It was pampered pooch Bruiser who stole the show for me when I saw the hugely entertaining production of Legally Blonde earlier this year at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.

But human stars Jennifer Ellison and Gareth Gates will doubtless prove an even bigger draw when the show arrives next week at Oxford’s New Theatre.

This entertaining slice of American academic life focuses on the engaging Elle Woods. She is a girl who can handle anything. So when boyfriend Warner dumps her she decides to follow him to Harvard Law School and win him back.

With help from new pals Paulette, Emmett and Chihuahua Bruiser, she learns that it’s so much better to be smart.

The convoluted story (book by Heather Hach) closely follows that of the 2001 Reese Witherspoon film of the same name, itself adapted from Amanda Brown’s novel. To this have been added a generous number of tuneful — and often very witty — songs by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin.

A big hit on Broadway and in the West End, the show is earning further acclaim from this polished touring production.