Legally Blonde Review with Carley Stenson as Elle Woods

“It must have one of the tightest ensemble/swings in the West End at the moment.”

Last night I went to Legally Blonde to see Carley Stenson as Elle Woods. I actually ended up seeing three understudies as well including Ruthie Stephenson as Enid Hoops, Tara Young as Pilar and Sorelle Marsh as Vivienne Kensington.

Carley Stenson as Elle Woods (photo credit to Ellie Kurtz)

I thought Carley did a good job as Elle. I would describe her as a mix between Sheridan Smith and Susan McFadden’s Elle.  Carley isn’t as vocally strong as Susan but she still has a decent voice and has put her own stamp on the role. I liked some of her personal touches which made me smile. Her chemistry with Lee Mead was good making the relationship between Elle and Emmett believable. Lee has improved in the role since his opening night and makes a very loveable Emmett. I particularly liked the way Lee portrayed Emmett’s growing desire for Elle, you could tell Emmett’s feelings for her were strongly developing throughout the show.

Carley Stenson and Lee Mead (photo credit to Ellie Kurtz)

I enjoyed watching Ruthie Stephenson as Enid, she was fantastic. Sorelle Marsh was great as Vivienne, her voice is fantastic and I thought she acted the role superbly.  Tara Young played Pilar, I thought she played the role brilliantly- very fiesty. Ellie Kirk as the new Margot was an inspired choice. She is very funny but her Margot is quite adorable! Nicola Brazil is fabulous as Serena- great vocals.

Simon Thomas as Warner is suitably smug, Peter Davison still performs Callahan well. I would be interested in seeing someone else playing the role though as I’ve always seen Peter as Callahan. Tamara Wall is brilliant as Brooke- possibly my favourite actress in the role.  She sings and skips well and is wonderfully sarcastic. I think Natalie Casey has improved in the role since I last saw the show. I found her Paulette much more likeable.

The ensemble seemed to be quite low on numbers last night but you couldn’t really tell as the cast perform so well. It must have one of the tightest ensemble/swings in the West End at the moment. Legally Blonde is so fun and uplifting, it’s hard not to walk away with a huge smile on your face wanting to see it again!

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