definitely a strong production of this show and had some very bright moments. Snaps to all involved.