#1
Posted: 4/14/07 at 5:08am
Okay, I will save the detailed commentary for a future follow up visit to the Palace, but I did want to post a few thoughts about the show....
First off, we all know that the Palace is a very VERY large house.. from the orcheatra section at least, it seems that the show manages to fill the space, and the seats as well. Admittedly, I was in the orchestra, so I couldn't gauge seating in the upper levels, but I noticed VERY few open seats in the house. The Palace house house staff continues to be, well, the most inept on Broadway. Every family has the crazy relative that they hide in the attic. For the Nederlanders, the Palace staff is that relative and that theatre is their attic. Is it REALLY polite for a nose breathing usher with Chutney hair to seat a patron in a wheelchair as though they are air traffic control guiding a plane into a JFK terminal? I think not. Must every usher continually check my ticket repeatedly for no reason other than to look busy and act like an animal displaying dominance? No.
An observation of this show's current and likely expanding fanbase:
Legally Blonde, for better or worse, has cast several people that have a cult following simply because they were involved any number of "X" shows. These 'fans' tend to make hell for the rest of theatre goers wanting to find an affordable option because they not only feel ownership of the show and it's performers, but they feel an entitlement as well that makes it difficult for others to get said affordable seats. BLONDE has elected a first come, first serve student rush policy with strict ID enforcemnt (which will certainly put a damper on a few people with get rich quick schemes. Take that for what you will). This fanbase though, doesn't view it as a cheap way to see the show for all. They view it as a cheap way for THEM to see it and get an 'in' with the company. They pride themselves on waiting upwards of 3 hours (or two days for a closing) to be first in line for tickets, saving extra spots for friends to get extra seats by showing up at the last minute, depriving those outside the group, who waited as well, of their tickets (which I have seen them do). They will wait this wait even when the need is not there. They wear the wait as a badge of honor, believing that the cast will somehow find them more 'dedicated' and will let them into their inner circle because of it. Their free time, obsession, and access to daddy's bank account or selling e-bay items fuels a quest for them. Once word of these people waiting several hours for those seats spreads, those people outside the group who wish to get seats must show up even earlier to try and secure a spot and a seat, sometimes having to battle for them. This snowballs out of control and pretty soon is just a mess. Blonde would be better suited by fair-drawn lottery.
Onto the show....
Regardless of what critics may or may not give to the show, what you have is a good ole fashioned crowd pleaser and deserves a run. It isn't the next Hairspray, though it does belong in that vein, but it certainly gives us something well beyond The Wedding Singer.
As far as the score goes, it was pitch perfect upbeat pop wholely appropriate to the material. Wether pop on Broadway is your cup of tea aside, you must admit that appropriateness IS a benchmark of a good score. I left the theatre with several songs runing though my head.. a few are still there. The one true clunker (and doesn't every HAIRSPRAY have its CRABS?) is Blood in the Water, a durge of an intro to Callahan that would best be totally rewritten, though even cutting the song into a shorter number, followed by dialogue then a brief reprise would aid the scene INCREDIBLY.
David Rockwell, Gregg Barnes, and Kenneth Posner/Paul Miller once again prove why they are some of the best working in their fields. Rockwell's set is wonderful, eyecatching and fun that manages to be simple, suprising, and make great use of the Palace's stage. The full two story interior of the Delta Nu House was a favorite of mine (and the Batman fire pole effect was my big wow moment). You have to hand it to Rockwell, he has a very distinct, very architectural, very theatrical style that is just wonderful. Gregg Barnes is just a god.... his costumes are always devine. Posner and Miller manage to paint some wonderful images with their lights.
Jerry Mitchell is a great choreographer and a damn good director. You wouldn't know that this is his first outing. Thankfully, he brings his choreographer's eye to all that he does and aides the show wonderfully.
Mitchell has assembled a top notch cast here.
Blonde flies or falls based on its Elle. Here, that is very debateable. Laura Bell Bundy is great in the role. She is spot on all night.. her voice is in great shape, she has the character down, she dances it beautifully with what she has. However, Bundy lacks that great star spark. While that is missed in ANY show, This show IS Elle, and what's more, Blonde's supporting cast has enough star spark and fire to take out Yellowstone. On top of overcoming the Witherspoon factor, she has to fight the mountain of moxie around her.
Christian Borle and Richard Blake once again prove themselves and it was nice to see Borle getting a star bow again. Not much you can say about them.. Michael Rupert is fine as Callahan. To be honest, the men register of course, but this show is ALL about the women....
Annaleigh Ashford steals the spotlight every time she steps forward. For me, she registered more of an impression than Bundy, so I look forward to seeing Ashford on as Elle eventually.
Orfeh, as always, has dynamite pipes and the girl can sell anything you give her. Those pipes and her comedic skills are great.. and on show here. She walks away with her scenes.
Leslie Kritzer, however, walks away with the whole show... and quite effortlessly. Her following has grown steadily since Godspell and she recieved great acclaim for her Joe's Pub gig. Perhaps that and Blonde will aide this girl is getting something where she will be front and center.
Kate Shindle is fine as Vivvienne, but really comes alive when she finally gets to let loose with the Legally Blonde remix. Her tall dark frame is the perfect offset and foil to the petite, blonde Bundy. However, Shindle looks too put together here. You buy her as lawyer, not law student. Natalie Joy Johnson is very funny in the underwritten and broad role of Enid, though they milk all the lesbian jokes you possible can.. and I LOVED it. Dequina Moore is the third of the trio of Elle's Delta Nu pals.
Stand outs in the very strong ensemble were most definately Amber Efe, Becky Gulsvig, Michelle Kittrell, Andy Karl, Matthew Risch, and Nick Kenkel.
Kudos to Bill Berloni for first rate animal work.
The one are I would truly take Jerry Mitchell to task is the understudy breakdown. Right now, of course, it lists only the principals and none of the featured roles. You can only image how I long to see swings Tracy Jai Edwards tear into the Deltu Nu Greak chorus trio and Lindsay Nicole Chambers take a swipe at Enid! Currently, Annaleigh Ashford and Beckly Gulsvig are the two Elle covers, and while I adore both, it would be nice to see Tracy Jai Edwards as a third cover. Based on Bundy's star turn at the stage door, expect diva call-outs as soon as the coast is clear of critics and Tony voters! It is also truly a shame that Leslie Kritzer is not a Paulette cover as that role has her name ALL over it.
This show will mostly likely come in with a BEST NEW MUSICAL nod. There is no way they will pass up Rockwell's sets and Barnes' costumes for nods as well.
First off, we all know that the Palace is a very VERY large house.. from the orcheatra section at least, it seems that the show manages to fill the space, and the seats as well. Admittedly, I was in the orchestra, so I couldn't gauge seating in the upper levels, but I noticed VERY few open seats in the house. The Palace house house staff continues to be, well, the most inept on Broadway. Every family has the crazy relative that they hide in the attic. For the Nederlanders, the Palace staff is that relative and that theatre is their attic. Is it REALLY polite for a nose breathing usher with Chutney hair to seat a patron in a wheelchair as though they are air traffic control guiding a plane into a JFK terminal? I think not. Must every usher continually check my ticket repeatedly for no reason other than to look busy and act like an animal displaying dominance? No.
An observation of this show's current and likely expanding fanbase:
Legally Blonde, for better or worse, has cast several people that have a cult following simply because they were involved any number of "X" shows. These 'fans' tend to make hell for the rest of theatre goers wanting to find an affordable option because they not only feel ownership of the show and it's performers, but they feel an entitlement as well that makes it difficult for others to get said affordable seats. BLONDE has elected a first come, first serve student rush policy with strict ID enforcemnt (which will certainly put a damper on a few people with get rich quick schemes. Take that for what you will). This fanbase though, doesn't view it as a cheap way to see the show for all. They view it as a cheap way for THEM to see it and get an 'in' with the company. They pride themselves on waiting upwards of 3 hours (or two days for a closing) to be first in line for tickets, saving extra spots for friends to get extra seats by showing up at the last minute, depriving those outside the group, who waited as well, of their tickets (which I have seen them do). They will wait this wait even when the need is not there. They wear the wait as a badge of honor, believing that the cast will somehow find them more 'dedicated' and will let them into their inner circle because of it. Their free time, obsession, and access to daddy's bank account or selling e-bay items fuels a quest for them. Once word of these people waiting several hours for those seats spreads, those people outside the group who wish to get seats must show up even earlier to try and secure a spot and a seat, sometimes having to battle for them. This snowballs out of control and pretty soon is just a mess. Blonde would be better suited by fair-drawn lottery.
Onto the show....
Regardless of what critics may or may not give to the show, what you have is a good ole fashioned crowd pleaser and deserves a run. It isn't the next Hairspray, though it does belong in that vein, but it certainly gives us something well beyond The Wedding Singer.
As far as the score goes, it was pitch perfect upbeat pop wholely appropriate to the material. Wether pop on Broadway is your cup of tea aside, you must admit that appropriateness IS a benchmark of a good score. I left the theatre with several songs runing though my head.. a few are still there. The one true clunker (and doesn't every HAIRSPRAY have its CRABS?) is Blood in the Water, a durge of an intro to Callahan that would best be totally rewritten, though even cutting the song into a shorter number, followed by dialogue then a brief reprise would aid the scene INCREDIBLY.
David Rockwell, Gregg Barnes, and Kenneth Posner/Paul Miller once again prove why they are some of the best working in their fields. Rockwell's set is wonderful, eyecatching and fun that manages to be simple, suprising, and make great use of the Palace's stage. The full two story interior of the Delta Nu House was a favorite of mine (and the Batman fire pole effect was my big wow moment). You have to hand it to Rockwell, he has a very distinct, very architectural, very theatrical style that is just wonderful. Gregg Barnes is just a god.... his costumes are always devine. Posner and Miller manage to paint some wonderful images with their lights.
Jerry Mitchell is a great choreographer and a damn good director. You wouldn't know that this is his first outing. Thankfully, he brings his choreographer's eye to all that he does and aides the show wonderfully.
Mitchell has assembled a top notch cast here.
Blonde flies or falls based on its Elle. Here, that is very debateable. Laura Bell Bundy is great in the role. She is spot on all night.. her voice is in great shape, she has the character down, she dances it beautifully with what she has. However, Bundy lacks that great star spark. While that is missed in ANY show, This show IS Elle, and what's more, Blonde's supporting cast has enough star spark and fire to take out Yellowstone. On top of overcoming the Witherspoon factor, she has to fight the mountain of moxie around her.
Christian Borle and Richard Blake once again prove themselves and it was nice to see Borle getting a star bow again. Not much you can say about them.. Michael Rupert is fine as Callahan. To be honest, the men register of course, but this show is ALL about the women....
Annaleigh Ashford steals the spotlight every time she steps forward. For me, she registered more of an impression than Bundy, so I look forward to seeing Ashford on as Elle eventually.
Orfeh, as always, has dynamite pipes and the girl can sell anything you give her. Those pipes and her comedic skills are great.. and on show here. She walks away with her scenes.
Leslie Kritzer, however, walks away with the whole show... and quite effortlessly. Her following has grown steadily since Godspell and she recieved great acclaim for her Joe's Pub gig. Perhaps that and Blonde will aide this girl is getting something where she will be front and center.
Kate Shindle is fine as Vivvienne, but really comes alive when she finally gets to let loose with the Legally Blonde remix. Her tall dark frame is the perfect offset and foil to the petite, blonde Bundy. However, Shindle looks too put together here. You buy her as lawyer, not law student. Natalie Joy Johnson is very funny in the underwritten and broad role of Enid, though they milk all the lesbian jokes you possible can.. and I LOVED it. Dequina Moore is the third of the trio of Elle's Delta Nu pals.
Stand outs in the very strong ensemble were most definately Amber Efe, Becky Gulsvig, Michelle Kittrell, Andy Karl, Matthew Risch, and Nick Kenkel.
Kudos to Bill Berloni for first rate animal work.
The one are I would truly take Jerry Mitchell to task is the understudy breakdown. Right now, of course, it lists only the principals and none of the featured roles. You can only image how I long to see swings Tracy Jai Edwards tear into the Deltu Nu Greak chorus trio and Lindsay Nicole Chambers take a swipe at Enid! Currently, Annaleigh Ashford and Beckly Gulsvig are the two Elle covers, and while I adore both, it would be nice to see Tracy Jai Edwards as a third cover. Based on Bundy's star turn at the stage door, expect diva call-outs as soon as the coast is clear of critics and Tony voters! It is also truly a shame that Leslie Kritzer is not a Paulette cover as that role has her name ALL over it.
This show will mostly likely come in with a BEST NEW MUSICAL nod. There is no way they will pass up Rockwell's sets and Barnes' costumes for nods as well.
Updated On: 4/14/07 at 05:08 AM
