"We all need more Elle Woods in our lives!"

Lucie Jones reckons we all need a little bit more Elle Woods in our lives.
Legally Blonde Lucie Jones (Elle Woods), Bruisey (Bruiser Woods): Photo Robert WorkmanLegally Blonde Lucie Jones (Elle Woods), Bruisey (Bruiser Woods): Photo Robert Workman
Legally Blonde Lucie Jones (Elle Woods), Bruisey (Bruiser Woods): Photo Robert Workman

She’s been doing musical theatre since 2010, starting out with a year in Les Mis, but it is Elle – heroine of Legally Blonde The Musical – who is her favourite ever character (Theatre Royal Brighton, June 11-16): “We have been on tour since September, but I have been in the show on and off for a couple of years, and it is just really, really good. It always gets a tremendous reaction from the audience. It doesn’t matter how you are feeling when you come in. We will get you up on your feet by the end!”

Based on the film, the musical follows beautiful and popular sorority sister Elle Woods who loves to be pampered and is passionate about pink. When she is dumped by her boyfriend Warner Huntingdon III for a more serious girlfriend, she puts down the credit cards and picks up the books and bags herself a place at Harvard Law School to try and win him back...

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“But I also think it is a very relevant show. It could have been written right now, for one thing with the theme of sexual harassment and men taking advantage of women. But on the flip side, I would say that everybody needs a little bit more pink and fluffy in their lives. There is so much that is going on in this world that is just not nice. We all worry about things, and I think we should all just be able to sit down and smile and be moved and have a great time at the theatre for three hours. Obviously we do change things a bit in the show. Naturally you maybe do things a bit differently, but the heart of the show will always be there, and that’s the reason I still love it so much. It’s my favourite role. She is so funny. Everybody could do with being a bit more like her. She is a great human being with great morals. She smiles and she uses her words wisely, and I really believe everybody should be a bit more like Elle Woods.

“When I was playing Molly in Ghost for a year, I would be coming home all sad. You are bound to when you put your heart and soul into something. But going round doing this, I am just a bubbling ball of energy.”

After coming out of The X Factor in 2009, Lucie went straight into musical theatre and hasn’t looked back. Last year, she had a slight diversion, representing the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Can the UK ever win it again?

“I don’t know. Who cares? Its just great fun. Everyone dresses up. Everyone has a great party. It is just a great, great event whatever happens. When I got there, I was quite anxious. I suffer with anxiety. Everything makes me anxious! But I was very well looked after, and I trusted the song. I believed in it, and every time I did it, it felt good. I was never thinking ‘Will I be able to do this?’ I knew that people liked the song. The only thing I was nervous about was the reaction back home, particularly in the musical-theatre community. It could have gone one of two different ways. It is Eurovision. But I had an amazing time and I had amazing support from the British public.”

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For other stories by Phil, see: https://www.chichester.co.uk/author/Phil.Hewitt2