Legally Blonde (musical)

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Original Broadway production
Legally Blonde

Music	Nell Benjamin Laurence O'Keefe
Lyrics	Nell Benjamin Laurence O'Keefe
Book	Heather Hach
Based upon	2001 film Legally Blonde 2001 novel by Amanda Brown
Productions	2007 San Francisco 2007 Broadway 2008 U.S. National Tour

Legally Blonde is a musical based on the Amanda Brown novel and the 2001 film of the same name. The musical features the book by Heather Hach, music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, and direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell. After a pre-Broadway tryout in San Francisco, the musical opened on Broadway on April 29, 2007 to mostly positive reviews. The musical was recorded for and aired on MTV in October, 2007. A U.S. tour has been announced.

1 Productions
2 Plot
- 2.1 Act I
- 2.2 Act II
3 Broadway cast
4 Musical numbers
5 Recordings
6 Critical response
7 Awards and nominations
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Productions

Legally Blonde had its pre-Broadway tryout at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco beginning in previews on January 23, 2007, and playing its final performance in San Francisco on February 24, 2007.^[1] After some minor changes to the score and book, the show opened for previews on April 3, 2007. The Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, opened on April 29, 2007 at the Palace Theatre to mostly positive reviews.

During the week ending June 24, 2007, the Broadway production achieved a milestone, joining the millionaires' club for the weekly Broadway grosses, by grossing $1,003,282.^[2] The production was nominated for seven Tony Awards but did not win any of them.

The musical was filmed for television on September 18, 2007 and was broadcast on the MTV network on October 13 and 14, 2007 with subsequent air dates on November 3 and 14, 2007 at 7pm.^[3] MTV's involvement with the musical continued with a reality show program called Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods casting the next actress to play Elle Woods on Broadway, replacing Laura Bell Bundy.^[4] The show is hosted by Haylie Duff, and premiered on June 2, 2008 on MTV.^[4]

A US tour has been announced to start on September 23, 2008.^[5] Becky Gulsvig, who was in the ensemble of the original Broadway cast and currently understudies for Laura Bell Bundy, will lead the first national tour as Elle Woods.^[6] A West End production of the show is planned for Spring 2009, to be produced by Sonia Freidman.^[7]^[8]^[9]

[edit] Plot

[edit] Act I

The overjoyed girls of UCLA's sorority Delta Nu, led by Margot, Serena, and Pilar, celebrate the imminent engagement of Warner Huntington the Third, to their blonde sorority president, Elle Woods ("Omigod You Guys"). The girls send Elle off to dinner with Warner, where he tells Elle that he needs someone more "Serious" ("Serious") and breaks up with her. Elle is devastated and sulks for twelve days ("Daughter of Delta Nu") but comes up with a plan to win back Warner after seeing a picture of his brother's fiancée, someone serious, lawyer and somebody who wears black when nobody's dead ("What You Want"). She decides to chase Warner to Harvard, to show him that she can be serious. With help from Delta Nu sister Kate, Elle studies for the LSATs, missing all spring semester parties in the name of love. In place of writing a personal essay, Elle bursts into the Harvard admission offices with Margot, Serena, Pilar, a squad of male cheerleaders and the entire UCLA marching band to prove that she is Harvard material. Despite first being turned down, she is ultimately accepted after revealing that she's motivated by love.

Elle's snobby classmates disapprove of her attire, and the only person who is willing to help her out is the law teaching assistant, Emmett Forrest ("The Harvard Variations"). However, he can not protect her in class with the blood-thirsty Professor Callahan ("Blood in the Water"). Callahan kicks the under-prepared Elle out of class at the suggestion of her classmate Vivienne Kensington, who happens to be Warner's new girlfriend. This tragedy summons the apparitions of the sisters of Delta Nu, who, acting as a Greek Chorus visible and audible only to Elle, tell her to be ("Positive"). Elle, deciding that being blonde is the problem, decides to become a brunette. She heads to the salon The Hair Affair, where she meets beautician Paulette who tells Elle that when she is down, she puts on her favorite CD, and dreams of "Ireland". At the Hair Affair, Vivienne gives Elle a surprise invitation to a "costume party". Paulette sends Elle off with a costume for the party, her positivity and blonde hair still intact ("Ireland Reprise").

Walking into the party as a Playboy bunny, Elle realizes that she has been tricked by Vivienne into thinking it was a costume party, but, with courage, Elle seeks out Warner in an effort to win him back ("Serious Reprise"). Warner still does not take Elle seriously. Elle runs away from the party, only to run into Emmett. Emmett, who raised himself from poverty through hard work, is unimpressed by Elle's love problems. He tells her she has to buckle down and study. He slowly gets Elle to re-examine her priorities till she realizes it's her very obsession with Warner that keeps her from buckling down and earning his respect. Finally freed from her need to please Warner, she defeats Warner in a classroom debate ("Chip on My Shoulder"). Warner and Vivienne win two of Callahan's coveted internship positions, and Warner proposes to Vivienne on the spot right in front of Elle. Before Elle's heart can break, Emmett shows her the internship list. Below the names of Vivienne, Warner, and Enid is the name "Elle Woods" ("So Much Better").

[edit] Act II

Callahan, Emmett, and the four interns are studying the jump rope workout video of their newest client, fitness mogul Brooke Wyndham ("Whipped into Shape"). Brooke's stepdaughter, Chutney, is accusing Brooke of murdering Brooke's much older husband. Callahan and the interns visit Brooke in jail, but are unable to extract an alibi from her, until she is alone with Elle. Elle recognizes Brooke as a former Delta Nu member. Swearing Elle to secrecy, Brooke reveals her alibi: she was getting liposuction on the day of the murder. Not willing to betray her Delta Nu trust, she asks Callahan to trust her when she says that she is innocent. Callahan then releases his rage on Emmett. Emmett begs Elle to break her promise. Elle refuses, but then offers to help impress Callahan in a different way by taking Emmett to a department store ("Take It Like a Man"). The results impress both of them.

Back at the Hair Affair, Elle is getting a manicure when in walks the sexy new UPS man, Kyle. Paulette is nothing short of stunned, but she is too shy to talk to him, believing that she has nothing to offer. As she bends down to pick up the package, however, Margot, Serena and Pilar are summoned by Paulette's amazing "Bend and Snap", now visible not only to Elle but also to Paulette. The sorority girls tell Paulette to use the bend and snap on Kyle, but when she does, after his return to look for his stylus, she accidentally breaks his nose ("Bend and Snap").

On the third day of Brooke's trial, Brooke's pool boy, Nikos Argitakos, shocks the court by claiming to have an affair with Brooke. Brooke denies it, and Elle believes her. Elle tries the bend and snap, twice, in front of Nikos and gets no response. Elle concludes that he is gay, while Callahan believes him to be simply European ("There! Right There!"). It is revealed by Carlos, Nikos' boyfriend, that Nikos is gay and European.

Later that night in Callahan's office, the interns celebrate Elle's skill. However, after dismissing Emmett and the other interns, Callahan kisses Elle, who slaps him. Callahan fires her. As a heartbroken Elle is left stunned in the office, Warner and Vivienne, who both saw the kiss, though Vivienne pushed Warner out of the way before he could see the slap, enter. Warner mocks Elle, but Vivienne tells him to shut up and they both leave. Elle prepares to go home, even though Emmett asks her to stay ("Legally Blonde").

Elle heads to the Hair Affair to say good-bye to Paulette, but before she can leave, Vivienne reveals herself from under a hair drier and convinces Elle otherwise ("Legally Blonde Remix"). Elle discards her lawyerly navy suits, dons a fabulous pink dress and leads a parade back to the courtroom, along the way picking up her parents, Margot, Serena and Pilar who have flown to Boston to watch her in person. The last person they pick up is Kyle, who takes a liking to Paulette. Back at the trial, Brooke fires Callahan and hires Elle while Emmett, a licensed lawyer, supervises. Chutney goes to the witness stand and her testimony is damning, but Elle triumphs by revealing Chutney's lie with her knowledge of hair maintenance. Chutney accidentally confesses that she was the one who killed her father, believing him to be Brooke, because she hated having a mother younger than herself. Elle's victory is so great, that Warner proposes to her, having been dumped by Vivienne. Elle gently refuses, claiming to have been changed by the experience ("Find My Way").

Three years later, Elle ends up as the valedictorian of her class. Paulette tells the audience that Enid practices family law, Vivienne is training for the Peace Corps, and Warner quits law school to pursue a modeling career. Callahan ran for governor but was defeated, and his wife hired Emmett to handle their divorce. Paulette married Kyle, had two kids, and is pregnant with a third. They live in Worcester and Paulette bought a new salon. At the end of the graduation ceremony, Elle proposes to Emmett, and Emmett accepts.

[edit] Broadway cast

Main article: Legally Blonde (musical) cast lists

Original principals

Actor/Actress	Character
Laura Bell Bundy	Elle Woods
Christian Borle	Emmett Forrest
Orfeh	Paulette Bonafonté
Michael Rupert	Professor Callahan
Richard H. Blake	Warner Huntington III
Kate Shindle	Vivienne Kensington
Nikki Snelson	Brooke Wyndham
Natalie Joy Johnson	Enid Hoopes
Leslie Kritzer	Serena
Annaleigh Ashford	Margot
DeQuina Moore	Pilar
Andy Karl	Grandmaster Chad / Dewey / Kyle

[edit] Musical numbers

Act I

Omigod You Guys - Elle, Serena, Margot, Pilar, Company
Serious - Elle, Warner
Daughter of Delta Nu - Serena, Margot, Pilar, Company
What You Want - Elle, Serena, Margot, Pilar, Company
The Harvard Variations - Emmett, Aaron, Enid, Padamadan, Harvard Students
Blood in the Water - Callahan, Company
Positive - Elle, Serena, Margot, Pilar, Greek Chorus
Ireland - Paulette
Ireland (Reprise) - Paulette
Serious (Reprise) - Elle, Warner
Chip on My Shoulder - Elle, Emmett, Greek Chorus, Company
So Much Better - Elle, Greek Chorus, Company

Act II

Whipped Into Shape - Brooke, Callahan, Company
Take It Like a Man - Elle, Emmett, Salespersons
Bend and Snap - Elle, Paulette, Serena, Margot, Pilar, and Salonfolk
There! Right There! - Elle, Callahan, Emmett, Brooke, Vivienne, Warner, Enid, Judge, Nikos, Carlos, Company
Legally Blonde - Elle, Emmett
Legally Blonde Remix - Vivienne, Elle, Enid, Company
Omigod You Guys (Reprise)* - Elle and Company
Find My Way/Finale - Elle, Paulette, Emmett, Company

During its San Francisco run, the musical included a song called "Love and War"^[10] in place of what is now "Positive." The song featured, at times, very similar lyrics and choreography to that of the current version, though with a different melody and harmonic structure. Another predecessor to "Positive" was "Beacon of Positivity,"^[11] which had the same general idea behind it, but lacked a dance break.

Where Paulette's song "Ireland" is now, there was originally a song entitled "Good Boy",^[12] in which Paulette and Elle bond over the idea that men are like dogs and should therefore be treated as such.

Other cut songs include two sung by Professor Callahan: one entitled "Rock Star",^[13] in which he tells Elle about his first job (as the legal representative of a rock star); and one entitled "Name Your Price", in which he dispenses career advice to Elle. Both of these songs were used (in different versions of the show) in the moment before Callahan kisses Elle, but in the final version of the musical, no song exists there.

[edit] Recordings

The Original Broadway Cast recording was recorded on May 7 and 8, 2007 and released on July 17, 2007 by Ghostlight Records (an imprint of Sh-K-Boom Records). During the week of July 23, 2007, the cast album made its debut on Billboard's Cast Album chart, placing at #1 and charted at #86 on the Billboard 200.^[14] The album as sold 93,000+ copies as of May 2008.

Prior to opening for previews, a promotional sampler CD was released featuring "Omigod You Guys", "So Much Better", and "Take It Like a Man", featuring a slightly divergent cast, arrangement and lyrics of that of the final show's. These songs were all re-recorded for the cast recording.^[15]

During the development phase of the musical, a demo recording was released with twelve songs featuring Kerry Butler as Elle. The demo featured the original versions of "There! Right There!" (originally called "Gay or European"), "Blood in the Water", "Omigod You Guys", "Serious", "What You Want", "Legally Blonde", "Legally Blonde Remix", "So Much Better", "Take It Like a Man", and also featured two songs that are not present in the final show. These included "Beacon of Positivity", and "Good Boy".^[16]

[edit] Critical response

The musical received mixed reviews but many praised the show for being a fun and upbeat production. Ben Brantley, reviewing the musical in The New York Times, wrote that the show was "high-energy, empty-calories and expensive-looking hymn to the glories of girlishness..."; he praised Laura Bell Bundy: "she sings and dances flawlessly, and she delivers silly lines as if she meant them."

Clive Barnes, in his New York Post review, wrote that he loved the "effervescent and radiant Bundy..." as well as others in the cast, and that the "dances certainly have a slick snap, crackle and pop..."

Elysa Gardner in the USA Today wrote that the musical was an "ingratiating trifle", and the "...game cast ensure that the proceedings, however patronizing, aren't irritating."^[17]

Jeremy McCarter in New York Magazine wrote that the musical unfortunately "doesn’t summon memories of Tracy Flick, the steely student-council campaigner that Reese Witherspoon played in Election before starring in Legally Blonde. The fleeting glimpses of a Flickish manic drive just below Elle’s silly Malibu surface are what I liked best in the film. It’s the kind of freaky detail that no amount of cheery blandness can replace."^[18]

[edit] Awards and nominations

Tony Awards

Best Book of a Musical (Heather Hach) (nomination)
Best Original Score (Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin) (nomination)
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Laura Bell Bundy) (nomination)
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Christian Borle) (nomination)
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Orfeh) (nomination)
Best Choreography (Jerry Mitchell) (nomination)
Best Costume Design of a Musical (Gregg Barnes) (nomination)