OMIGOD! A World Premiere (Legally Blonde SF Video)- Page 5

[StageManager2]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 11:03pm

I think One of the chicks in the "Bend And Snap" number stole Pocahontas' dress.

Updated On: 1/30/07 at 11:03 PM

[IAMmyownMUSICAL]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 11:10pm

how fun!!! I can't wait to see it!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 11:26pm

A lotta bile on here tonight.

They're just putting on a show, not mediating between Hammas and Hezbollah. Maybe we should all STFU and either buy tickets when it opens, or don't. I have (and maybe I'm wrong) always thought of this site a "pro-Broadway" positive contribution to a wonderful industry. But I sure would hate to think of any member of the company of "Legally Blonde" looking at this thread. It would be so utterly depressing to think that the very people who proclaim to love the theatre could be so... yeah.... hateful.

This is the same crap some of you smeared all over "The Drowsy Chaperone." Many of you had to eat your words when the show won award-after-award and sells out week-after-week. If there is one thing that is clear, most people on this site have NO IDEA what the public will embrace.

So maye we should tone down the bile and offer some constructive criticism or STFU.

[broadwaybaby086]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 11:40pm

Thank you, allofmylife.

[Act4ever]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 11:58pm

What is a bend and snap SUPPOSED to look like...?

And are we really going to judge a show simply by the TITLE of it's opening number...?

[donna_darko_23]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 12:26am

I kept hoping that this show would be ok. I was a fan of the movie. However, each thing I see seems to diminsh my hopes a little more. The Bend and Snap song was terrible (not Orfeh - the song itself). Blah. It was over the top "fun." This promo is general did not impress me at all or win me over.

[carymetorent2]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 12:32am

Wow, what a bad choice of mish-mosh to advertise this show.

I do adore Christian's little jig at the end of "Chip on My Shoulder" though.

While that isn't my favorite song, they chose the worst thing in the world to showcase him. That is the end of the song and the rest of the song is pretty cute. It's him forcing Elle to get up and work hard to make it in law school, something which adds to the plot in a way the movie didn't.

Also, IMO, the best part of "Bend and Snap" where Leslie Kritzer gets to sing out and rap. It's very catchy and really fun.

There was no Richard Blake in the video at all and his song is funny and he sounds great with Laura...it's a shame because I think it's a great number.

Also, the "Legally Blonde" ballad is one of my favorite numbers and would have been a much better way of showcasing Christian.

The remix that they showed Kate Shindle in is her best bit in the show. I think she sounds gorgeous and it's a really fun song, but taken out of context like that, it doesn't look all that appealing.

All in all, this video does NOTHING to showcase this show. It is fluff, but it has heart and I think more appeal than TWS. I say that honestly....I loved TWS, but this has a better shot. And if it can fill a 2300 seat theatre in SF, it has a shot at the Palace.

I think the people who are defending it and haven't seen it are just as bad as the people bashing it who haven't seen it. You are allowed to have opinions, but you can't have a fully formed one until you see it. Don't just like it because its going to be your new WEdding Singer. ANd don't hate it because its going to be the new WEdding Singer. Let it be what it is and judge when you see it.

[sfs1414]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 12:34am

This looks like a pile of crap that was just thrown into a huge dumpster full of more steaming piles of crap.

[TheBlonde]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 1:24am

This thread makes me laugh. There were what, 10 second clips of 5 songs? lols.


Updated On: 1/31/07 at 01:24 AM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 1:27am

carymetorent2, I actually agree with you about the end part.

I'm not the target audience for this show, and I think the "fan girl" syndrome that seems to accompany most new shows with a "catchy, fun score" is really annoying. Just because it's upbeat and fun and easy for you to grasp doesn't mean you to have cling to it with dear life.

Based on that video - and I don't think it's wrong to base an opinion off that video, isn't that what commercials are for? - I think it's unthreatening fluff. I don't mind fluff when it's done right, but too me, the show looks uninspired. LBB's voice left a lot to be desired. Orfeh has a great voice, but the song didn't work - at least that part of it. And Kate Shindle was amazing, but I'm a fan of her voice. Next to Orfeh and Shindle, LBB's voice just comes off as weak. I think LBB is perfect for the part, but I'm not sure those songs showcase her voice in the best way.

And I'm not a 14 year-old-girl so the whole "girly girl" humor just doesn't work on me. It just seems like the whole show is based off the same tired stereotype.

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 1:57am

AHHH. So far its surpassed anything i could have hoped. I really really hope it does well. There's always a place on Broadway for a fun fun show and this looks like it'll be it! So much better gave me chills!

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 2:13am

That "OMIGOD!" song has got to be the single most annoying showtune I have ever listened to. More annoying that any number in Mamma Mia or The Wedding Singer.
Do all of Laura Bell Bundy's numbers include being lifted on a platform? It seemed like such a tired, forced, lackluster gimmick.
The "Bend and Snap" number is bad, bad, bad. It's so sad to see a clearly talented performer like Orfeh stuck with such a mediocre song in what seems like a misguided number. Every chorus number looks so crowded, uninspired, and fluffy in a bad way.
MichaelBennett, the joke about 70, Girls, 70 cracked me up, and in a way you were right, the ensemble of "college girls" is laughable at best. This definitely seems like one of those shows where the dog steals the show...

[jimnysf]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 2:36am

That "OMIGOD!" song has got to be the single most annoying showtune I have ever listened to.

Amen to that! Not only is it the opening number, but there are TWO reprises near the end of the show! That song is pure torture.

I liked the courtroom song about "Gay or European" and the "Legally Blonde Remix".

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 3:51am

I guess they learned nothing from Legally Blonde 2 and why it just didn't work compared to the first one. The first one, as fun and fluffy as it was, gave the illusion that it had something more and toned down enough to prevent the camp from taking over. They were just cashing in for no. 2 and didn't care about any sense of reality or substance. These clips just seem to show the latter.

I mean, I'm really disappointed that a musical like this didn't at least have any songs that were catchy (other than Omigod you guys). The biggest disappointment to me is that judging on that clip, Bend and Snap just sucked, as was Bundy's bend and snap.

Also, what's with the staging and choreography? It just seems so badly done.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 6:24am

That's one thing that I particularly noticed from the video. I've always expected the best in choreography from Jerry Mitchell, and I would have expected him to go completely over the top with this show, but it doesn't look like anything better than the churning out of a high school choreographer.

Updated On: 1/31/07 at 06:24 AM

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 8:51am

Oh everyone give it a rest,they arent doing les mis or saigon here its a big camp fluffy show and personnaly i think it looks fun.

Good luck to all involved i wish you all the best with the show.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 9:00am

Oh everyone give it a rest,they arent doing les mis or saigon here its a big camp fluffy show and personnaly i think it looks fun.

Since when did something have to be melodramatic or Sondheim-esque in order to have good music and staging and acting? Just because people keep saying it's light and fluff doesn't excuse the suckitude. Light and fluff doesn't have to be completely shallow/bad, especially not for $100 a ticket. I guess our standards on what is worthy to be on the Bway stage certainly has lowered.

Before you jump on me, no, I haven't seen the show, but the clips are very telling on how the show is, and like Margo said, the team feels confident enough to put enough faith in those clips to use them to promote the show.

Updated On: 1/31/07 at 09:00 AM

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 9:54am

The show does exactly what it says on the tin and is very catchy,the story moves along nicely and a lot of the jokes are very funny(some need work)

Ohmigod is a great catchy pop song what catches the essence of the opening scene of the film fine

I think you need to see the shows first.

Just read Margo's comment and im a bit shocked(i started the margo appreciation thread) but to slam a show based of a few min clips is a bit unfair.

Also this show is aimed at young people and gay men etc so i dont think some of the Older members of this board are its target audience.

The musical is very much like the film (same humour and campness) if you like the film you will like the show,if you diddnt then dont go.

Updated On: 1/31/07 at 09:54 AM

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 12:10pm

The "don't judge it until you see it" argument is right in principle. But the truth is, with ticket prices being the way they are, audiences have the right to form opinions before deciding to see a show. I wanted to give Legally Blonde a chance. Sure, I'm not exactly a fan of so-called fluffy musicals. I hated Wedding Singer (I also hated Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, for that matter). I only had fun at High Fidelity because I EXPECTED it to suck. But Legally Blonde has an exceptionally talented cast, and, like emcee, I love the movie.

But judging from those clips, I'm greatly disappointed. I think it's true that we shouldn't completely write it off as "horrible" without having seen it, but the purpose of these clips, and other advertisement, is to entice people to fork over the money to go see this show. So because we're likely customers, we DO have the right to judge, criticize and voice the opinion that, based on the clips alone, this doesn't look like a very good show. Some of those songs actually made me cringe. It may only be 60 seconds or so, but if I didn't like a sampling of the songs, it's probably a good indication that I won't like the show as a whole.

[carymetorent2]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 1:13pm

Like I said, that video definitely didn't showcase this show at all.

The choreography is not as up to par as I expected from jerry Mitchell, but it's all very modern day and it seems to fit its settings. There are a few numbers that are relatively impressive.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 1:44pm

I only THANK GOD that Rodgers and Hart, whose show "On Your Toes" was a disappointment on the road, and the Gershwins, whose Fred Astaire vehicle "Smarty" was a stinker until they fixed it and renamed it "Funny Face" and Irving Berlin, whose "Annie Get Your Gun" didn't really click despite having Merman until he went into the women's washroom (the only available space) and wrote "There's No Business Like Show Business" and the entire cast of "Oklahoma" who had such misgivings about their show that they were avidly telegraming their agents to find them new gigs and on and on and on.. I'm all glad these people are DEAD so they don't have to face the internet and a ravaging hoard of twerps that still don't get it...

IT'S CALLED PREVIEWS!!!!!! This is when the show is SUPPOSED to be crap. This is when the fixing gets done. This is when the great save-the-show numbers are written.

Ever hear "I only wish Hitler was alive and out on the road with a show?"

GIVE THESE PEOPLE A BREAK. They will either get it right or they will flop, but since most of you have only seen five minutes of tape, how they HELL can you proclaim the show a flop?

It's electronic "dear ****s" time and it just gets SO depressing.

Try a little encouragement. If any cast member ever logs on here (and you know they do) maybe some constructive comments could help. Some encouragement could help, but screaming flop, flop, flop just makes you look like the petty little people that treked out to New Haven hoping for a flop when they weren't busy knitting at the base of the guillotine.

And before anyone says "but the people inSan Francisco paid $100.00 to see the show..." They paid 100.00 to see the show BEFORE YOU DO. That's what they pay for. They know going in that it's a world premiere and they expect turds in the soup which hopefully will be picked out before it's fed to us on Broadway.

I once spoke to a guy who worked at the Shubert in Boston, a notorious tryout theatre. I said "you must have seen a lot of turkeys in your time" and he told me that the one thing every show had in common was 200 people desperate to wow an audience. They may have been turkeys, but as god is my witness, everyone wanted them to fly.

Let's give these people a while to test their wings.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 2:05pm

Not bad I guess, but I'm not that impressed (and I really would like to like it, because I adore the movie.)

I dunno how old Kate Shindle is, but she seems a little too much older than LBB.

The heck is "Chip on My Shoulder" about? Someone said Emmett makes Elle work hard in law school, so I guess that means they took out the scene at the costume party?

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 2:25pm

No, I understand that it's in previews, that the clip isn't a fair representation of the show as a whole, and that there are going to be improvements by the time it gets to Broadway. But there HAS to be something there to entice people to spend the money to see it. And so far, for some of us, it's just not there.

That's the problem with a Broadway show. Most people simply can't afford to pay these prices on the hope that it's actually better than what the clips show. Not all of us can decide to see every show, and judge later. Sometimes you just write off a show if the bits and pieces you've seen of it are not to your liking.

Personally, though, if they offer student rush and/or lottery, I'll definitely go see it, if only for the very talented cast. I saw High Fidelity, despite my serious aversions to a musicalization of that material (which I don't have for Legally Blonde). But I think that the people who are completely writing the show off after seeing this clip are in their right to do so.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 2:30pm

Perhaps, I sounded harsh, but after watching that mini-press reel two more times, I stand by my opinion. The producers and press people sent out clips of SEVEN different scenes from the show -- presumably the best representation of it that they have to offer -- in hopes of enticing me to spend $111.50 to see the show. I didn't hear one decent melody out of the six presented. The lyrics are pedestrian at best, mediocre at worst, devoid of any cleverness or wit (this is a comedy, right?). Perhaps the squeakly, squeely voices are appropriate to the characters, but after nearly four minutes of hearing them, I already had the beginnings of a headache (and couldn't imagine enduring two and a half hours of that chirpy sound). The ensemble numbers all looked like high school cheerleading routines, not Broadway level professional dance numbers. If this is indicative of the show as a whole (and this is the best of it that they have to offer) then, no thanks.

To those who say it's unfair to judge a show based on a press reel, I don't know, I've seen dozens, if not hundreds of press reels over the years and you what? After watching six or seven scenes, you could almost always predict which shows were going to be good and which shows were going to be bad. Because of the miracles of editing, occasionally shows would end up being a little better or a little worse in full performance than their reel would indicate, but more often than not, seven scenes were enough to tell you whether you would like the finished product or not.

To those who say, I'm not giving it a chance, well, I see over 100 different shows every year (115 last year), so I give more shows a chance than 99% of this board ever will and 99.9% of the rest of the world would ever have the desire to. I've plunked down money for tons of shows that didn't look remotely promising at all, just on the off chance that it might surprise me -- and it's almost never happened that something that looked as bereft of invention and originality as this show has turned out to be anything more than so-so (if not truly awful).

Mind you, I'm not telling anyone else not to go see this show. If you watched the clips and loved them, well, good for you. I hope you have a great time. But, personally, I want and expect more than this for my hard earned dollar. I don't expect every new musical to be stamped with the genius of a Robbins or a Bennett or a Fosse, but I do expect ambition and drive and professionalism. What ever happened to true inventiveness? Or originality? Or passion? Or wit? Or just plain talent? Theatre has the power to engage and uplift the heart and soul and mind -- is there ANYTHING in this show that even TRIES to do that?

Sorry, but for me -- and I know LOTS of people don't agree -- for $111.50, I want more than mindless, forgettable, poorly executed fluff. I don't mind "silly" or "fun," as long as it's put together with precision and intelligence and skill with Broadway caliber dancing and singing and music and design and a book that has a bit of substance beneath all the flash and dazzle (HAIRSPRAY is a good example of a show that's silly and campy, but nevertheless has a solid book and score and clever staging and design with a story that deals with race and class and being an "outsider" while still being entertaining -- and you could tell all of that just from seeing a handful of clips on its press reel before the show even opened).

Bottom line, if I want mindless fluffy entertainment, I can watch a sitcom or reality show or some similarly forgettable piece of junk 24/7 on any one 500 channels in the comfort of my home. Or I can go to the local multiplex and pay $11 and see the latest comedy spoof or action/adventure flick. For $111.50, I expect more -- MUCH MORE and I think we all deserve and should expect a higher level of creativity and artistry and originality than the kind of overpriced theatrical junk food we too often get served these days in the name of "entertainment."

[Craig]

Posted: 1/31/07 at 2:36pm

Margo-

Out of curiousity, how influenced are you (in particular) by an individual element when deciding whether or not to see a show. If you saw these clips but LOVED the score and hated everything else, would you see it? If you saw amazing choreography would you see it? If one of your favorite performers was in a show, would you see it regardless?

Just curious if there are things that might transcend your initial gut reaction to a show.