Sheridan Smith Nabs Legally Blonde‘s Elle???

There was lots of speculation at our Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Awards Concert on Sunday that Sheridan Smith, who co-hosted the event for a second year in a row with James Corden, might be returning to the musical stage herself to play the lead in the planned West End transfer of Broadway hit Legally Blonde.

Nothing’s official yet, of course, but, producers please note: we can’t imagine anyone better – or lovelier – to play the part of perky Elle. Smith gave a standout performance in her last West End musical role, as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, for which she was both Whatsonstage.com and Olivier nominated last year. Perhaps at next year’s Awards Concert we’ll be able to entice her into singing as well as presenting?!

No dates or theatre have yet been announced for Legally Blonde’s West End premiere, though bets are on for the Piccadilly Theatre in the autumn. The musical, which premiered on Broadway in April 2007, is based on the 2001 Hollywood comedy in which Reese Witherspoon played California sorority girl Elle who follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School in an attempt to win him back. It has a book by Heather Hach and music and lyrics by husband-and-wife team Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe. Songs include “Ohmigod You Guys”, “Serious”, “The Harvard Variations”, “Whipped into Shape”, “Find My Way” and the title number. It’s directed and choreographed by previous Whatsonstage.com Award winner Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, The Full Monty).