smith appeared as vanessa in "tinderbox: a revenge comedy" by lucy kirkwood at the bush theatre, shepherd's bush, in april 2008. smith originated the role of elle woods in the musical version of "legally blonde" in its transfer from broadway to london's west end in december 2009. ex-blue boyband member duncan james played opposite smith until june 2010, when he was replaced by richard fleeshman. other cast members smith has performed alongside include aoife mulholland as brooke, denise van outen as paulette, peter davison as professor callahan and alex gaumond as emmett forrest. her performance was well received, "the daily telegraph" describing her as: "blessed with vitality, warmth, great comic timing and sudden moments of touching vulnerability. she is infinitely more likeable than reese witherspoon in the film."