Legally Blonde was a very campy musical that had great music and vocals but lacked oomph. Having the musical outdoors felt like a great idea but in execution, it did not work out wonderfully. At the very beginning of the musical, the mics were a little scrambled so hearing what the characters were saying was a little difficult. Most of the actors gave an incredible performance and made the show enjoyable. Sadly, one of the most disappointing performances was from Elle Woods herself. While the vocals were amazing, I feel like the spirit of the character was not there. At no point during the show did I feel like I felt anything from the performer or as if I was watching Legally Blonde at all.
That being said, the performances I saw from Brooke Taylor Windham and Paulette Bonafonté. As soon as these performers came on it felt as though the show had been saved and finally had a breath of life in it. Paulette kept me laughing almost the entire time she was on stage and was able to show the character I was hoping to see. The actress who played Brooke was fantastic. Her physique is truly something I can only hope to achieve one day. She was able to effortlessly do her workout dance routine which included double ditching at three accelerating paces, and still deliver killer vocals and energy. Unfortunately, these energies were not carried by the entire cast, and I am sad to say some fell flat.
Having the musical outside sounded like a great idea when we first heard that we were seeing this show. Unfortunately, it was not the best execution. The rain ended up being a larger problem for the audience and performers. At one point after intermission, the show had to be paused so that the floor could be wiped down/ dried off so that the performers could be safe. While I feel like there are lots of shows that can be done outdoors, a choreography-heavy show with speakers was not the right choice for the venue.
Theatre in London U of A 