It’s best the ‘bend and snap’ be put to practice again now that Elle Woods is in town. Following its Broadway and West End success, Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) has brought Legally Blonde—The Musical to the Esplanade Theatre. This rendition features a complete local cast, with Nathania Ong leading the way as the Harvard Law all-star. She stars alongside Siti Khalijah Zainal, who plays hairdresser companion Paulette; while Nathan Hartono joins as Warner, Elle’s unforgiving ex-boyfriend.
There is never a dull moment. From the get-go, the show is dressed in a pink Malibu haze, the sets straight out of Barbie’s Life in the Dreamhouse. It’s a dazzling retelling with a catchy number and an explosive dance break at every corner. You can’t help but let out a chuckle or two from the outrageously tongue-in-cheek banter as Elle Woods navigates the brutal world through her witty, unapologetic, hot pink lens.
Beneath the razzle-dazzle is a performance by the Singaporean ensemble that plays their heart out. The upbeat, high-energy comedy demands brute force and endless stamina, and the cast pull it off effortlessly—not a hair out of place. As Elle Woods would quip: “What, like it’s hard?” Below, Vogue Singapore speaks to Ong, Siti and Hartono on bringing the cult classic characters to life and the power of confidence in Legally Blonde—The Musical.
Do you remember the first time you watched Legally Blonde? What was most memorable for you? What is your favourite scene from Legally Blonde—The Musical, and why?
Nathania Ong: Legally Blonde is one of those shows that I don’t remember the first time I watched it because I watched it so much as a child. The film has been quite integral to me and my growing up. I feel like I always saw Elle Woods as such a role model because she’s someone who defied the status quo—people enforced expectations on her, and she defied them all to achieve great things. For a young Natty Ong, seeing that on the screen was something that was so inspiring to me.
The scenes I enjoyed the most was obviously the ‘Bend and Snap’ with Jennifer Coolidge when she accidentally breaks the nose of the hot UPS guy, I think it’s hilarious. Oddly enough, I also really enjoyed the court scene because she spent so much of the movie working up to this point. And I think it’s a showcase of her brilliance and such a wonderful application of her knowledge. It was the perfect marriage between what she learned at law school, the stuff she already knew herself and what she had within her. I think that it was just a really clever way, writing-wise, of marrying up those two things.
Siti Khalijah Zainal: It was in 2012. I was in my dressing room between shows when my co-actor, Dwayne Lau, suggested we all watch this amazing musical called Legally Blonde. We put it on, and from the get-go I was blown away by the music, the choreography, the humour and the story. It quickly became one of my favourite musicals. My favourite scene has to be the moment Elle realises that she can do it all without Warner and she breaks into ‘So Much Better.’ That moment of self-realisation is so powerful because it’s when she truly recognises her own worth. The build-up in the music is absolutely incredible, and it always gives me goosebumps.
Nathan Hartono: It was one of those movies I had seen bits and pieces of all my life but I didn’t actually sit down to watch the full movie until rehearsals for this show were about to start! It was amazing; such a nostalgia trip but still holds up beautifully. My favourite scene from the musical is the first court room scene with Nikos and Carlos. There’s a lot to play with there and it’s one of the rare scenes where almost everybody is on stage together.
What makes the Singapore edition of Legally Blonde—The Musical different from the West End or Broadway version and the cult classic film? How is it tailored for the local audience?
NO: Don’t come for me, but I dare say I kind of prefer the musical version of Legally Blonde to the movie version. Obviously, I hold a strong sense of nostalgia for the movie in my heart and it will never lose that place. But I think the musical is so wonderful because the songs are incredibly catchy. It also expands the storyline of Emmett as well as of Paulette that you don’t necessarily get to see as much of in the movie. The songs have a really good and clever way of storytelling.
I really do feel like this particular production of Legally Blonde is so special because it’s one of those iterations that is really tailored by the creatives, the actors, the set designers, the musicians that play it. The musical score and script are already fantastically written, so that gives such a fantastic opportunity to all of us as performers to have put our own spin on this show. Some other actors have also taken liberties to change up some of the script, localising a lot of the jokes into ways that are relatable for the Singaporean audiences.
SK: I think what makes our production special is that it captures everything people love about the musical. The heart, the humour and the empowering message, while bringing a fresh energy that’s uniquely ours. Our creative team is from the UK, but the entire cast is Singaporean. Every cast brings something different, and our personalities, chemistry and comedic timing naturally give this production its own flavour. For local audiences, I think it’s really exciting to see Singapore performers take on these iconic roles. There’s a sense of familiarity and connection that makes the story feel even more impactful. Whether they’ve seen the musical before or have always been fans of the film, I think they’ll definitely find something new to enjoy in our version.
What have you learned from playing your characters Elle, Paulette and Warner, and what was the most challenging part?
NO: What I have taken away from Elle as a person is her bright-eyed optimism and her character of always seeing the good in other people, and I think that’s something that’s really special. As the resident cynic and pessimist myself, I feel like I definitely run that risk of allowing myself to think the worst so that I’m not disappointed. Elle actually challenges me to think otherwise and to expect good of people. She really, really is such a special character.
From an acting perspective, I would definitely say stamina, endurance and high energy has been a massive challenge for me. When you watch it, I hope you recognise some of the work that’s being put into it! It is a relentless show. You get very little time to breathe and it’s constantly looking towards the next thing. One of the other challenges that I found is the idea that Elle has always been brilliant. She’s never been stupid—very contrary to the idea of the dumb blonde stereotype. She is someone who has always been intelligent and has really strong people skills. The challenge was not playing dumb but allowing herself to always be the smartest person in the room and allowing law school and experiences to change what the frame and scope of that intelligence looked like. She doesn’t lose any of her original intelligence—she just adapts, grows and moves forward, and I think that has been something really special for myself as an actress to get to explore.
SK: One thing I’ve learned from Paulette is to never underestimate the power of kindness. She may not realise it, but the encouragement and support she gives Elle helps change Elle’s life. It reminded me that even the smallest words of encouragement can make a huge difference to someone, and that’s something I hope to carry with me offstage as well. The most challenging part was finding the balance between Paulette’s comedy and vulnerability. She’s hilarious and brings so much joy to the show, but I never wanted her to become just comic relief. Underneath all that laughter is someone who’s been hurt and who’s lost her confidence. My goal was to make sure the audience laughs with her, but also understands and roots for her. I think that’s what makes her such a lovable character.
NH: As a performer, you have this desire to be liked by the audience. Throwing that mindset away was a little tricky because Warner is not likeable. But once I embraced that, I started playing with how to make the audience love to hate him. And when done right, it’s super satisfying.
What do you hope for the audience to take away with after watching the show?
NO: I genuinely feel like if you came to watch Legally Blonde—The Musical and you didn’t leave the audience with a massive smile on your face, you should learn to have a little bit more fun! It is just such a good time. Outside of the smiles and laughs, I would love for the audience to feel inspired and allow themselves to believe that they can take on whatever challenge comes their way despite what other people may say or despite the hardships that may come their way in that journey.
SK: I hope audiences leave feeling a lot more empowered. Legally Blonde reminds us that it’s never too late to rewrite the story we’ve been telling ourselves. You don’t have to fit into someone else’s expectations to succeed, you just have to believe in yourself and embrace your unique self. And of course, I hope they leave the theatre singing the songs, laughing about their favourite moments and already wanting to come back and watch it again because we run until 16 August!
NH: Labels and stereotypes are a terrible way to see the world; human beings contain multitudes if only we are open enough to seeing it.
Nathania, you were previously Eponine in Les Miserables and Eliza in Hamilton. What’s different this time, fronting Legally Blonde—The Musical as Elle Woods?
I feel that Elle is very different because I finally don’t die at the end of the show or in the show and that is really nice! It is one of the few happy shows that I’ve gotten to play. Energy and story-wise, this role is completely different from anything else that I’ve gotten the chance to play before, and also takes a vast amount of stamina and mental concentration. It’s very fast paced, very high energy and fast moving. I feel like if my brain takes a break for a second, I’ve fallen off the train. One of the big challenges for myself as an actor, but also one of the most rewarding things, is the fact that I get to be on that train the entire journey that I’m performing this role.
In the film, Paulette is a supporting character who has a significant impact on Elle’s life. Siti, what does Paulette represent that still feels relevant today?
I think Paulette represents the power of having someone who sees you and believes in you. She brings this big sister energy to Elle. She cheers her on, gives her confidence and reminds her that she’s capable, even when Elle doubts herself. What makes Paulette so special is that she’s not just there to support Elle, she’s also on her own journey of rediscovering her confidence. She shows us that you can be someone who uplifts others while still finding your own strength. I think that message of kindness, resilience and self-belief will always be relevant.
Nathan, how does it feel to be playing the ‘antagonist’?
I get a real kick out of figuring out how to get the audience to hate me. My last scene in the show is usually a good indicator of how successful it’s been, because Warner’s ‘last hurrah’ usually gets a reaction. Their annoyance feeds me.
The dogs were cast through an open call audition. What’s it like working with the dogs for a live production?
NO: Working with dogs in a production is exactly like how you would think it to be. It is fun, rewarding, chaotic, and adaptable, to say the very least! All the dogs that have been cast in this show are incredibly high-energy divas and I have absolutely fallen in love with them. I visit them as much as I can, even though no one has asked me to. This must be probably be to the chagrin of all of the pet owners and chaperones, but I also haven’t told them that nobody’s actually sent me there. I’m just visiting because I want some pre-show dog therapy! I’ve fallen in love with these little little furry guys.
I have also made multiple requests to Gaurav Kripalani (SRT’s artistic director) and to Grace Low (SRT’s producer) to have a therapy dog for every show that we do, because I think that dogs are wonderful and they bring me so much joy. The other thing is that they are dogs so they don’t speak human language. Sometimes, it’s very hard to predict what they are feeling that day or what they’re going to be doing on stage. The thing for us as actors that we’ve learned is that we have to be incredibly adaptable when we’re working with them on stage. And also to realise that it’s totally okay if things don’t go according to plan, we just improvise and style our way out of it. But I still have not changed my mind—I want a dog in every single production that I do!
Legally Blonde runs until 16 August.
Book tickets here.
