Legally Blonde on Tour Questions

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:23am

I recently found out that Legally Blonde was stopping here in Fort Worth at the Bass Hall next August on tour and I was interested in seeing it. I informed my drama/theatre teacher about it and she said that it would be a good idea to get some of the other kids in the class to go see the musical and we could have fundraisers and stuff. Anyway I had several questions. I know it's not for another year, but we just want to be ready.

1. Are tour productions usually as good as the actual Broadway show?

2. Would/Could programs/Playbills be handed out for this show?

3. Do tours that go to the Bass Hall in Fort Worth do "stagedoors"?

4. If they do, where do I need to be?

I think that was all the questions I had for now. Let me know, please. Thanks.

http://www.legallyblondethemusical.com/tickets/Ft_Worth_TX

Updated On: 8/15/08 at 10:23 AM

[ragg_ballad]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:34am

1.Tours usually try to stay as close to the orig. Broadway show as possible, but sometimes they will make some aspects of the show different to be able to accommodate the different houses they're playing [like Phantom's chandelier and candelabras]. Legally Blonde shouldn't need to be changed that much.
2. Yes, Playbills are handed out.
3. I don't know about Fort Worth, but I do know that in other cities actors will use the stage door.
4. Well if you want to meet them, then you should be at the stage door...

[cglaid]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:36am

I plan on seeing it on tour. I've seen the Broadway show three times and what immediately comes to mind is that Elle might not be able to rise from underneath the stage during Omigod You Guys. Wonder what they'll do with that.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:40am

I plan on seeing it on tour. I've seen the Broadway show three times and what immediately comes to mind is that Elle might not be able to rise from underneath the stage during Omigod You Guys. Wonder what they'll do with that.

Probably black out and have the store appear while they move the Delta Nu scenery. lol. Never thought about that. I guess they can't change the theatres all of the time to coincide with Broadway.

Yes, Playbills are handed out.

I thought so. My drama teacher has Playbills from the Bass Hall like "Broadway at the Bass", "Casa Bill", etc. Are they "Playbill" branded Playbills?

Well if you want to meet them, then you should be at the stage door...

I meant like if any of you have been to the Bass and know where a stagedoor is.

Updated On: 8/15/08 at 10:40 AM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 10:44am

I can almost guarantee that they'll be doing the show without the hydraulic lifts from the bottom of the stage. They had to build that system specifically for the show at the Palace. There is no way that the tour houses will all be equipped for such a maneuver.

[acrocksyo]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 11:01am

They are not usually "Playbill" brand playbills, tour productions usually give out programs that contain local arts stories and anre sometimes larger than "Playbills"

Tour productions, especially first national tour productions are almost exactly the same as the Broadway show, just adjusted to fit the stage.

The best advice about stagedooring a touring production is to call the theater directly and see if they have a stage door.

Have a good time at the show!

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 11:04am

Have a good time at the show!

Thanks... but it's not for another year! haha. I am hoping we can go. I am planning on it, but nothing's certain. I just want to be reayd in case so I don't ask all of these questions at the last minute.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 11:30am

Yup. The 1st US Nat'l Tour of shows are virtually carbon-copies of the original Broadway production... with some minor adjustments only to sets due to the restrictions/limitations of some theaters.

Though the hydraulics lifts can be accommodated in most theaters, most will have to bring in the set pieces from upstage. In this situation, expect the store set during "OMIGOD" to appear upstage and move center stage.

Tours begin downsizing and making set changes for the 2nd US Nat'l Tour.

As for finding out where exactly is the stage door... simply call the theatre and ask. They'll let you know -- its not some government secret. Some theaters actually have a pleasant stage door exit so don't expect to always find some dark alley at the side of the building.

[ragg_ballad]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 11:31am

Well all the tours that come through Chicago use Playbill-brand-Playbills. Like actual color playbills. But hat may be different depending on the city.

I did some searching and found that this is the Stage Door address:
555 Commerce Street
http://www.basshall.com/thehalltech.jsp

And the website says it requires artists to use this door, so I guess if you wait you have a good chance of meeting them.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 11:45am

I just contacted the group sales coordinator and he gave me all of the info I needed. He said Casa Manana prints the Playbills ("CasaBill"), and the tickets will probably go on sale sometime in March and will be somewhere between $35-$88 per person (in group) depending on where we sit. He did say that the stagedoor was on Commerce Street and it is the "security entrance". He said we should be there as soon as the show is over. He also told me that the show will also sell LB souvenirs that they sell online and at the actual musical in NYC. I sooooooooo hope I can go! My first Broadway musical that is off-off Broadway!

If any of you, probably most of you, have seen a Broadway touring production, what inside tips do you have? (Money, seating, etc.)
Updated On: 8/15/08 at 11:45 AM

[ohjustjake]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 11:47am

It might also be flown - but having it travel from upstage to centerstage makes sense too. They're probably do that with the door to the classroom also. And during So Much Better, instead of it being lowered, it might just travel right to the wings. It makes sense.

[musicalmack]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 12:25pm

I know that Legally Blonde is also going to the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas from July 21-August 9 in 2009.
I've only been to the Bass a few times, and I know they don't have Playbill branned programs, but I'm not sure about the stage door.

The music hall does have Playbills with the yellow logo on top and everything. They look just like the ones from New York just with 'MUSIC HALL at FAIR PARK' as the name of the theater.
The actors at the Music Hall do use the stage door, which is just outside the main entrance to your right if you're walking out.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 12:31pm

I know that Legally Blonde is also going to the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas from July 21-August 9 in 2009.

It is playing in Dallas until August 2nd. Legally Blonde booked the Bass Hall instead from the 4th to the 9th. I'm glad they did!
Updated On: 8/15/08 at 12:31 PM

[NY_Broadway2]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 1:36pm

The stage door for the Bass is right next to the door you enter to go directly to the box office. It's off of Commerce Street. The door also says "Stage Door" on the outside of it so you know that it's the stage door. You shouldn't have any problems finding it. And yes the performers will come out of it and you can meet them and what not. Tours are treated just like Broadway shows in the sense that the performers come out of a stage door. And merchandise is sold at almost all tours so it will be a fun experience for you. Plus the Bass Hall is amazing!

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 1:43pm

Plus the Bass Hall is amazing!

Obviously, you've been there before! Got any inside tips?

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 1:48pm

Also, as with most 1st US Nat'l Tours... expect the tour to have its own souvenir program with their own production photos.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 1:49pm

So expect pics of Becky, Natalie, Rhiannon, Lauren, etc.? About how much do they go for?

BTW, is anyone else planning on going? Updated On: 8/15/08 at 01:49 PM

[winston89]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 2:04pm

I know a lot of tours alter entrances and exits that are done with lifts or trap doors. When I saw the tour of Wicked ( the 1st national tour since the second one has yet to go out on the road) in Hartford, I noticed that they had a lot of entrances and exits take place from the left and right of the stage that normally would have taken place via trap doors. For example Elphaba runs on stage for the beginning of No Good Deed as oppose to her coming on stage on the lift.

I did notice that the programs were the same ones used on Broadway. I thought if anything they would have programs with the original touring cast. But, maybe since that was a while ago they switched back to using the ones from the original Broadway company.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 2:34pm

Since the tour and other productions have launched, Wicked has used one souvenir program with photos from all of its various companies. Each company then has an insert in the program.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 2:40pm

Regarding the Playbills. Here in Denver we don't get Playbills. We get a larger magazine called Applause. Since we have several stages at the DCPA, the contents are usually the same but the covers are for whichever show you are seeing be it a regional production or a touring show.

[James885]

Posted: 8/15/08 at 4:04pm

Regarding your playbill question, all the tours that I've seen (except for the ones at The Kennedy Center) use the same style of playbills that are given out on Broadway.

The Kennedy Center uses a different style; the Playbill logo is still there, but it's smaller and usually in the upper right corner. Also the show's logo usually isn't on the cover of most Kennedy Center playbills, and the articles are usually about events and performances at the center.

The production values for 1st national tours usually mirror those of the original Broadway production, with some (mostly) minor changes. In the case of Legally Blonde, I'd expect that all the sets that come up on the lift in Broadway incarnation will likely come from the wings on the tour. Other than that, there shouldn't be any major differences between the tour and the Broadway version.

Updated On: 8/15/08 at 04:04 PM

[dfwactor]

Posted: 12/10/08 at 2:29pm

Casa Manana prints their own programs. They have not called them "Casabills" for several years - they are just programs. They will either say "Broadway at the Bass" or "Summer at the Bass" at the top depending on which season it is.

The Music Hall in Fair Park - Dallas Summer Musicals - hires or contracts Playbill to do their programs. It is easier for them because DSM does not do any producing of their own. They get their copy from the tours way in advance and send it on to Playbill. Casa Manana however produces some of its own work so the copy won't be ready two months in advance.

There are several back entrances to Bass Hall if an actor did not want to exit by the stage door, but he really has to want to ditch the stage door fans that show and he really has to know the Hall to do it. Not typical. It is not that big of a deal. If it is a big star that is coming out of the stage door, they will typically have security. To tell you the truth, I have never seen more than 40 or 50 people out there and they tend to group up out there more for the shows that Casa produces locally than the tours. You know, friends and family stuff.

Oh, for budget reasons and practical reasons (not all road houses have traps - Bass Hall does) the hydraulic lifts have been cut from the show. This was done a long time ago. Jerry Mitchell and the team re-thought all of this and it was done in order to make the show affordable for the road.
Updated On: 12/10/08 at 02:29 PM