More than 20 years since Reese Witherspoon first brought Elle Woods to life in Legally Blonde (the film), the current stage-musical version is proof that you can’t keep a good girl or a good story down.

Elle (Amber Davies) is the quintessential pink-clad, high-heeled, fashion-obsessed young woman, who spends her days thinking of little but how she looks and how much she loves her handbag-sized chihuahua, Bruiser; a somewhat vacuous, trivial existence, it seems, until her boyfriend, Warner (Jamie Chatterton), dumps her, as she doesn’t match his idea of what his wife needs to be.

Determined to win back the love of her life, Elle earns a place to study law alongside him at Harvard. Ultimately, of course, she demonstrates her true worth, ditches the undeserving Warner and proves wrong the snobs and cynics who doubted her ability to do much more than pick out a nice frock and rock a pair of pink cowboy boots.

A catchy musical score by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin provides the backdrop to the action on stage, and the audience clearly adore hits such as Bend And Snap and So Much Better.

As Paulette Bonafonté - Elle’s manicurist and confidante - Karen Mavundukure steals the show with her rendition of Ireland, and Blood In The Water plainly foreshadows the dubious morals of pompous Harvard Law professor Aaron Callahan (Adam Cooper), whose true colours are yet to be revealed. A neon-clad Greek Chorus, over the top and at times vaguely (but endearingly) irritating, moves the story along, and the events proceed apace, with a healthy dose of camp and a robust helping of humour thrown in for good measure.

Amber Davies first came to the attention of many via her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing, and this role was made to showcase her talent. She is the archetypal triple threat - she can sing, she can dance and she can act - and she does all three with a beautifully winning smile and just the right amount of sass. Supported by a captivating cast of as diverse a range of characters as you’re ever likely to meet, as Elle she transports us to a world where anything is possible and where Gen Z rules the roost.

In the finest tradition of fairytales, the goodies live happily ever after and the baddies get their comeuppance.

Legally Blonde The Musical is the ultimate in feelgood shows. The spirited dance routines are snappy and full of pizazz. The set is pink, the costumes are pink and the whole show is a joyous riot of all things sweet and charming. For fans of the film, this stage musical will not disappoint. It is huge fun, charmingly giddy and just the thing to warm the heart.

Four stars

Legally Blonde The Musical was reviewed by Rachel Smith on Tuesday 31 March at Birmingham theatre The Alexandra, where it shows until Saturday 4 April