Why Wasn't LB A Hit?- Page 4

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 11/9/08 at 9:26pm

Can you list some examples? Elle says some pretty dumb things in the musical, IMO, that she doesn't say in the movie.

Like "Okay! Who assigns homework on the first day of class??" At least in the movie she says "I wasn't aware there was an assignment."

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 11/9/08 at 10:07pm

Legally Blonde was a delighful show that was well cast, well written, and altough not as smart as its source material, worked in a very similar way to Hairspray.

In fact, I don' think Hairspray is much higher in a level of quality than Legally Blonde. SO why has Hairspray outran it, and why has LB not been the massive hit it could have been?

Merely because the target audience for Legally Blonde was too small. Tourists coming to Broadway need a show they can take their families too, and no straight sons of the typical American household will ever sit through Legally Blonde. Even outside of that, the target audience (females aged 16 - 35) is too small of a target audience to fill a theatre as large as the Palace, and too small to cover the expenses of a show as large as a Palace show.

[Radioactiveduck]

Posted: 11/9/08 at 11:19pm

To me, the show captured all the glitz and sugary cuteness of the movie, but missed out on the intelligence and the honesty of the film.

A friend said to me that LB felt like a caricature of a Broadway show, and I very much agree.

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 11/9/08 at 11:31pm

Honestly-this is going to be one of the shows that continues to live on in my opinion. Regional theatres, community theatres, and highschools are going to continue to produce this. The tour itself is booked 3 years in advance! Elle will go on :]

[charmer88]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 1:00am

i dunno, its not necessarily the things she says.. its more that i feel the musical Elle's character goes through more of a journey than the film Elle. Sure they're both a bit ditzy at the beginning, but the musical Elle "grows out" of that (not exactly the phrase I'm looking for, but I'm tired), whereas the film Elle (to me) doesnt feel as though she's really grown as a person that much. Once again, only my opinion, and I'm not going to bash you for yours

[zamedy]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 12:52pm

HAIRSPRAY and LEGALLY BLONDE are not created equal. HAIRSPRAY has enjoyed an incredible run because its book is stronger, its score is stronger, and the audience can not only identify with the characters but root for them (Tracy, Edna, Penny, overcoming racism). And while it is a somewhat "sugar coated" musical, one of its strongest messages and central themes (the civil rights movement) is a bit "meatier" than anything in LB, in my opinion.

And I'd pay just to see that finale over and over again.