Legally Blonde - 1/26 Review - San (SPOILERS)- Page 2

[little_sally]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 12:26am

Any idea as to what the advance for this show is? I think if the advance is strong and it gets good word of mouth, it could garner a following such as Wicked's. Maybe it will succeed regardless of what the critics have to say. It's a much more loveable, more recognizable film than say "High Fidelity" or "The Wedding Singer".

[legallyblondemusical]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 12:29am

The curtain is a printed scrim which has a ruffled pink silk looking fabric on it with a silver Tiffany heart bracelet sitting on it. Engraved into the heart charm on the bracelet is "Elle Woods" and below that is the Delta Nu sorority symbol (triangle and letter N). They are using projection spots from the front to highlight the heart charm and some lighting effects to change the color of the curtain and make it look like it is rippling. There is a solid curtain behind this front printed scrim.

[legallyblondemusical]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 12:33am

I think the primary target audience would be similar to that of Hairspray with some Wicked mixed in. The night I saw it they had a much younger crowd then I had expected, many young girls with their mothers.

As far as the critics go I think this will be a bit of fresh air for the SF critics, something new and exciting. I don't think it will get raves by any means but I don't expect it to get trashed.
Updated On: 1/28/07 at 12:33 AM

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 12:40am

You can see what the curtain looks like on broadway.com, during the first rehearsal video, there is a scale model of the stage

[gumbo2]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 12:44am

Well it sounds like this show has potential at least, and I hope they make the necessary changes before it gets to New York.

[legallyblondemusical]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 12:48am

It looks similar to this initial rendering but the orientation of the bracelet is now more at an angle then straight on as pictured.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 1:10am

What people don't get is that yes they are all targeted at the same audience, but you can't stretch that audience too much. Teenage girls are loyal to their shows. Wicked is a hit because it has powerhouse singers, big sets, special effects, and a classic story. I don't think you can compare Legally Blonde to Wicked. Yes, the target audience is the same, but they're in two different leagues.

I'm suprised O'Keefe didn't come up with wittier songs since his work on Bat Boy and "The Sensitive Song" were brillant.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 1:10am

What people don't get is that yes they are all targeted at the same audience, but you can't stretch that audience too much. Teenage girls are loyal to their shows. Wicked is a hit because it has powerhouse singers, big sets, special effects, and a classic story. I don't think you can compare Legally Blonde to Wicked. Yes, the target audience is the same, but they're in two different leagues.

I'm suprised O'Keefe didn't come up with wittier songs since his work on Bat Boy and "The Sensitive Song" were brillant.

[little_sally]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 1:21am

RentBoy, I agree with you on O'Keefe. I have yet to hear the entire score but from what I have heard and from the initial reviews, it seems a lot less wittier than Bat Boy. That's a shame too, considering I think the Bat Boy score is great. I was hoping for big things from this musical score-wise.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 2:28am

When did you see it, RentBoy?

[JumpJumpJumpSoHigh]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 2:52am

RentBoy and little sally,

Keep in mind that Bat Boy and Legally Blonde are VERY different shows. Bat Boy (and "Sensitive Song") are flat-out satires, and while Blonde certainly has some gently satirical elements to it, the tone is a LOT different. Bat Boy is aimed at an older and probably more theatre-savvy audience, whereas Blonde's target audience is younger, way more skewed in the female direction, and far more Family Friendly. These things alone merit radical differences in the tones of the scores. Now, consider the plots. Nuff said. :)

~JJJ

[Jovie24]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 2:55am

I saw the show again for the second time, tonight, and even though I love the show, the energy was very low today, maybe it was just the audience. I felt bad...they are so working their BUTTS off for this show. I got to talk to Andy Karl tonight people around were mentioning that changes are coming next week, so we will see what happens.

Did not notice anything different tonight except some new blocking movements and stuff, and Buzzier upstage Laura Bell Bundy and the ensemble in one of the first scenes that Buzzier is on (when Elle arrives at Harvard), Buzzier would not just stop barking...audience and the ensemble loved it, a lot of improvising.

Still a fun show...

[carymetorent2]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 3:08am

Jovie, I have to disagree. Seeing the show last night and tonight, I felt the energy was extremely spot on tonight.
There were no changes made because they haven't had rehearsal. According to Laura, it's going to be a COMPLETELY different show come New York.
The Bruiser barking issue was amusing.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 3:18am

A week of previews and already it's going to be completely different? lol.

[Jovie24]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 3:33am

Hey carymetro....I am sure it was there..but where I was sitting, barely anyone laughed and to me just seemed like a dead audience..but I am sure the cast had tons of energy..I don't doubt that at all..just feels different when you are sitting in a house and you can just feel it..sorry.... being in this biz too long and I am thinking of it as a producer, not as an audience member.

And thinking as a producer, I felt bad that they had sooo many empty seats..I am sure it will fill up once reviews come out and word-of-mouth starts to pick up, but producers don't like to see empty seats...but it happens...

Updated On: 1/28/07 at 03:33 AM

[carymetorent2]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 3:58am

As a follow up, I saw the show again tonight.

Much better energy! I know the cast has been rehearsing their butts off and today was the first day they had no rehearsal...so that probably helped, but I loved the show last night and it was ten tims better today.

Kate Shindle was all around excellent tonight.
Laura Bell was just...I adore her.

GREAT SHOW.

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 7:54am

Haha, how did they improvise when Bruiser wouldn't stop?

Carrymetorent, did Laura mention what specific changes were to be made? Or just that changes in general were going to be drastically made.

[carymetorent2]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 1:55pm

Laura Bell changed a line and called him a lion instead of saying "He's family" and they kept laughing and making little jokes about the dog.

And Laura just said they are making changes every day, which probably means it will be a very different show for NY.

[EugLoven]

Posted: 1/28/07 at 2:14pm

Megan Mullaly was in the audience January 26, 2007

[HumATune]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 12:38am

Saw the matinee today, and here are some changes I noticed from the first preview (NOTE: I don’t know when these changes actually happened).




SPOILERS

- They cut the bit where Vivienne warns Elle not to sit in the front row (the Geneva Conventions part). So the first time Vivienne speaks is when Callahan asks Vivienne what he should do about Elle’s inability to answer the question.

- Callahan’s first line is something like “Don’t let your TA’s start class” instead of launching right in to “Blood In the Water” as he did in the first preview.

- They cut the bit about Dewy mentioning his parole.

- During “Whipped Into Shape” the location changes from “prison yard” to “women’ correctional facility”

- Elle and Callahan sit on a table for part of the scene where he hits on her. I don’t remember them sitting before.

- Not a change but a question: Does anyone know how they get the rope to pause
mid-air in “Whipped Into Shape”?



END SPOILERS

Just a few comments: I enjoyed Kate Shindle much more today. And with some lyric changes, “Blood In the Water” worked better. “Harvard Variations” did drag (strangely it didn’t bother me at the first preview). And I hope they do rewrite “Ireland” to gave it a big finish because that song is just screaming for one. “Chip On Your Shoulder” is still too long.

Bruiser didn’t bark at all during “Omigod” You Guys at the first preview; today he barked too much, but Annaleigh did a great job of improving by altering the pacing of her lines.

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 12:55am

She swaps jump ropes just before that - you can tell in the previous few jumps that the rope is much stiffer.

I'm going to be so emo when they inevitably cut most of "Chip on your Shoulder". It's the scene that finally got me emotionally involved in the show.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 2:04am

I saw the show today as well. I can't say its amazing, though its still in previews...so it will probably work out the kinks it needs to. There are some changes that need to be made and the cast had tremendous energy, passion, and talent to make the show enjoyable.

[Brick]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 2:56am

The biggest concern I have for the show is the pedestrian and clunky direction. Time and time again, Mr. Mitchell substitutes enthusiasm for wit or charm.

Some of the material is clever, and I expect it to be sharper by the time it leaves San Francisco, but I fear production is already too witless and shallow to make significanr gains under Mr. Mitchell's direction.

I won't try to predict box office results for New York - and the success of the show in San Francisco is irrelevant since it runs only one month and New York gays are thankfully a more discerning breed.

I don't expect, however, the critics to be too kind.

[carymetorent2]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 3:12am

The theatre was filled tonight. 2300 seats sold on on Sunday night is looking good.

Bruce Vilanch was at the show last night.

I really do adore this show. It's so fun!

[HumATune]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 6:42am

Really because there were hella empty seats at the matinee--along with a vigilant usher who would not let people move from the balcony to the mezz. (Doing his job sure, but rather obsessive about stalking people to make sure they returned to the balcony.)

I use "hella" because I'm proud of my Bay Area roots, with our supposedly “less discerning” gays.

Did I mention the gay couple (they were a couple; one had his arm around the other and they looked very affectionate before the show) that left during intermission?


Updated On: 1/29/07 at 06:42 AM