Legally Blonde - Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

The thing about Six is that Lucy Moss had a co director alongside her and perhaps that was needed for Legally Blonde which is a much bigger kettle of fish in terms of scale.

All the stories here are making me curious...but not curious enough to buy a ticket. Reminds me of some of the dodgy student/amateur productions of various musicals that do the rounds, where they're determined to make it 'fresh' and go too far, notably a local version of My Fair Lady in which they changed Eliza to a sterotypical 'chav' with a strong Northern accent and did the whole thing in modern dress (spoiler alert, it was dreadful).

I've always been convinced that 'Six' was a fluke, a student production that happened to catch on (and in my opinion desperately needed further work), and hearing all of this is making me more certain of it.

Totally agree. 

I agree, the costumes didn't fit anyone over a size 10. I am the same size as Courtney and I am not saying she needs to wear anything longer/bigger at all, but the skirts didn't meet in the middle, or a jacket didn't fit her arm length, etc.

Putting any performer into a role that does not correspond to their vocal register is opening them to unfair criticism.

There are roles in this particular piece which don't have exposed harmony sections where inclusive casting would have succeeded.

There will be lots of praise for the inclusivity of the casting once the official reviews come out. The press certainly won't be keen to comment on the outcome of some of those casting decisions for fear of a backlash (which would inevitably follow)

But we are freer here to comment and to ask casting directors to do better. Audiences certainly will notice and comment via social media.

MT casting will always be more tricky than casting non musical pieces. There are limits as to what can be done to a score to accommodate voices other than those intended by the composer without putting too much pressure on other parts of the piece. A number of star performers have needed the music to be transposed so that it better suits their voices. So there is plenty of precedent for doing it. But it is far easier to shift a solo down a tone or two than it is to rearrange all the ensemble numbers.

It is certainly easier to create new works that properly showcase the talents of NB and trans performers than it is to adapt existing pieces.

Why would a dog need to be so camp or openly gay in stereotypical fashion?

When talking about 1970's gay stereotypes were the likes of Mr Humphries any different from say Sean Tully in Coronation Street today and there was a lot of double entendre. Dick Emery playing a gay character then was no different to how David Walliams has done so in much more recent years but there were some broad characterisations of gay characters back then and in drama it would just be seen as that. Not in a comedy OTT way as the examples I've used.

It does amaze me how supposedly inclusive and left leaning theatre continually uses gay clichés for cheap gags or 'clever' plot twists (cinderella). Legally blonde (original), cinderella, finding neverland and half a sixpence all spring to mind.

Yes stereotypes exist for a reason and it wouldn't bother me if there was a broader spectrum of gay people represented. But theatre (especially musical theatre) always goes to the extreme camp for a cheap gag. It really doesn't feel like much has changed since I grew up in the 90s and it's just a bit sad.

I wouldn't say theatre is left leaning given ALW is a Conservative and it's not true either that gay representation is just cheap gags in theatre especially considering we've had plays like The Normal Heart, Angels in America and The Inheritance. 

Oh good, hopefully they’ll be on soon 🤞🏼

Phew managed to get one using the wifi on the tube at each stop along the way.

Courtney is a curvy girl and surely the star should have costumes that fit/she can move in/ if they are too tight they would be unsympathetic to her shape. It's not like Elle is Edina on Ab Fab trying to squeeze into something a couple of sizes too small.

Wow. I mean... Wow. What an absolute disaster. Way, way worse than I thought.

I cringed my way through this. Dreadful in every single department.

The costumes and set are up there with the worst I've ever seen on a professional stage. No hyperbole, my honest opinion. They are that bad. Even the wigs - just absolutely dire work across the board.

Courtney Bowman isn't great. She just isn't believable for the part - she does her thing despite the acting requirements in portraying this particular character.

Isaac Hesketh... I'll just say they give one of the poorest, most inept musical theatre performances I have personally seen. This is not a criticism of them as a person or indeed as a performer in other things, but this performance is just brutal.

The dogs don't work. The show is campy and kitsch enough done "straight" (pun not intended), without deliberately trying to add more. We get it already.

What on earth were they thinking with this?

One of the worst revivals I have ever seen. Every decision is the wrong one, every inch of the source material is brutalised into a schlocky try-hard pile of dung.

I'd give it half a star out of 5. The professionL critics will be kinder though and focus on the progressive aspects of what the creatives intended.

Things can only get better from here.