Laura Bell Bundy and the Note- Page 6

[allofmylife]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 2:30am

I did watch Becky Gulsvig on that site. So what? She's an understudy. So? They didn't choose her for the lead role, they made her the understudy. Maybe she's Shirley McLaine. Probably she's just an understudy.

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 4:54am

I think Becky sounds like she has a better handle vocally on the score.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 5:40am

Re this discussion, someone has done us a great favor tonight by posting perhaps one of the clearest pieces of footage ever shot of Legally Blonde on that site. It's Becky Gulsvg performing "So Much Better" and she is not. After watching it several times, you find yourself saying "Damn, she hits notes LBB never does, but she has zero charisma. The number is so lifeless without the myriad little touches and colorings LBB brings to it."

I wasn't impressed. No Shirley McLaine there.

[don logan]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 10:20am

I wonder if all the people who criticize LBB have ever been in a B'way show. Or 3. Or been nominated for a Tony. If not, SHUT UP!!!

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 10:38am

Does anyone else think Gulsvig eerily resembles Reese Witherspoon in costume?

She's very good, but Annaleigh Ashford is the best Elle the show's seen, with the charisma to back up the vocals (though she's not nearly as strong as Glinda in WICKED.)

Updated On: 12/9/07 at 10:38 AM

[Kev]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 10:57am

Gulsvig's Elle is very...intelligent and grounded, and she makes it work. Having seen her live, Gulsvig was effortless in her execution of the role. She had both the charisma and star power to carry the show, and made it look like a piece of cake.

[Broadway_freak]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 11:09am

This is really a big deal isn't it? When I'm asked to belt high A's or A flats I can..but there are some parts in a song where the lead up kills me. She's human...I have yet to see anyone do what Laura Bell does. Annaleigh just screamed through the note.

[ruprecht]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 12:04pm

I can't believe one stinking note in an ok song is worth a thread this long. About Becky Gulsvig, Kev really nailed it. She makes it looks effortless and sings it like she's been doing the role all along. LBB has a frenetic energy that does make her look like she's working really hard. Annaleigh Asford was great but since she only went on once, I think she'd have gotten better and better and wound up being the best Elle if given the time.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 12:27pm

You guys are doing a huge disservice to LBB.

She created this part on Broadway. She is the originator. We used to give a wide berth to that. Jerry Mitchell chose her, not the girls who are/were her understudies to shoulder the entire burden. Nobody else in that show has anywhere near as big a responsibility. She is the team leader and she delivered.

This thing about one note is a chance for a bunch of us to be harpies but if we were faced with the responsibilities LBB has undertaken, I have a feeling many of us would be found extremely wanting.

I just wish the producers would change the note so we could change our tune.

(That last line underwent three re-writes. Hey, I'm on strike).

Please buy a pencil, it's for a good cause. Help a starving below-the-line person.

[Grand Motel]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 12:41pm

I agree with you allofmylife but I'm sure there are 1000 examples of originated leads who while good and "delivered" might not have been the absolute best choice for the role. I'm not even talking about Bundy here, I'm simply stating that just because Mitchell chose her and countless other directors chose (insert actor/actress name here) does not always and exclusively translate to that person being the "best" choice.

[DaneSaw]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 1:30pm

LBB hit that note flawlessly when I saw her, along with every other note in the song. I saw the show on MTV 2 months later and thought "Wow, THIS is how they want people to remember her singing that?". I literally cringed and told my friends to see it live insted of watching it on TV because it was probably just an off day for LBB.

Apparently I was wrong and she's been struggling for a while. You would think that the producers, director, etc. would be concerned for their leading actress and, you know, WANT her to stop singing it that way? Or find someone who actually can sing it that way.

I'll agree that she has a tough job and carries the show, but like mentioned before, there are many other shows where lead characters have to sing and dance like crazy and then finish off the first act. I can understand that LBB is their "star power" for this show and may be attracting audiences who actually know who she is, but why display your star so proudly when every time she ends Act 1 she sounds like a birthing cow?

[allofmylife]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 1:41pm

So again WHY don't they do what the producers of "Modern Millie" did and let her sing a lower note. Half of the audience seemed to be singing along when they got to "Look out world cause here comes throughly modern (down an octave) Millie (back up) now." And that's much more agregious. At Millie nobody booed. They got it.

Why can't these guys?

[thibodeaux]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 2:31pm

yeah, becky just doesn't seem to care as much as lbb.

with lbb, the stakes are so high, it's all so important, and you can tell in every thing she does on the stage that it's basically life or death for ell...(i mean, you know, not LITERALLY, but you get what i'm saying.)

that's what i think lbb has going for her. she's one hell of an actress and a strong vocalist and i think she was perfectly cast.

becky can sing it, sure, no question, but there was no sense of urgency, or rejoice or anything. to me, in my opinion, she doesn't hold a candle to lbb.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 2:52pm

Eh, I disagree. Laura Bell's acting is very over the top and cartoonish to me now. I find Becky to be much better, to me, I have a hard time believing Laura Bell Bundy's Elle would've been able to accomplish all that she does without the aid of Emmett, Paulette, etc. Becky's Elle, I feel like, gets motivation and a little push from these people, but figures things out for herself and would have been able to without the help written into the script.

[DaneSaw]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 3:12pm

"Becky's Elle, I feel like, gets motivation and a little push from these people, but figures things out for herself and would have been able to without the help written into the script."


Uh, Elle Woods only exists because of a script...

[Kelly2]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 3:26pm

What I mean is, in the movie, Elle does a lot more for herself, and they wrote her relying on Emmett and her friends a lot more to do things for her in the musical version. I feel like Laura's Elle is completely dependant on this help to succeed, while Becky's Elle is not.

Updated On: 12/9/07 at 03:26 PM

[henryt]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 4:55pm

Just got back from todays matinee. LBB was out, and Becky Gulsvig was on. Not only did she hit it, but she made it higher!

[Neverandy]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 5:24pm

It's Broadway. We pay the highest prices we deserve a performance that is as close to flawless as possible.
Yes she has done three B'way shows.
Yes she was nominated for a Tony.
Yes she is creating a show-carrying role.
That is precisely why this needs to be addressed.
I will not "cut her some slack". Not when I pay Broadway prices.
The fact that this thread has gotten so long is proof positive that this issue needs to be fixed.
This isn't about being nice, or understanding. This is about Quality.
What a shame it would be if we were to diminish our expectations of what a "Star-making" performance should be.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 6:14pm

Does anyone know what school Becky Gulsgiv went to?

Posted: 12/9/07 at 6:18pm

She didn't go to college and actually graduated from high school a year early to pursue musical theatre.

[sleepyguy1717]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 6:26pm

That's what I'm planning on doing! That makes me feel a lot better.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 6:47pm

Wow, Becky made me like Elle more in one scene than LBB did for an entire show. Her acting appears better and the singing is, too. I agree that it appears much more effortless for her.

I also agree that LBB's Elle comes off as completely vapid with no motivation and little intelligence. I don't know how much of that is her fault or the script's, but I can see how it would be possible for Becky to improve upon that, even if just a little.

[Over the Moon]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 7:14pm

i was a big fan of the movie first then came the musical. the first time i seen it back in the begining of July i was uneasy about it. i wasn't thrilled and i wasn't totally mad.

It was killing me how Elle seemed so much more dumb in the musical. Of coarse i think its the writing more or so then LBB cause in the movie she does it all herself in terms of studying and the musical, Emmett helps her. Now in comparison LBB's Elle is more close to the stereotype in the begining then makes the change. Where as Becky is more of the movie Elle in terms of being kind of her own blonde (check the comparison of Margot and Elle)

I've never been crazy about LBB being HUGH with gestures and then with Becky it's subtle, seeing that its meh. idk maybe this just isn't a winning situation?

[thejcm]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 8:05pm

I just watched the vid of Becky and was thoroughly impressed, but I prefer LBB's performance of the song. Yeah, Becky hit the note but her voice (obviously) sits a lot higher than LBB's does so it's probably much, much easier for her to hit it.

That said, Becky's technique seems to be a lot better than LBB's which means she could probably consistently hit that note (and hold it).

But like I said, I still prefer LBB's performance of the song.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 12/9/07 at 8:27pm

I felt Becky (only judging from seeing her first time back in July) tried to portray Elle the way Reese did in the movie.

...and seriously, I liked it 'so much better.'


I think LBB is just so like, butch, in the role. Her voice is extremely deep, as she has damaged her voice from doing the role (she didn't used to sound like this).