Bailey to reprise Elle on tour?- Page 2

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 3:24pm

I would doubt it's her idea. IF it's actually being considered, I'm sure it's coming from the producers. She has no clout. Her 15 minutes are almost up...imho.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 3:25pm

Grow up, kids. The big dog often returns for the Los Angeles run. It's a huge moneymaker if the original leads play the role. Nobody bitched when Crawford did Phantom. I took my parents to his opening night in LA and his closing. Massive excitement. This type of thing goes all the way back to the 30s, when the Civic Light Opera began mounting two shows a year and importing one complete with original cast.

And if I was the producer (and I'm not, BTW) I'd tell Becky to take her vacation that week. She's an employee, not the original star. She'll sit either backstage or on a beach somewhere. The choice is her's.....

[Azuah.]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 6:43pm

even though it would be awesome to see Laura Bell as Elle in LA, I would really love a chance that maybe Lauren would go on in LA. And I really don't think it's possible if Laura Bell is doing it. She'd be perfectly rested enough to be able to do the entire Month and half run.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 8:54pm

With Laura Belle Bundy the producers would probably sit the show down and rake in the cash. Think of all the tweens from Orange County and Woodland Hills who haven't seen it live yet.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 8:59pm

this isn't the first time they've done this for a tour they did this for the national tour of wicked when it came to the nothwest sealtle/portland they brought in meagan hilty and shoshana bean for a limited engagement because they were from there.
Updated On: 1/1/09 at 08:59 PM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 9:00pm

People, like Carmen Bernstein says in Curtains, "it's a business." It's not about being "fair" to people. If the producers think that Bailey will sell more tickets in Greenville than Becky Gulsvig, and Hanks is available and willing to do it, they'll cast her.

do you want to be Idina Menzel all over again and only be known for RENT and Wicked?
I'm sure Bailey Hanks would absolutely LOVE to have had the type of success Idina Menzel has had recently...Tony award, very successful concert tour, featured film roles....

So, there are some rumors that you are A) attached to LB in the West End and B) doing a lil stint in the tour in your hometown...Bailey,Bailey,Bailey. Oh Bailey.
She'd probably make a killing doing LB in the West End, if that rumor is true. Why turn down the chance to make mondo bucks, particularly for an actress who is barely 20 years old.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 9:02pm

I doubt LEGALLY BLONDE would play well in the West End. The whole "Gay, Or European?" joke would not work at all.

The producers haven't even announced the possibility of a West End transfer, have they?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 9:13pm

There is a note on the website that they are coming to London in the fall of 2009.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 9:17pm

Interesting. I doubt they would spend the money to bring over an American actress when they can easily cast a British actress in the role, especially when the Broadway production lost money as it was.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 9:21pm

Also, it's nothing remotely official. It may never appear in London. It could end up like the supposed Broadway transfer of the awful "Once Around the Sun" which claimed it was, "just waiting for a theater" after its off-Broadway run.

However, the Brits do love their silly fun, moreso than American audiences.

[Gobstopper]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 9:45pm

This would not be at all shocking really.

Anthony Rapp and Daphne Rubin-Vega both did stints with the RENT tour while another actor played the role full-time. Anthony was Mark when the tour was in Chicago, and Daphne was Mimi for Los Angeles and most of San Francisco? The regular actors returned to their roles afterward.

[toddlisatyriem]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 10:15pm

#1 Why wouldn't Becky like a paid vacation? A year long tour as a principal, especially a part like Elle has to be exhausting! Take a break and let Bailey do her home town.... it's still Becky's tour and she won't lose that respect by letting Bailey do a town.

#2 Lauren has mentioned that Becky has been a doll and is letting her do a show or two when they tour through Michigan. Becky seems like a sweetie that would love to give them the joy.

#3 It's only 4-5 days.... come on... it's not the rest of the tour people!

#4 I don't see Legally Blonde being successful in the West End. I have family and friends in England and when they came and went to Disney with us, they all expressed how the sugary sweetness was difficult for them as Brits. It's just foreign to their culture.

[theminutepast]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 10:19pm

What is Lauren's public blog? I know she has one because I've read it before, but I haven't been able to find it.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 10:22pm

if the show is going to the west end the only actress who should play elle is LBB.

[insertclevernamehere]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 10:26pm

Why? I thought LBB was good, but nothing special. I'd prefer to see another talented actress take a shot at it.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 10:30pm

Yes, let's screw Becky Gulsvig over again.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 10:57pm

another thing was Leaglly Blonde the movie that popular in the UK.
Updated On: 1/1/09 at 10:57 PM

[Winston3]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 11:10pm

I honestly don't see what the big deal is. This kind of thing happens all the time. It does seem like people are getting up in arms over nothing.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 11:37pm

1) you people seem to have no concept of the British, the people who brought the world Blackadder and Monty Python. My British friends would piss their pants over "Gay or European."

2) Legally Blonde could run in London for the same reasons it ran for over a year in New York - it's infectious, zippy and the young girls will love it.

3) Please stop trying to say Legally Blonde made no money. It probably paid back a part of its investment through sales of tickets, another big part through swag and it is grossing over 1,000,000 per week on the road, so Hal is not hurting AND unless you have examined the contracts or books, you have no idea how much the producers got for the MTV Broadcast and the series.

Blonde will probably end up well in the black, no matter what some of the haters on this site try to suggest (and again, no I do not have a piece of the show.)

[broadwayboy522]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 11:48pm

From what I've gathered the tour has had no problem selling tickets, from reviews it always seems to be sold out so why do they feel the need to bring Bailey in when the run is probably already close to sold out?

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/1/09 at 11:52pm

Let me try to spell this out for you, allofmylife.

There is a certain amount of money that is initially invested in a show.

If all of that money hasn't been made back by the end of the run, the show has made NO MONEY.

Just because the producers sold tickets and the vendors sold souvenirs doesn't mean the INVESTORS made back a penny of the money they put into the show in the first place.

If the show made any money, the producers would have put out a press release that they recouped their initial investment. There was no press release.

This has nothing to do with being a "hater" of the show. I saw the show seven times (six of those times were for free, because the producers were giving away tickets as they didn't want their performers playing to a near-empty house), and I very much enjoyed the show. I don't hate it. I am just realistic.

Lots of shows that I love have belly flopped financially. Just because a show is a failure doesn't mean that people who say that it is a failure "hate" the show. They are just living in reality.

Updated On: 1/1/09 at 11:52 PM

[brandontwin2]

Posted: 1/2/09 at 12:03am

Michigan still has around 1000 seats open for every performance. Doesn't seem to be selling out. I'm not a hater either, I love the show but it doesn't look good.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 1/2/09 at 12:09am

Wanna Be I couldnt have said it any better myself. Very well stated. Im not a hater either. I loved the show when I saw it on Broadway and when it stops in chicago I'll probably see it. But it just doesnt seem to be making any money.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 1/2/09 at 12:13am

"Michigan still has around 1000 seats open for every performance. Doesn't seem to be selling out. I'm not a hater either, I love the show but it doesn't look good."

Um, I don't know what the deal with Michigan is, specifically, but I can tell you on good authority that the Blonde tour is doing VERY well, both financially and critically. They sold out their entire stays in most of the North-eastern dates that they just finished, and some of those venues were huge. More importantly, they are being well-reviewed, and Becky Gulsvig, D.B. Bonds, and Natalie Joy Johnson are leading an amazing cast with incredible and interesting performances. :)

Also, I haven't heard anything about Bailey coming but, but I do hope it isn't true.

[Azuah.]

Posted: 1/2/09 at 3:12am

"#2 Lauren has mentioned that Becky has been a doll and is letting her do a show or two when they tour through Michigan. Becky seems like a sweetie that would love to give them the joy."

Where did you read that? I've been making an effort to be on top of when Lauren is going on as Elle, and I haven't read that anywhere..hm.

"What is Lauren's public blog? I know she has one because I've read it before, but I haven't been able to find it."

http://laurenashleyzakrin.blogspot.com

she hasn't updated it since September though..