Review: Legally Blonde the musical, UK tour, Glasgow | Scottish premiere

Lisa in the theatre
2 days ago
4 min read

Omigod you guys! Elle Woods and Bruiser Woods are on tour. The brand new 'Made at Curve' production of Legally Blonde the musical is at The King's Theatre, Glasgow until Saturday 11th April, before continuing on tour across the UK and Ireland through 2026. Read my review of this very fun - very pink! - new musical below.

Legally Blonde the musical ★★★★☆

Review: 7 April 2026 | King's Theatre Glasgow

Based on the 2001 Reese Witherspoon film, the new UK & Ireland tour production of Legally Blonde the musical is produced by Leicester Curve Theatre and ROYO.

The story follows blonde and bubbly sorority queen Elle Woods (Amber Davies) who is dumped by her long-term boyfriend Warrner Huntingdon III (Jamie Chatterton) for someone "more serious." In the hope of winning him back, Elle decides to follow Warner to Harvard Law School - What? Like it's hard? - where she swaps fashion for Law, under the tutelage of renowned professor Callahan (the excellent Adam Cooper.) Elle soon makes friends with legal teaching assistant Emmet (James Lim covering for George Crawford) and nail technician Paulette (Karen Mavundukure) and finds herself involved with real-life legal cases.

Legally Blonde the musical stays true to its (platinum blonde) roots by including all the quotable lines and iconic moments from the beloved rom-com film. And while I agree that not every cult film needs to become a stage show, this musical adaptation translates very well. The story behind Legally Blonde is simple enough (and preposterous enough!) to work in the condensed runtime demanded by the theatre. And as long as you suspend your disbelief and go with the flow that Elle sways the Harvard entrance committee with a dazzling song and dance routine, and that she solves cases based on her extensive knowledge of beauty care, then it's all great fun.

Legally Blonde the musical has the best choreography I've seen on stage for a long, long time.

What works particularly well when translating Elle's story to the stage in this production, is the addition of commercial dance. Legally Blonde the musical pops with modern, fresh choreography and energetic dance routines by the brilliant Leah Hill.

Director Nikolai Foster - known for superb, dance-led musical theatre shows such as A Chorus Line and Kinky Boots - works his cast to the limit with complex, vigorous dance moves on top of demands for sharp comedic acting and soaring vocal performances. But to their credit, the cast never once miss a note. It all pays off in an impressive, lively, musical theatre spectacular.

Amber Davies (centre) as Elle Woods and the cast of Legally Blonde the musical Uk tour. Photo credit: Matt Crockett — Amber Davies (centre) as Elle Woods and the cast of Legally Blonde the musical. Photo: Matt Crockett

The ensemble cast, decked out in Tom Rodgers' bright costumes, play Elle's sorority sisters, Harvard Law, classmates and many other incidental but vibrant characters. Backed by Colin Richmond's' simple but stylish set, the stage bursts with movement and colour, while Ben Cracknell's unmistakable lighting elevates proceedings to a whole new dazzling level.

Elle Woods is such a refreshing female protagonist. Underestimated by her peers because of her caring, warm personality and her trademark pink and blonde appearance, she proves her smarts by studying hard and passing the LSAT (Law School Admission Test.) Elle has a strong moral compass, and through the course of this story, she learns to turn that focus inwards, to understand her own worth, and to not hang her future happiness on a boy. She's a brilliant role model, and she had Glasgow King's Theatre cheering on her every move.

And that's in no small part due to the extraordinarily strong performance from triple-threat Amber Davies in the lead role. Davies is sensational as the all-singing, all-dancing, impossibly beautiful and brainy underdog law student.

Elle is supported through her dramas by a fabulous Greek Chorus of her three closest sorority sisters (Hannah Lowther, Rosanna Harris and Remi Ferdinand) and the fabulous Paulette, who she meets in a beauty salon. Karen Mavundukure's Paulette - a role unforgettably played by Jennifer Coolidge in the Hollywood film - is a superb character in the musical with her own exhilarating mini sub-plot. Relatable, and oh so likable, Mavundukure is fantastic, and her rendition of solo song 'Ireland' brought the house down.

Karen Mavundukure as Paulette and Amber Davies as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde the musical UK tour. Photo credit: Matt Crockett — Karen Mavundukure as Paulette & Amber Davies as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde the musical. Photo: Matt Crockett

Yes, the rumours are true! Legally Blonde the musical does feature REAL DOGS!

The endlessly adorable pair of Bruiser Woods and Milo are played by Sprout and Rufus respectively. They are only on stage briefly, but they may have received the loudest cheers of the night. Good boys.

Legally Blonde the musical is a high-energy, neon-pink, musical theatre treat.

It's a fluffy, heartwarming rom com with a strong, inspiring female lead at its core. This new UK tour production of the show is a gem, with an upbeat score, strong supporting cast and dazzling production values that do the iconic character of Elle Woods justice.

A fun, uplifting, feel-good night out at the theatre? Guilty as charged. ★★★★☆

Legally Blonde the musical is at Glasgow King's Theatre until Saturday 11 April, before continuing on UK & Ireland tour, including dates in Aberdeen and Edinburgh later this year. Find more tour dates below.

More cast info: Read the Legally Blonde the musical UK & Ireland tour full cast announcement here:

https://www.lisainthetheatre.com/post/legally-blonde-musical-cast

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