CARLEY STENSON TO PLAY ELLE WOODS IN LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL

From 11 July 2011 Carley Stenson will play college sweetheart Elle Woods in the Olivier award-winning Legally Blonde The Musical. Stenson, who is currently playing Margot in the West End production, steps up to play the leading role joining Lee Mead who joins the cast later this month (20 June) to play Emmett Forrest and Natalie Casey as ditzy beautician Paulette Buonofonté. Peter Davison continues in the role of Professor Callahan as well as Nicola Brazil as Serena and Siobhan Dillon as Vivienne.

College sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods doesn't take no for an answer. So when her boyfriend Warner 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.

Legally Blonde The Musical, which won three 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, opened at the Savoy Theatre in December 2009 is currently booking until 31 March 2012. In addition the show won four Whatsonstage.com Awards including Best New Musical and Best Choreographer (Jerry Mitchell).

Carley Stenson (Elle Woods) made her West End stage debut as Margot in Legally Blonde The Musical. She is best known on television as Steph Cunningham in C4’s Hollyoaks, a role she has played for over ten years. She won ITV’s Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes when she performed as Faith Hill. On stage her regional theatre credits include Sandy in Grease, Dulcie in The Boyfriend and Nancy in Oliver.

Lee Mead (Emmett Forrest) played the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi Theatre from 2007 to early 2009, after winning BBC One’s Any Dream Will Do. In 2007 he released his debut solo album, Lee Mead, followed in 2009 by Nothing Else Matters. Most recently he starred as Fiyero in the West End production of Wicked. His previous theatre credits include Lord Arthur Savile in Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime on tour in the UK; The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre; Miss Saigon on tour in the UK and Tommy.

Natalie Casey (Paulette Buonofonté) is best known on television for playing Donna in the BBC’s Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. On stage she has been seen in The Invisible Man at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Oklahoma for Chichester Festival Theatre, Well at the Apollo Theatre, Fame at the Shaftesbury Theatre and Hobson’s Choice at the Watermill Theatre. Her other television credits include Dave Shakespeare, Missing, Hollyoaks, Head Jam, Girls Night In and Chopratown. On film she played Shirley Temple in Chicago Joe and the Showgirl.

Peter Davison (Professor Callahan) became a household name when he played the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who between 1981 and 1984. His extensive television credits include Tristan Farnon in the long running BBC series All Creatures Great and Small and DC Davies in four series of ITV’s acclaimed The Last Detective. His other television credits include At Home with the Braithwaites, A Quick Guide to Parenting and A Very Peculiar Practice as well as, more recently, Unforgiven and Midsomer Murders . On stage he played King Arthur in Monty Python’s Spamalot at the Palace Theatre as well as roles in Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre, An Absolute Turkey at the Globe Theatre and Arsenic and Old Lace for Chichester Festival Theatre. On film his credits include Parting Shots, Black Beauty and Molly.

The cast of Legally Blonde The Musical from 11 July 2011 includes Stephane Anelli (Padamadan, Nikos), Emma Bateman (Stenographer), Nicola Brazil (Serena), Thomas Camilleri (Carlos), Natalie Casey (Paulette), Peter Davison (Professor Callahan) Siobhan Dillon (Vivienne Kensington), Chris Ellis-Stanton (Grandmaster Chad, Dewey, Kyle), Kimmy Edwards (Judge, Saleswoman), Ibinabo Jack (Pilar), Suzie McAdam (Enid), Sorelle Marsh (Courtney, Mom, Whitney), Lee Mead (Emmett), Sean Mulligan (Pforzheimer), Dawn Sievewright (Kate, Chutney), Carley Stenson (Elle Woods), Lincoln Stone (Dad, Winthrop, Reporter), Simon Thomas (Warner), Robbie Towns (Aaron), Dominic Tribuzio (Kiki), Tamara Wall (Brooke), Stephen Webb (Lowell) and Tara Young (District Attorney) as well as Jonathan Mawson, Jane McMurtrie, Lucy Miller, Ruthie Stephenson and Gregor Stewart as swings.

Directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winning Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde The Musical has music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, book by Heather Hach, set design by David Rockwell, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Paul Miller, sound design by ACME Sound Partners and orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke.

Legally Blonde The Musical is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, Robert G. Bartner, Ambassador Theatre Group, Bud Martin, Adam Zotovich, Jamie Hendry Productions, Matthew Byam Shaw and Act Productions.