Omigod you guys, get ready to ‘bend and snap’! Legally Blonde The Musical is coming to town.

These words might not mean much to anyone unfamiliar with the 2001 movie, starring Reese Witherspoon as sorority girl Elle Woods, who takes herself off to study law at Harvard, proving that pretty girls can be smart too.

But to fans of the film, or anyone who likes a good romantic comedy, this stage adaptation should be a treat.

Winner of the Olivier Award for Best Musical 2011, the feelgood show is about knowing who you are – and showing what you’ve got.

When high school queen Elle is dumped by her boyfriend, Warner, for someone “more serious”, she follows him to Harvard Law School to win him back. With help from friends Paulette, Emmett and her Chihuahua, Bruiser, Elle learns that it’s so much better to be smart.

Faye Brookes is the blonde with a brain, while Dancing On Ice winner and X Factor finalist Ray Quinn plays Warner and Les Dennis is Professor Callahan.

The show, in Bradford for two weeks, has a 30-strong cast, not including four dogs – three chihuahua/Jack Russell cross-breeds and one bulldog.

It’s a dog’s life for the four-legged thesps playing Elle’s canine companion, Bruiser. A crowdpleaser during the West End run, each dog’s entrance on stage guarantees one of the loudest cheers.

“That old adage about working with animals and children – it’s safer not to, especially in a live show,” says Cindy Newman, who trains the dogs. “But Legally Blonde really wouldn’t be the same without Bruiser.”

Widely used for stage and screen, Cindy’s consultancy, Animals Galore, was established in 1967 when the family pet, a bull terrier called Butch, landed the role of Bill Sikes’s dog in the film Oliver!

When plans for a UK production of Legally Blonde emerged, Cindy was brought on board. “I knew the film, but wasn’t sure how involved the dogs were until I found out the US trainer had spent six months training them,” she says. “I realised they must be doing pretty special stuff.”

While hunting for Bruisers – several dogs share the role – Cindy found the biggest challenge was “the chihuahua problem”.

“Training works on rewarding good behaviour with treats, but chihuahuas haven’t got huge appetites,” she says. “They’re easily-offended, sensitive souls.”

Much like actors, you could say. When it came to casting the tour, the dogs needed to be tougher. Don’t tell Elle, but the latest Bruisers are cross-bred with Jack Russells.

“The dogs have to cope with a new venue every fortnight and Jack Russells are a bit more tenacious,” explains Cindy. “They’re not so easily put off by things, which helps. If they jump all over me when I meet them, it’s a good sign. It’s the quiet ones in the corner that aren’t going to work.”

Unlike on a film set, where the trainer is behind the camera, the dogs have to be directed live on stage. The two actresses playing Elle and Margot use hand signals, vocal cues and tasty treats, from cat biscuits to cooked liver.

Some four-legged stars have slipped up. “One did a ‘wheel spin’ before jumping onto Elle’s bed and missed his mark,” Cindy recalls. “The stage can be slippery and sometimes their little legs can’t take it.”

A founding member of the Animal Consultants and Training Association, Cindy keeps a close close eye on the dogs’.

Can dogs be divas, too? “Oh yes,” she says. “Whoever comes in always trots in like they own the place! But I’ve never done a show with such a good atmosphere. It feels like a party every night – even for Bruiser – and I think that shows on stage.”

Legally Blonde runs at the Alhambra from July 3 to 14. For tickets, ring (01274) 432000.