Reality TV Stars McFadden and Mulholland Join Cast of London's Legally Blonde

By Mark Shenton
21 Jul 2009

Susan McFadden and Aoife Mulholland
Susan McFadden and Aoife Mulholland

Susan McFadden and Aoife Mulholland will join the previously announced Sheridan Smith, Duncan James and Alex Gaumond in the West End premiere of Legally Blonde The Musical, which begins performances Dec. 5 at the Savoy Theatre prior to an official gala opening Jan. 13, 2010.

Five of the final previews – on Jan. 7-9, 2010 and Jan. 12, 2010 – have been designated press preview performances, which critics will be invited to attend but with reviews embargoed so they are not published till Jan. 14. Sunday performances have also been added to the schedule, complementing the growing number of West End shows who are including Sundays in their performance schedules. The 3 PM Sunday matinee will replace Tuesday evenings, except during the opening week when there will be no performance Jan. 10, but one on Jan. 12 instead.

Based on the 2001 film, the musical – which features music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and a book by Heather Hach — revolves around "college sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods, who doesn't take no for an answer. So when her boyfriend dumps her for someone serious, Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and heads for Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style."

McFadden, winner of ITV1's "Grease is the Word" reality TV contest to play the role of Sandy in Grease (which she proceeded to do when the production first opened at the Picadilly Theatre in Aug. 2007), will play Elle's best friend and sorority sister, Serena. She is currently playing Milly in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on tour in the UK. McFadden has played the title roles in Cinderella at the Theatre Royal Wakefield and the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and Annie at the Olympia Theatre Dublin. Her other Dublin Theatre credits include Jack and the Beanstalk, Singin' in the Rain and Dance of Desire. She has been seen on television in "Relative Strangers" and "Bachelors Walk," both on RTE.

Mulholland, who was a finalist on the BBC's "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" reality TV contest to play the role of Maria in the London Palladium revival of The Sound of Music in 2006, and which she subsequently assumed there when she covered the role at certain performances for winner Connie Fisher, will play Brooke, who Elle defends in her first court case. Mulholland, who trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, has recently been seen as Roxie Hart in Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre. She was also in Chess in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall last year, and appeared in Dance of Desire at the Black Box, Ireland. Her television credits include "Jam the Musical," "When Joseph Met Maria," "Malicious Intent" and "Foreign Exchange."



The cast also includes Emma Bateman (Stenographer), Dan Burton (Padamadan, Nikos), Darren Carnall (Kiki), Chris Ellis-Stanton (Grandmaster Chad, Dewey, Kyle), Nadine Higgin (Judge, Saleswoman), Ibinabo Jack (Pilar), Duncan James (Warner Huntington III), Caroline Keiff (Vivienne Kensington), Amy Lennox (Margot), Andy Mace (Dad, Winthrop, Reporter), Sorelle Marsh (Courtney, Mom, Whitney), Suzie McAdam (Enid), Matthew McKenna (Aaron), Sean Mulligan (Pforzheimer), Roxanne Palmer (Kate, Chutney), Sergio Priftis (Carlos), Tamara Wall (District Attorney) and Ed White (Lowell). They are joined by Jane McMurtrie, Sherrie Pennington, Lucy Miller, Fabian Aloise and Francis Haugen as swings.

To book tickets, contact the box office at 0870 164 8787 or visit www.legallyblondethemusical.co.uk.

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