BroadwayWorld.com has confirmed the news that Laura Bell Bundy will be briefly returning to the role of Elle Woods, taking over the part on tour, temporarily replacing Becky Gulsvig who has broken a toe. Bundy is currently flying to Washington, DC, the tour's current stop through tomorrow and will begin performances on January 13, 2009 in East Lansing, Michigan, the tour's next stop. The length of her stay has not yet been revealed.
EditLegally Blonde: The Musical (2017)
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Summaries
Harvard's beloved blonde takes the stage by pink storm in this fun, upbeat story of self-discovery.
Spoilers
The synopsis below may give away important plot points.
Synopsis
- Legally Blonde the Musical embarks on a brand new UK tour, opening at the Churchill Theatre Bromley in September 2017. Lucie Jones stars as Elle Woods opposite Rita Simons as Paulette. The musical is directed and choreographed by Anthony Williams.
Originally premiering on Broadway in 2007, Legally Blonde the Musical is based on the 2001 novel by Amanda Brown, which was later adapted into a popular 2001 film starring Reece Witherspoon. Despite mixed reviews in the US, the production went on to be a commercial and critical success in London's West End, where is opened at the Savoy Theatre in 2009. Since then, Legally Blonde the Musical has toured internationally, in countries including South Korea, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Paris and Finland.
Legally Blonde is the well-known story of sorority president Elle Woods, as she crosses the country on a mission to find love at Harvard Law School. After discovering that she can use law for the greater good, she uses her new found skills to defy the odds and prove that pink really can save the day!
Following a pre-Broadway engagement in San Francisco, the original production opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre in April 2007, starring Laura Bell Bundy as the iconic Elle Woods, alongside Christian Borle as Emmett. Despite receiving seven Tony Award nominations and ten Drama Desk nominations, the show did not pick up any! After opening in London, Legally Blonde the Musical picked up the Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
MTV broadcast the musical in September 2007, creating a reality TV programme off the back of it. An audition process to find the next Elle Woods was filmed, with the winner Bailey Hanks getting to take over the lead role in July 2008, before the show closed in October the same year.
Legally Blonde the Musical was originally directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots the Musical), and featured design by David Rockwell. In July 2007, the Broadway Cast Recording was released by Ghostlight Records and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Cast Album Chart. May 2010 saw a live London Cast Recording made, featuring Sheridan Smith and Duncan James.
Legally Blonde is based on the 2001 film, which, in turn, is based on the novel, Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown. The novel is a compilation of funny letters and stories from Brown's time in Stanford Law School. Producers had a desire to bring the film's story to Broadway. They brought together composer, Laurence O'Keefe, and his wife and lyricist, Nell Benjamin, screenwriter, Heather Hach, and renowned choreographer/director, Jerry Mitchell, to work on the project.
Productions
Legally Blonde, based on the hit movie of the same name, premiered at San Francisco's Golden Gate Theatre in February of 2007. The show then transferred to Broadway, where it opened at the Palace Theatre on April 29, 2007. The original production starred Laura Bell Bundy and Christian Borle. It ran for 595 regular performances before closing on October 19, 2008.
Shortly before the Broadway production closed, a national tour opened on September 21, 2008. It ended on August 15, 2010. A non-Equity tour opened just a month later. It started on September 21, 2010, in Jackson, Mississippi, and ended on May 15, 2011, in New Haven, Connecticut.
The West End premiere of Legally Blonde opened on January 13, 2010, at the Savoy Theatre. It became one of the most popular shows on the West End, but eventually closed on April 7, 2012, after 974 performances. A UK national tour ran from July 8, 2011, to October 6, 2012. Outside of the UK, the musical has also enjoyed significant success. An Australian production opened in October 2012, and there have been international productions from South Korea to Sweden, Austria to the Philippines and France to Panama.