The girl power chick flick has already stormed Broadway and the West End in its current incarnation as a stage musical, and looks set to do the same on it’s first ever UK tour.

This show is full of vibrancy and excitement – partly due to the score and script (the wit here definitely exceeds the “chick flick” tag) and in the main down to the young, energetic cast. Full of newcomers, this ensemble show has many stars in the making. Charlotte Harwood plays the straight-laced and vicious tongued Vivienne with great style – and in the title track gets to show some impressive vocal chops too. Neil Toon as Warner, the initial love interest of the main character delivers good vocals and a rather inoffensive character – I would have preferred to see a bit more attempt to lose the sympathies of the audience to help drive the story. One actress who did impress was Liz McLarnon (of Atomic Kitten fame) in the role of new-found confidante Paulette. With a difficult New York Irish Italian accent to deliver, she did well and really sold her character to the audience with excellent comic timing and a real sense of sadness and joy in the journey of her character.

The biggest character journey however is that of Elle Woods, the show’s heroine. Being able to gain the sympathies of an audience when your character begins as an egotistical, materialistic airhead, is a testament to the warm performing style of Faye Brookes. With previous incarnations of this show using a TV name in the lead role, this was a brave choice by the producers to cast a relative unknown to headline the tour. Their faith however is completely justified. A great comic actress and a fantastic singing voice make Ms Brookes the perfect casting in the role played by Reece Witherspoon in the film production. The experienced hand in this tour is Dave Willetts as Callahan, the professor and mentor to the Harvard Law students. With strong vocals and commanding presence it was good to see Mr Willetts back on form. With great support from Iwan Lewis (definitely a name to watch out for) as Emmet and a great cameo role from Hannah Grover as Fitness Video Queen Brooke Wyndham in a routine that requires more stamina than an army assault course – while still retaining tight vocals.

The only thing letting down this production is the set. Being one of the most expensive tickets at the Theatre Royal this year, it is disappointing not to see that reflected on the stage. Many set pieces looked worn and tattered already, which is unacceptable in a first UK tour of this standard. Luckily the performances well outweigh this and it would definitely not stop me returning to see this show again.

Glasgow’s Theatre Royal are very much getting into the Legally Blonde spirit while the show is here, with Nailzone beauty doing nail treatments and Blue Dog cocktail bar (who have even created a special “Bruiser” cocktail named after the show’s cute canine star) offering the full fraternity house experience.

Performances:

Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm

Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm

Tickets: £18.50 - £45

Box Office: 08448 717 647(bkg fee)   web: www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow