OMG! You guys. WAAPA’s production of Legally Blonde is upbeat, fun and funny. Leading lady, Emma Caporaso as Elle Woods, played her character with confidence and possessed a strong, powerful voice. However, I missed the ditzy blonde quality of the original character. Her Elle was more serious and self-assured.
Kathryn Desmier, Jayda D’Agostino and Asha Kerr as Elle’s sorority sisters, Margot, Serena and Pilar did a great job backing Caporaso during the show, and added the ditzy element needed.
Jake Binns as Warner Huntington III strutted the stage with confidence and arrogance. His duo with Elle, Serious, was hilarious and he and Caporaso shared a great rapport on stage.
Ben Goldsbrough as Emmett Forrest performance was sincere as the young law associate who guides Elle through her studies and falls in love with her.
Ellen Ebbs as hairdresser, Paulette, steals most of the show’s hilarious moments. Her performance of Bend and Snap and the Irish dancing along with Kyle, Samuel Austin, was hysterical. Ebbs commands a presence on stage that forces you to notice her.
Katie Green as Vivienne was left to the end of the show to join in her duet with Elle. And what a duet it was; with amazing powerful and dynamic vocals.
Samuel Austin as Kyle, Harrison Ion as Nikos and Blake Douglas as Carlos managed to win over the audience and steal some of the loudest laughs and applause in their cameo roles. Ion and Douglas’ performance of Gay or European was full of flamboyance and wit.
Geena Hutton as Brooke Wyndham opened the second half with another show highlight. The ensemble of second year students supported Hutton as she whipped the audience into shape, swinging and jumping ropes in perfect unison.
The set design and projections were simple and effective. Complete with great Greek columns it managed to transport the audience from the great halls of justice, Elle’s pink bedroom and Paulette’s hair salon.
Costuming was loud, pink and flashy and the use of puppets, for the canine members of the cast was clever, and added to the comical element of the show.
This third year group of WAAPA students, supported by the second years, once again performed a professional and entertaining production. With a sell out season, you’ll need to beg or steal a ticket to this one!
Legally Blonde
Geoff Gibbs Theatre – Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, 2 Bradford St, Mount Lawley
Performance: Saturday 7 September 2024
Season: 6 – 12 September 2024 (sold out)
Information: www.waapa.ecu.edu.au
Images: Emma Caporaso as Elle Woods with the cast of Legally Blonde – photo by Stephen Heath
Review: Craig Dalglish