Legally Blonde Fear

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 10:02am

I hope I am wrong but think the critics will lump it in with TWS,ASU & Hi Fi & treat it in the same manner review wise

Any other thoughts ?

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 10:42am

I'm pretty sure that's what will happen. And with those types of shows, it's actually kind of hard to objectively judge whether they're good or not, because what constitutes good when they're just aiming to entertain? Legally Blonde has horrible timing coming to Broadway.

We'll see.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 10:57am

what were the musicals based on movies this season?

I know
wedding singer
Legally Blonde
Xanadu
Mary Poppins- Would that be included
High Fidelity

Updated On: 12/31/06 at 10:57 AM

[ggersten]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 11:03am

Don't forget how the critics hated The Full Monty and The Producers. Why does anyone want to make musicals out of movies? I mean, can you imagine the Tony voters giving something like Thoroughly Modern Millie an award for "best musical"?

If Legally Blonde is good, then it will be reviewed as good. If it's bad, it'll be reviewed as bad. Indeed, it may actually have a leg up, in that expectations for it may be fairly low as a "musical based on a movie".
Updated On: 12/31/06 at 11:03 AM

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 11:07am

The problem is, Hairspray, Millie, the Producers and Full Monty came at a time when making a musical out of a movie isn't as reviled as it is now.

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 11:31am

Let's just remember this though: all shows don't receive great reviews. And yes, sometimes those negative reviews are true, but look at "WICKED": it got many negative reviews and look at how it is now...

[D2]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 11:36am

"Thoroughly Modern Millie" also got a fair amount of negative reviews. (Deservedly IMHO) And yet it won the Tony and ran nearly 1000 performances. (It also lost a bundle of money while the show that SHOULD HAVE WON ran longer and turned a profit.)

Who knows what will happen with "Legally Blonde" but I'm sure it will be an interesting few months around here as it makes it's way east.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 11:44am

Hairspray,... the Producers and Full Monty came at a time when making a musical out of a movie isn't as reviled as it is now.

Well, that's because they were actually GOOD and that's why they got good reviews and Tony Awards. (I can't speak for "Millie" because I did not see it.) "The Wedding Singer" has a good opening number and that's about it as far as I'm concerned. (Yes. I did see the show in November). A song about coming out of a dumpster is not Tony material. Also, the two songs I've heard so far from "Legally Blonde" do not inspire me to want to get the original cast recording. I'm still holding out hope for it since I like the cast.

[JasonM12480]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 12:05pm

The SOURCE MATERIAL for a musical to be based off a movie should be intelligent, well-crafted, and INTERESTING.

"Mary Poppins" works because it's family-oriented, the movie was splendid, the songs were already show-tune-ish, and it simply WORKS. "The Producers" worked because of the creators, the intelligence and humor that went into it; the music is hummable and memorable, and the movie WORKED.

Movies such as "The Wedding Singer", and "Legally Blonde" are not that highly interesting, unless you're a teenager, and don't know any better from a good movie, vs. a bad movie. Sure, they're cute on film, but the transition into a fully staged musical for both of these, frankly, makes no sense.

Now this is not a knock at director/choreographer, Jerry Mitchell, whom I happen to hold in a very high regard. But let's get real, folks - 100 years from now, when people look back at Broadway musicals (should they, hopefully, still even EXIST), people will discuss things like "Oklahoma", "Carousel", "The Phantom of the Opera", "Man of La Mancha", "Les Miserables" - not these current trendy Juke-boxicals, and musicals based on mildly popular films. Again - I state - the SOURCE MATERIAL MUST BE INTERESTING and have a worldly appeal (story and music-wise) for them to last. "Legally Blonde" will simply not do very well for very long.

That is my .02 cents for what it's worth.

[D2]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 12:08pm

Jason - your two cents are worth a million. Excellent points, intelligently expressed.

Updated On: 12/31/06 at 12:08 PM

[jaso_n]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 12:33pm

While I agree with you Jason, I think that the trendy musicals you see popping up is a result of Broadway becoming more and more about money and less about artistic relevance. That's why I hate that shows cost millions of dollars to bring to Broadway. There needs to be more of an in-between for these "cute" musicals like The Wedding Singer and Legally Blonde where people don't invest a gazillion dollars into a musical that really isn't going to knock anyone's socks off (except the tweens, maybe).

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 12:33pm

Until we actually see the show on the stage, I find it a little hard to make judgements. If the wedding singer put out a sampler would everyone be this rude?

[FosseForever3]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 12:40pm

never fear LB skeptics...it's been said before but:

two words: Jerry Mitchell

I have faith...if anything, look at the top notch ensemble they have in that show (and of course the leads...)

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 12:44pm

^ agreed!

Jerry Mitchell looks amazing in the videos.

[lady godiva]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 12:47pm

EVERYTHING has source material. 100% original musicals aren't such a picnic. Who cares if the source material is a movie, ancient play, etc? Look at Kiss Me Kate -- based on a play (and just look at all the people who would have yelled about bastardizing Shakespeare?) and look at In My Life --- original. The real problem lies in exactly what source material is chosen and how it is used.

[leefowler]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 1:03pm

High Fidelity and Wedding Singer failed because they were very flawed shows, not because they were based on movies. And you wanna talk about bad timing: Jersey Boys came out when the hatred of "jukebox musicals" was at its height. But it was terrific, and that was all that mattered.

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 1:33pm

Jersey Boys is more of a bio show than the other jukebox musicals, which tend to take an artist or band's songs and try to sew them into a story. I don't think the comparisons are valid.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 5:11pm

It's almost humorous to read all these speculation threads. I agree that the sampler idea was a shot in the foot as the music is not great and the lead sounds, well, not great. That being said, unless we're all swami's, there's no way to judge what's going to happen based on casualties like Fidelity and WS. Every situation is different. My main concern is whether or not Bundy is up to the task and how that "sampler" comes across in context of the show. If it's not any better, than they're in a spot of trouble. And thus far, Mitchell has proven himself as a choreographer, so it's a wait and see game, nothing more.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 5:15pm

Sorry, rare double post! Updated On: 12/31/06 at 05:15 PM

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 5:17pm

I don't know, I think that there has to be room in the source material for some more elaboration. Do you get what I mean? I don't know, in Legally Blonde and The Wedding Singer movies, I pretty much knew what each character was thinking and their personality and whatnot. No need to go into detail on that.

Like, say for example The Light in the Piazza. In the book and movie it's all from Margaret's POV so we don't really know what Clara's thinking. We don't know why Fabrizio fell in love with her. We don't know exactly how mentally stunted Clara is. We don't know the inner workings of the Naccarelli family. There is plenty of room for elabration, for exploring emotions and actions and whatnot.

Also, the problem with movies is that people tend to associate the character with the original actor. For instance, Robbie Hart will always be Adam Sandler to me, not Stephen Lynch (though he was admittedly fantastic in the role) and Elle Woods will always be Reese Witherspoon, not Laura Bell Bundy.

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 6:13pm

I would really love for someone involved to post what is actually going on with the show and how it actually is going to be. it is honestly getting so redic. I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that is fine with me. But many of us are performers or somewhat involved in a show and i know that i would be hurt if i saw how much negativity was going into a show that has not even had it's out of of tryout yet.

Updated On: 12/31/06 at 06:13 PM

[EugLoven]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 6:18pm

I'm one for superstition, and regarding the pre-Broadway debut of "Legally Blonde" in San Francisco...

The last two pre-Broadway debuts in SF that were flops when they transfered to NYC were "Lestat" and "Lennon"... both shows starting with the letter L

Maybe 3rd times the charm?

But you're exactly right (above).
Two words: Jerry Mitchell Updated On: 12/31/06 at 06:18 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 6:19pm

You'll always be a swami to me, Al Dente.

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 6:26pm

Light in the Piazza was made into a movie in the 1960s with Olivia DeHavilland. It's not merely a book. But people don't associate Margaret with DeHavilland because the movie isn't remembered.

I think the difference between adapting a movie like Legally Blonde and one like Hairspray, Millie, DRS, etc, is that to us it seems like it's trying to only capitalize on the popularity of the movie, not on the actual quality of the source material.
Hopefully, it can do both.

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 6:40pm

lets all keep our fingers crossed.

i would like to hear Orfeh sing her song badly.