Legally Blonde in London

[arch_animal90]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 2:48am

Does anyone know anything about the production in the West End? ive heard so many rumors. I would like to go over there and see it once it opens...I hearf they dont even know what theatre theyre putting it at. and ive also heard theyre touring it first over there before it settles down! i think lauren zakrin should be elle for their OBC of the production :)

[binau]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 3:25am

I want Patti LuPone to play Elle. She's so versatile.

[arch_animal90]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 3:40am

necly gulsvig has always been my favorite. but when i saw lauren go on as elle. she deff made the role her own and i like her the best!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 4:47am

Animal,
- It would be the original LONDON cast, not an "OBC" (original Broadway cast)
- The run is still months away, a theater will be announced in due time.
- Lauren would not be playing the role. IF they were to go with an already attached name, it would PERHAPS be Bailey Hanks, but more likely, Laura Bell Bundy. The safest bet will be that they will draw from the talent pool in London, of course. Patina Miller's casting in "Sister Act" was made possible through the Equity Exchange Program, for example, and that would be the ONLY way for Hanks or Bundy to hop the pond.

Truth be told, I have mixed feelings about the prospect on Bundy taking Blonde to London. I thought she was horrendous in the role and had NO business on the stage. She was mugging so much that the NYPD should have been called and she had a voice only a deaf mother could love. I'd hate for that to be London's introduction on the show. On the plus side though, if she was shipped off to Europe for six months to a year, we wouldn't be forced to suffer through anything she might do in America.

[binau]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 5:02am

What does "mugging so much" mean?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 5:19am

Taken from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary -- Mugging is "to pose or make faces especially to attract attention or for a camera", or in this case, the stage.

She spent the entire show acting like an idiot just to get a cheap laugh.

[FlyingMonkey1223]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 5:26am

When I saw LBB during Legally Blonde's pre-Broadway run in San Francisco she was amazing. Her voice was top! However, I do believe after the show went to Broadway the vocals really took a toll on her. Her voice was really harsh, IMO, towards the end of her run and it seemed as though she would have be happier sweeping the stage with a broom then performing on it. She was just phoning her performance in, counting down the days until she would be done with the show, and it showed. They must have offered her a large amount of money to perform in the tour, if only briefly.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 6:32am

-The show opens sept/oct this year
-Its pretty much a done deal with the theatre but they aren't announcing it yet (its a theatre which was mentioned a lot when they 1st started talking about it).

-The previous girls who played the role in NY and on Tour (LBB, Hanks etc) will not come over with the show, audition submissions for the new Elle Woods here in the UK have been around for months and they are very close to casting.

- The UK production will not be using All the Broadway sets if it goes to the theatre that its expected too as it will not fit.

- Oh and i have an audition for this show wooh wooh

[andrewcomp]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 7:53am

^
I'm sure 100% of that is true.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 8:00am

Kate Winslet as Elle Woods
Hugh Grant as Emmett Forrest
Dame Judi Dench as Paulette
Rowan Atkinson as Warner
Tim Curry as Callahan
Sally Hawkins as Vivienne
Jennifer Saunders as Brooke Wyndham
The Ghost of John Gielgud as Kyle the UPS Man

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 8:06am

Actually, a reliable source mentioned Blonde going into the Prince Edward with Michael Ball as Elle and Dame Judi as Bruiser.. Amy Winehouse is in negotiation for Paulette and Prince Charles is being stunt cast as Rufus.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 9:31am

I thought Camilla would be stunt cased as Rufus

[adamgreer]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 10:11am

I would find these pretend cast lists amusing if they were...well, amusing, or clever.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 11:09am

agrees

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 11:17am

broadwayguy2: You basically phrased my own thoughts about LBB in the role, as well.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 1:05pm

LB did not re-coup in New York and would unlikely to do well in London, therefore I think the producers have left this so long now, I think the producers have got cold feet. Its not going to happen!

[jennamajig]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 1:15pm

I doubt LBB would open in London. Sure, she gained some fame from the role, but not enough to warrant a need to have her open the show in London (and yes, I share Spork and broadwayguy2's view on LBB's performance...and I saw her just a couple of months into the run). Weren't initial reviews of the show and her mixed? (Please correct me if I'm wrong)

I think a fresh face would go a long way. If this show does hit the London scene, the popularity of the movie would sell more tickets then LBB.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 1:20pm

Adam,
The "fake cast" was meant to be SARACASTIC, not straight humor.


Spork,
I find it funny when the Blonde fans yell about how "amazing" she is. No. She isn't.


Phantom,
I don't think that you are giving the producer's any credit. Most show's never recoup. That is a plain fact, so unless it was a total disaster, it isn't unexpected. Most people who would look at the show would see that Blonde actually did very well. The problem with the Palace Theatre.. it's far too large and makes it almost impossible for anything to be successful.

[philly03]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 3:03pm

Hey! I liked Laura Bell :) ! But I don't think she'd be a good fit anymore...her voice is .. not anywhere near it was when I got the chance to see it. And I prefer the Elle to be able to hold that last note and not have to half/half it (like LBB did on the MTV recording, and I'm sure afterwards).

"and ive also heard theyre touring it first over there before it settles down!"

Hope not! Isn't this generally what kills American shows over there? Or atleast it did to Jekyll & HYDE. They thought if they toured it first (like they did over here pre-B'way) they'd get a fanbase from outside of London...but it backfired and the reviews were mixed to negative from what I remember reading . That and Paul Nicholas wasn't too good of a Jekyll, nor were the creative decisions I suppose!

Good luck to LB in London though!

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 3:18pm

Good luck with your audition songanddance man2.

[JenNYferTheatrical]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 3:40pm

so there's a site for the show: http://www.legallyblondethemusical.co.uk/

but no casting or venue has been announced. Shouldn't be too long before it all is solidified.

[sayokay]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 3:55pm

I think LBB would be an amazing choice for the show, and I'm pretty sure her name WAS attached to the project for a while, as she's stated in a few interviews that she's "not done with the role quite yet" (if I remember correctly). She has an amazing fanbase, great stage presence, flawless singing, and her acting blows everyone else out of the water. I couldn't imagine anyone else in the role. With a few weeks of vocal training and working out to get her stamina back up, I'm sure she could do it flawlessly just like she did on Broadway. After all, she was Tony nominated, and practically won.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 5:18pm

Thanks CurtainPullDowner

Phantom of London the show is happening or im auditioning for nothing lol, also whilst the show did not recoup in NY the US tour will certainly take care of theat. And with the UK loving the fun, campy american shows i think LB will probably do better here

philly03
The show was talked about for a tour in the UK 1st but its going straight in to London now. Im also not sure where you got your info on UK tours prior to the West End killing shows, thats normally the best thing to do. It worked a treat for Footloose, 7 Brides, Carousel, Never Forget to name but a few recently. If you had seen the mess that was the Jekyll and Hyde UK tour you would know why it never went to London.

The show was cheap and tacky with a terrible leading man, horrid orchestrations and so much click track was used it was a joke. On top of that people did not like the show, the book is weak, the songs whilst good are generic and the character development horrid, that combined with a production that looked like it had been staged for 50 quid it was never going to work.

Dont mistake the fate of J and H tour as UK tours not bee a good idea prior to the West End, Jekyll and Hyde was just a bad show

[philly03]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 5:32pm

Hey I love Jekyll & HYDE!

I'm sure the set was probably horriffic, and Nicholas was awful (very Hasselhoff-esque!), but I sort of liked the orchestrations (but obviously were not as good as the Broadway version). And I believe her name is Louise Dearman -- she made a good Lucy! The character development for Lucy has always been great, but I think they removed a lot from her (and moved it to Nicholas)...I don't even know why Frank allowed all of the changes that went through with that (Lyrically, song-selection, song-placement, book-changes, "orchestrationally," etc.!) tour. It's a shame though, would have loved to see Jekyll survive over there! And, for the record, that book was Tony-Nominated !!!


"the songs whilst good are generic"
HAHAHA While that for the most part is entirely true (especially the songs biggest/best numbers!), the show has managed to charm over a lot of the world ! I suppose that's why CYRANO de BERGERAC ~ the Musical never made it over there -- Frank & Leslie wrote that one the same way as this one. In fact, the role that Linda Eder was going to do (Roxanne) sang a ballad called "Someone" !

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/3/09 at 6:26pm

Sorry, but I gotta disagree that LBB's singing is "flawless."