2022 Production
Elle Woods – Courtney Bowman
Courtney Bowman became a West End fan-favourite for her performance as Anny Boleyn in Six. Other roles include Fatimah in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Little Cook Small in the CBeebies series Big Cook, Little Cook.
Emmett Forrest – Michael Ahomka-Lindsay
Michael Ahomka-Lindsay is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where in 2021 he played the Actor & Musical role of Flick in Violet the Musical.
Brooke Wyndham – Lauren Drew
Another Six alumni – Lauren Drew played Catherine of Aragon on the 2021/22 UK tour. This is not her first time at Regents Park Open Air Theatre, as she played Ensemble/Cover Eva Peron in the 2019 production of Evita.
Vivienne Kensington – Vanessa Fisher
Vanessa Fisher has West End credits going back to 2016, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Follies and Motown the Musical.
Paulette Bonafonté – Nadine Higgin
Nadine Higgin has a varied stage CV ranging from musicals to Shakespeare. Credits include Shenzi in The Lion King, Cliff in Alan Bennett’s Allelujah and Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night at Shakespeare’s Globe.
Other cast in the 2022 Regents Park Open Air production include Isaac Hesketh as Margot, Alžbeta Matyšáková as Enid, Eugene McCoy as Professor Callahan, Grace Mouat as Pilar, Alistair Toovey as Warner and Hannah Yun Chamberlain as Serena.
Original West End production
Elle Woods – Sheridan Smith
Multi award-winning actress Sheridan Smith began her musical theatre career in productions of Bugsy Malone and Into the Woods, before starring in television comedies such as Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and Gavin & Stacey. Since her role in Legally Blonde, she has had an Olivier Award-winning role in Flare Path, as well as Hedda Gabler, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the revival of Funny Girl at the Savoy Theatre.
Emmett Forrest – Alex Gaumond
Originally from Canada, Alex Gaumond made his West End debut in a production of The Full Monty at the Prince of Wales Theatre, and has since toured the UK with Guys and Dolls and Desperately Seeking Susan. In 2002, he became the replacement Galileo in We Will Rock You, and further West End roles have included Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical and Alberto Beddini in Top Hat.
Warner Huntington III – Duncan James
Duncan James shot to fame as a member of the 2000’s boy band Blue. In 2007, he made his West End debut as Billy Flynn in Chicago, subsequently taking part in part in ITV’s Dancing on Ice. In 2004, he recorded a single from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Woman in White, and has since toured the UK with productions such as Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
Paulette Bonafonté – Jill Halfpenny
Best known for her roles in British soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders, Olivier Award-winning actress Jill Halfpenny is a stage and screen actress renowned for her diverse roles. After taking part in, and winning, BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, she has starred in West End productions including Calendar Girls and Abigail’s Party at the Menier Chocolate Factory.
Professor Callahan – Peter Davison
Peter Davison is well-known for his role as The Doctor in the popular BBC series Doctor Who, between the years of 1981 and 1984. Since then, he has featured in many television roles, in Pat & Cabbage and Law & Order: UK, and has starred in West End shows such as Monty Python’s Spamalot and the award-winning revival of Gypsy, starring Imelda Staunton.
Brooke Wyndham – Aoife Mulholland
After reaching the semi-finals of the BBC show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, Aoife Mulholland went on to star in The Sound of Music at the London Palladium as Connie Fisher’s alternate. Further West End roles have included Roxie Hart in Chicago, which she also reprised in 2009. In 2008, she appeared at the Royal Albert Hall for a concert of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Chess.
Vivienne Kensington – Caroline Keiff
A renowned theatre actress, Caroline Keiff has extensive stage credits, including roles in the West End’s The Far Pavilions, Wicked and Carmen. She has also appeared in a UK tour of Summer Holiday, as well as in productions across Britain such as Guys and Dolls, Little Shop of Horrors, 42nd Street, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and The Secret Garden.
Replacement Elle Woods
Susan McFadden (From January 10th 2011)
After originating the role of Serena in Legally Blonde, Susan McFadden took over the role of Elle Woods in early 2011. Best known for taking part in, and winning, ITV’s Grease Is the Word, she starred as Sandy in the brand new production of Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre. Further credits include Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin.
Carley Stenson (From July 11th 2011)
Best known for her role as Steph Cunningham in Hollyoaks, Carley Stenson took over the role of Elle Woods from Susan McFadden toward the end of the show’s run. Following this, she starred as Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical, and in further productions both in the West End and across the UK, including Spamalot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Les Misérables.