From its fuchsia front door to its star chihuahua named Bruiser, Jo Caruana heads behind the curtain of the West End hit musical Legally Blonde, and falls head over heels in love.
In my world, London equals theatre, and more specifically, the cheesetastic world of the stage musical.
So, as I queue to watch the West End’s hit production, Legally Blonde, I’m on a high – not least because one of my close friends, Maltese acting export Thomas Camilleri, has recently stepped into the pointy-toed shoes of the hilarious character Carlos.
As the overture kicks off and the curtain rises, that familiar hairs-on-end feeling returns and I am instantly swept up by the magic, and the pink.
Legally Blonde is an extremely pink musical, as it charts the life of Malibu babe turned law student, Elle Woods (Sheridan Smith – Two Pints of Larger and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey) and her determination to overcome the Barbie stereotype in an effort to win back her love. It couldn’t be cheesier, it couldn’t be cuter and, in all honesty, it couldn’t be more fantastic.
As the curtain falls on the Saturday matinee performance, and the audience is still on its feet cheering, I take Camilleri up on his invite backstage, and head behind the curtain.
Once settled in his dressing room, which is complete with light bulb-bedecked mirrors and bunches of congratulatory bouquets, Thomas explains his journey thus far.
Having graduated from London theatre school Arts Ed, he joined the touring cast of Evita and then the West End cast of long-running show Les Misérable, which he left earlier this year.
“My first audition for Legally Blonde led to seven others and each time the panel grew larger and larger. Before I knew it I was auditioning in front of most of the producers, the American creatives, the dance captains, the resident and musical directors, and even someone who was filming the process for the rest of the American crew to look over,” he explained.
“When I got the part I was completely over the moon. I was in the middle of a training session at Jamie’s Italian and I saw my agent’s number flash up onto my screen so I snuck out to the bathroom. I wanted to rush back screaming when I heard the good news, but I had to keep calm and carry on with the job at hand.
“Nevertheless I was thrilled and headed off to celebrate as soon as I could. It was particularly wonderful as the part of Carlos is really good fun, and is easily one of the show’s most memorable cameo characters. After all, how often do you get to play an OTT, camp Mexican on the West End?”
Now secure in the role, Thomas is just as at home in his dressing room as he is on the Savoy’s stunning stage, which is to be the next destination on our whistle-stop behind-the-scenes tour.
Looking out into the auditorium is pretty impressive, and the stage mechanics and tricks that Camilleri lets me in on are what make the production stand out.
For instance, all of the bits and bobs that constitute the set are magically rolled on using hydraulics and, as the backstage area is so tiny, most of them are kept hanging overhead until it’s their time to shine. Just beyond the set, is the space where the cast race through their quick changes – it is here that I spot Camilleri’s smashing leather jacket, which helps to transform him into flashy Carlos for the side-splitting courtroom scene early on in Act Two.
Next up is the wigs room, where some of the hair pieces cost upwards of €2,000. Of particular interest to me is Denise van Outen’s – a blonde number styled to have dark roots that epitomises the trailer-trash aspects of her lovable character Paulette. Similarly, Elle’s two wigs – one styled with a hip curl for Act One, and the other oozing corporate sensibility for the latter part of the show – are beautiful, and each is made with real human hair.
Just a few doors down I find my own heaven – the room where the show’s four-legged friends are kept. Played by different animals each day (and sometimes each act), the dogs are simply brilliant on stage – and are just as well-behaved behind the scenes. While performing they can be spotted running across the stage, jumping into bags and even barking on demand, but here they are simply after a pat on the head and a cuddle – clearly their star status has yet to go to their heads.
Back in the upstairs dressing rooms it’s time to leave Camilleri to it, but not before the show’s leading lady, Sheridan, pops by for a quick chat. As adorable in real life as she is on stage, she is just as enthusiastic about the show as I am, and is looking forward to her final few weeks in the role.
“I’ll definitely be sad to leave the show in January,” she says. “Elle is a great character to play and I have a wonderful time with her. I probably enjoy the number Positive the most, as I get to let my hair down a little and have a good dance with the girls – the rest of the time I’m rushing from scene to scene.
“Legally Blonde is absolutely infectious – you can’t help but fall in love with it whether you’re a five-year-old girl or a middle-aged grandfather. And while I’ve never been a typically pink gal myself, some of it has even brushed off onto my actual wardrobe – it’s catching!”
And, you know, she’s bang on, because as I leave the Savoy Theatre for a night on London Town, everything post-Legally Blonde is suddenly a very rose-tinted shade of pink.