What did this board think of Legally Blonde the musical?- Page 2

[east side story]

Posted: 5/26/15 at 11:57am

Fruit punch colonic perfectly describes this piece.

I saw it once with Laura Bell, and while she worked her ass off, you could see and hear all the effort she was putting into it. It was not an effortless performance by any means. It always struck me as a perfect example of how and why not everyone can carry a show.

Aside from a few moments, I could not possibly recall a single thing about the show or score. It was mindless fun. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/26/15 at 12:02pm

One of the absolute worst things I've ever had to sit through. 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/26/15 at 12:12pm

I liked the Broadway production, but it seemed to be swallowed by the theatre.  A catchy score and a solid book but a lead that just didn't sparkle in a role known for its sparkle.  Then I saw it again in London and LOVED it.  The show became a classic musical comedy that deserves its place in the musical theatre canon.  

I think it was a clever move to scale the show down to its bare essentials by Sonia

It wasn't bare essentials.  The sets were just a bit smaller due to the size of the theatre, but that was about it.  The direction and book were much tighter than the Broadway production and casting a lead with star quality greatly improved the show.  But it wasn't scaled down to "bare essentials".  I don't see how this led to any sort of trend.  The London production of Shrek looks a bit like the US tour which received stronger notices than the Broadway production.  Dirty Rotten Scoundrels doesn't look scaled back at all.  The Broadway production used the turntables, but wasn't lavish or grandiose.  Quite the opposite.  The set often looked too small and sparse in design for the space.  The changes in set design for Legally Blonde were hardly perceptible.  Pretty much just the opening facade missing a couple of windows and the expanded second story of the house interior, which really only existed for one clever sight gag which wasn't missed in the London production.

Is it safe to say that the tradition referred to 8 years ago is no longer a thing?

It can only loosely be referred to as a "tradition".  It certainly wasn't a rule as Riedel's article would lead you to believe.  

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/26/15 at 12:20pm

Everything else aside, LEGALLY BLONDE will, in fact, be remembered for launching the career of Laura Bell Bundy.

Oh, wait...nevermind.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 5/26/15 at 12:33pm

@gypsy101; The tradition pretty much ended in 2008 when they did an entire segment dedicated to the other (currently running) shows that weren't nominated for Best Musical.

2008:
The Little Mermaid
A Catered Affair
Young Frankenstein

2009:
9 to 5: The Musical

2010:
Promises, Promises
Come Fly Away
Everyday Rapture

2011:
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

2012:
Ghost the Musical
Godspell

2013:
Motown: The Musical

2014:
If/Then
Rocky
Cabaret
Bullets Over Broadway

2015:
Finding Neverland
Gigi
It Shoulda Been You

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/26/15 at 1:41pm

There have always been specialty tributes that not only highlighted classic shows, performers and artists, but not-so-coincidentally plugged shows still running on Broadway (or currently touring at the time of the broadcast).  There were performances from revivals when the category did not exist and performances from non-nominated shows because of the status of the performers.  I went as far back as the 70s and did not include the plethora of novelty numbers from classics that were not part of the Broadway or touring seasons.

1971:

1776 (part of the 25-year retrospective and currently running on Broadway)

Applause (part of the 25-year retrospective and currently running on Broadway)

No performances from any of the nominated musicals

1972:

No, No, Nanette

1974:

Lorelei

Good News (revival to open on Broadway 8 months later)

Purlie (briefly revived during the season)

1975:

 

No performances from any of the nominated musicals

1978:

The Act

1979:

Eubie

I Remember Mama

1981:

A Chorus Line

Ain't Misbehavin'

Annie

Evita

Sweeney Todd

Woman of the Year

1984:

The Rink

1988: 

Bennett tribute including performances from the currently running A Chorus Line and the original cast of Dreamgirls (though the show also had a flop revival that season)

1990:

"Special Salute" including performance from the currently running Cats.

1991:

"Special Salute" including performances from the currently running Phantom of the Opera and the current tour of Bye Bye Birdie that failed to reach Broadway

1996:

Big 

State Fair

2007:

Fantasia sings from The Color Purple

 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/26/15 at 1:41pm

I saw the tour and remember absolutely nothing about it.

Updated On: 5/26/15 at 01:41 PM

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 5/26/15 at 2:45pm

The show got lost in the Palace but it has aged fairly well. 

[Bilbo3]

Posted: 5/27/15 at 6:54pm

When I saw Laura Bell Bundy she was on fire! Saying she couldn't lead the show is preposterous. Maybe  her performances weren't consistent or something. But when i saw her, she carried the show like a star and brought such a genuine heart to Elle. She'll always be the definitive Elle for me. I didn't care for Sheridan, could't get into her voice. 

[bjh2114]

Posted: 5/27/15 at 7:01pm

LBB was EXCELLENT when I saw her.  Bailey... well... we all know how that turned out.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 5/28/15 at 11:10am

I really like the song "So Much Better" and thought if the rest of the show was more like that, it'd be a lot better. However, I don't like Laura Bell Bundy's rendition of the song as she seems too much like a cartoon (actually throughout the whole show). They bloated up scenes that worked well in the movie and made them lose all of the charm and humor. The movie's portrayal of law school and how it works was tolerable if inaccurate. The musical was written by someone who had no idea how law school works, and that just made it almost unwatchable to me. Elle was re-written in a way that made her much ditzier, annoying, and dumber. Hell even Orfeh's Paulette was devoid of any real character, and it's painful because Orfeh's "Bend and Snap" is seriously fierce. Too bad they turned Paulette into a total idiot and made Orfeh overact the entire part. Talk about broad humor gone wild.

Laura Bell Bundy did not deserve that nomination because she made it so obvious she was working hard, her humor was flat, and she gave nothing to the performance. I think a really good comedienne who knew how to balance the humor and the seriousness (so the dramatic or at least the less zany parts actually land) could make Elle Woods a great theatre role. With Bundy, all I saw were missed opportunities to turn in something great. However, I will say that if Bundy was mediocre at best, then Bailey was not ready for ANY spotlight.

Updated On: 5/28/15 at 11:10 AM

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 5/28/15 at 11:32am

 

It deserves credit for how it structurally weaves the songs through the plot making the pace very quick and almost Into the Woods like. As well as the lyrics are very tight and quick and punctuated really moving plot forward. Music wise alone I think it's kind of a mixed bag and all the ballads are incredible forgettable and the songs that stick out most stick out cause of their content and not their melodies. "Gay or European" is very funny and probably the best moment in the show "What You Want" is brilliantly constructed getting her from Point A to Point B.

The show as a whole it's very fun while I don't think it's as laugh out loud funny as it wants to be, it does its job structurally way better than other tepid movie to musical adaptations we've had.

Updated On: 5/28/15 at 11:32 AM