It is now a quarter of a century since
Legally Blonde first hit the screens, featuring Reese Witherspoon in the iconic role of Elle Woods, and now 19 years since the film became a Broadway musical.
Legally Blonde is back on tour and now at Milton Keynes for a fresh take on the show. So, in the hands of director Nikolai Foster, who often likes to shake things up, is this pink spectacle as relevant and enjoyable as it has been in the past?
Legally Blonde tells the story of Elle Woods, a UCLA sorority sister who tries to get into Harvard Law School to win back her boyfriend, Warner. During her time at Harvard, Elle begins to realise that things beyond Warner are becoming increasingly more relevant to her progress in life.
The role of Elle Woods is in the hands of Amber Davies, a now very big name beyond theatre, thanks to her appearance on
Strictly Come Dancing. However, more significantly here, is being fresh from victory at the
WhatsOnStage Awards for her performance in
The Great Gatsby. You can see why she has been successful: Davies is an extremely talented performer, bringing the vocals, dance, and drama, particularly the humour, to the role of Woods.
George Crawford creates a likeable Emmett, but rather disappointing compared to previous productions, in a scaled-back version of the character. Previously portrayed as a more nerdy, awkward character, here he's just a slightly less trendy version of Jamie Chatterson’s Warner, which sadly doesn’t allow the character's transition to have as much impact as in previous iterations, or for the difference between the two characters to be as evident.
Karen Mavundukure is a tremendous bundle of energy as hair salon owner Paulette, who happily befriends Elle and helps her out. Mavundukure also offer huge powerhouse vocals in her numbers and creates a lovely, gentle backstory of her own with the UPS delivery guy. There is also a fabulous performance from Annabelle Terry as Elle's sparring partner, whose journey is enjoyed by the audience, and Terry’s vocals have an equally powerful impact on the songs she features in.
As the movie Barbie zapped the film world of pink paint, Colin Richmond’s Legally Blonde set takes the challenge of being the most pink theatre set. It provides an easy backdrop for quick-changing scenes but shows a curious interest in dollhouse scene-setting, which only partially works. Tom Rogers provides the sometimes garish but always eye-catching costumes for the large number of characters.
Director Nikolai Foster has definitely changed some of the original, particularly updating it to the modern day, but this has little effect, with only an added mention of TikTok or Instagram in the songs or scenes. However, the piece's energy is stunning, with the first act particularly high-intensity and occasionally shrill. Much of the energy comes from the choreography by Leah Hill, who gives the ensemble a tremendous amount of work, helping keep the audience interested. The songs are all brilliantly performed, with the bulk of the best in the second act, such as
Whipped Into Shape,
Bend and Snap and the superbly funny
There! Right There!Legally Blonde is very lightweight entertainment, with just a few moments of drama sneaked in toward the end of the second act. However, despite its lightness, it is great fun once you get past the sheer Americanness early in the first act. The packed audience loved it, and if this type of show is anywhere on your radar, you are sure not to be disappointed.
A high-octane, audience-pleasing musical with some fantastic songs.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Performance reviewed: Tuesday 10th March, 2026 at the Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes.
Photographs: Mark Brenner
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