Legally Blonde Musical Opinions — Page 2

I'm not saying that her video essay was great, but she made more coherent reasons to admit her in it than she did in the stage version marching band version. In the movie, it's apparent that her GPA, LSAT score, and extracurricular activities are pretty much why the board admits her. In the musical, some of the board only want to admit her because she's attractive. They just say "For reasons of... multiculturalism!", which is a pretty funny moment in the movie that the musical also manages to ruin by taking out important context and rephrasing it in a way that doesn't really convey what it should (in the movie, they're bringing up that they've never had a fashion major before and it would promote diversity). Also, without an essay at all, her application would be considered incomplete and thrown out before it was even reviewed. The video essay isn't realistic, I agree, but it's more realistic than the lack of essay in general. Then again, the musical expects us to believe that they would know when and where the admissions committee was meeting. I just don't see why the marching band scene was necessary when they could have staged the video.

I also want to point out my annoyance at the character of Kate, who apparently walks around with the Harvard Law School admissions standards memorized. IMO, that's yet another thing that they took away from Elle, because in the movie she was the one to voluntarily meet with an academic advisor and find out the requirements herself.

^^^^Apart from the above which I def agree with, honestly....I hate it :/ I pretty much hate all the O'Keefe shows. I will say Heathers has it's place since it takes on an always relevant subject, but I very much dislike Legally Blonde, and I DETEST Batboy. But, I'm also aware the production of Batboy I saw was terrible, so that doesn't help.

I just don't like musicals that have no business being musicals. What sense was there for LB to be a stage musical? I saw it in it's San Fran tryout back when, and it's a piece of fluff for sure, and I don't mind pieces of fluff but the movie was enough. I didn't see it as a "musical", I didn't know where the songs were until I saw it, the changes absolutely made no sense. It's always bothered me that they actually took her to the shower to make her point about permed hair...did that really need to be staged? Why couldn't it have just been the courtroom epiphany and be done with it? Among other things, but yeah...that was a time when everyone seemed to be turning movies into stage musicals that made no sense being musicals. cough*spiderman*cough.

London's Legally Blonde ran twice as long as Broadway's. The reason being was Sheridan Smith. She made the show a hit in a way Laura could not. I liked Laura's performance, but I always maintained it needed someone to really make the Broadway Elle the equivalent of the film's Elle. Through her extreme talent and charisma Reese Witherspoon made that film. She made that character float. She made her "sing". Elle has to be something special, and as good as Laura Bell Bundy is, she is not very special (her career trajectory shows this). She's a very talented Broadway performer. But that's all. What the show needed was Kristen Chenowith fifteen (maybe ten?) years earlier. But London got that special Elle. Sheridan probably couldn't sing it as well as Laura, but she had the star quality that role needs. And even after she left the West End production, her value to the brand lasted and the show ran for quite a while after.

Legally Blonde is a smartly constructed show: Elle Woods is one of the best modern musical roles for an "actress who sings." The dance numbers are constructed so that she has to be a good mover, but the rest of the ensemble are doing most of the choreographic heavy lifting, and the songs have a relatively moderate range but do exciting things within it. Your Elle only has to have one really big note (the end of "So Much Better", but has to have great comedic chops and a good heart throughout.

The star Legally Blonde really needed was Kristen Bell: a gifted seriocomic performer with bombshell looks, some dance and a good voice that isn't necessarily Elphaba material.

As a matter of fact, ages be damned, I'd love to see the entire "The Good Place" cast do this one, with Bell as Elle, Jameela Jamil as Vivian, Ted Danson as Callahan, William Jackson Harper as Emmett, Manny Jacinto as Kyle and D'Arcy Carden as Paulette. NBC, are you listening?

As a matter of fact, ages be damned, I'd love to see the entire "The Good Place" cast do this one, with Bell as Elle, Jameela Jamil as Vivian, Ted Danson as Callahan, William Jackson Harper as Emmett, Manny Jacinto as Kyle and D'Arcy Carden as Paulette. NBC, are you listening?"

THIS

At first it was literally my least favorite musical of all time. I thought songs were stupid and the plotline was extremely sexist. I gave it another chance though, and now it is kind of like a guilty pleasure. It isn't great, but they did a great job with the adaptation and the set and acting is extremely impressive. And now Christian Borle is my favorite actor