Legally Blonde: the Musical study

[wickedfan11]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 7:51am

I will be leading a Legally Blonde: The Musical study. If you are interested, please e-mail [e-mail] by March 15.

[TheCharleston]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 11:13am

Uhh.. What??

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 11:48am

I am not following, as well. Can you elaborate please?

[wickedfan11]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 11:52am

I'm using a website with a chat feature. We will discuss a different part of Legally Blonde every few days (characters, songs, portrayals of characters, etc.) and will have exclusive Q&As with insiders!

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 12:09pm

If you are going to do a "study" on characters and their depth...I wouldn't do Legally Blonde. I love the show, but you can't really break down too much substance with it.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 12:57pm

Oh God, you're going to fall into plot holes a mile wide.

Why is Emmett still Callahan's lapdog if he's such a great lawyer? Why does Kate have the statistics for Harvard Law Admission memorized (I actually have a theory that her dream was to attend Harvard Law, hence her hostility towards Elle during that number)? How does one work two jobs WHILE attending law school?

I seriously want to write an essay about how terrible LB's book is.

Updated On: 2/22/09 at 12:57 PM

[EveHarrington]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:02pm

"I seriously want to write an essay about how terrible LB's book is. "

It's been done. Read their reviews!

Heather HACK seriously maimed LB as a show. It's a shame, there was so much talent involved, and O'Keefe and Benjamin wrote a tuneful and appropriate score. Then Hack came after the story with a meat cleaver, and we all know what happened next.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:05pm

Haha, the reviews were a great start but none of them mentioned the really glaring problems that I see, story and character-wise--the biggest problem being Elle now having to rely on Emmett for the purpose of advancing their relationship, which was meant to be subtle and low-key in the first place.

Hach had no love or even respect for the movie. If you watch the interviews with her, she does nothing but bash it and talk about how her book "improved" upon it. IMO, her mistake was trying to improve what she felt was wrong due to her heavy misunderstanding of the movie, and not what really needed improvement. She also demonstrated her complete lack of comprehension on the Legally Blonde reality show when she talked about Elle's character and the story.

Also, she basically just stole jokes from the movie and reworded them, aside from the few "ha ha" references to pop culture that could have been ripped out of a Family Guy episode.

Edit: Btw, I'm sure you guys know this stuff, I just enjoy ranting on this topic.

Updated On: 2/22/09 at 01:05 PM

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:06pm

I feel like the worst part about the book was that it made it seem like Elle's success was all due to the tireless efforts of her ol' pals Emmett and Kate. She never really passed as intelligent or even particularly motivated, since Emmett and Kate had to keep forcing her to study.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:09pm

That's probably the worst offense. Elle herself comes across as extremely vapid and air-headed, not at all like the smart girl in the movie who just had the wrong priorities.

I also have issues with making Emmett poor. It basically seems like he became a lawyer just to get rich, not because of an intrinsic love of the law. And it makes him sympathize with Elle because she's an underdog like him, not because he sees actual potential in her.

Sorry, I don't know why I feel so strongly on this subject--I know it's just a dumb pop musical. Maybe because I adore the movie.

[sondhead]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:21pm

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed all this! She TOTALLY made it seem like if not for Emmett Elle definitely would have given up and left law school, in effect completely crippling the character and in doing so the story as a whole.

I also thought it was a very interesting choice to make Paulette really brassy but then magically unable to flirt with guys.

That movie may be fluff, but when you really analyze it, it's VERY well written. The musical is.. well, not.

[EveHarrington]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:26pm

I personally enjoyed how Paulette's outfits got steadily LESS revealing as the show went on? She hates herself and thinks she's fat, but oh wait, here's her mini-skirt so you can see her fantastic legs!!!

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:28pm

I can't take credit for this observation, but someone on these boards said that movie Paulette's behaviors are due to the fact that she was with an emotionally abusive man who essentially attacked her self-esteem and psychological well-being until there was nothing left. In the musical she is, as you said, brassy, so she just comes across as an idiot.

Edit: Haha, I never noticed that! I also like how her clothes were so designer when she's supposedly so poor. In the movie, Jennifer Coolidge bought her outfits from Salvation Army etc. Would a poor hairdresser seriously have a sparkly custom-designed t-shirt with her dog on it?

Updated On: 2/22/09 at 01:28 PM

[EveHarrington]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:30pm

"I can't take credit for this observation, but someone on these boards said that movie Paulette's behaviors are due to the fact that she was with an emotionally abusive man who essentially attacked her self-esteem and psychological well-being. In the musical she is, as you said, brassy, so she just comes across as an idiot."

I didn't get that sense from Orfeh's performance at all. I mean, logically, yes. In my head, I can come up with a thousand justifications for her outfits, her behavior, Orfeh's "acting choices", etc. But the average person watching the show isn't going to do that, and that was my problem with the character. I feel like most people were like ... Why is Paulette this skinny, sexed-up tiny blonde chick?

And re: her clothes, yeah, the costuming for Paulette was very strange. "Quirky" microminis and completely see-through tops aren't generally the garb of choice for people who think they're physically unattractive and are emotionally worn down, and in what world could she afford those fantastic boots she wears in Bend and Snap?

ETA: Then again, who can really know for sure what the intention of the writing and music was? Orfeh has a tendency to go off and do her own thing and ignore any and all directives, and it's not like Jerry Mitchell was a particularly gifted director to start with.
Updated On: 2/22/09 at 01:30 PM

[BillFinn]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:39pm

I had problems with the music and lyrics. None of it was memorable, except for "Omigod your guys!" I feel like they banked most of their money on that. Songs like "Serious," "Blood in the Water," "Chip on Your Shoulder" seemed like throw away attempts.

Chip on Your Shoulder
Positive
Serious
Find My Way
Ireland
What You Want

Let's take really vague concepts, proper nouns, and make songs out of them? They all seemed like rejected commercial jingles, almost.

And the 11 o'clock number, "Legally Blonde." I HATED how they revised it! I heard Kerry Butler's version with Devin Mays and thought that was so much better (ha?). I just don't like how they incorporated Elle's "What about love?" The tune to that is so discordant and strange, to join it with the soft melody of the title song.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:40pm

I dunno, Jerry Mitchell said that they chose Orfeh specifically because she gave Paulette a different personality than Jennifer Coolidge had given her.

And, yeah, LB's problems mainly arise when you sit down and think about it, not for the average theatregoer who sees the show. I've discovered most of them while listening to the cast recording.

Edit: I like how there's an entire song about "Legally Blonde" when really it makes no sense, even in the context of Callahan's remark. Come on, it was just a cute and punny title used for the movie.

Updated On: 2/22/09 at 01:40 PM

[EveHarrington]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:44pm

"I dunno, Jerry Mitchell said that they chose Orfeh specifically because she gave Paulette a different personality than Jennifer Coolidge had given her.

And, yeah, LB's problems mainly arise when you sit down and think about it, not for the average theatregoer who sees the show. I've discovered most of them while listening to the cast recording."

Jerry Mitchell is as much to blame for LB's messiness as Hach. He's a great choreographer but...as a director, I felt that he contributed very little to the piece.

It's unfortunate that the show had so many problems, because it had a lot of potential, and parts of the score were really great. "Omigod You Guys" was a perfect opener, the "Legally Blonde" ballad was very touching (though I too prefer the Deven May/Kerry Butler revision), and "Bend and Snap" really delivered.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:47pm

Agreed. Was Jerry Mitchell the one who decided to make a Harvard admissions committee scene into a dance number? Ugh.

Parts of the score are good, and it's so catchy and fun. I really wanted to like the musical just because of the movie, but the book just sabotages it.

I also prefer the other version--same with the demo's "Good Boy" versus "Ireland."

Updated On: 2/22/09 at 01:47 PM

[wickedfan11]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:48pm

In the study, we will discuss all of these problems.

[TheCharleston]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:51pm

Umm.. WTF is this "Study" for?

Why would you ever choose Legally Blonde? one of the worst shows to analyze.

Try choosing a more "artistic" piece and then perhaps you'll have some takers.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:53pm

...Also, if that big case hadn't involved retarded sh*t about hair and fashion, Brooke would have been frying like an egg on a hot sidewalk by the end of the show.

...Also, Vivienne's two-second character U-turn.

...Also, Elle's ability to study hard for the LSATs, take them three times, send them back each time for results, finally get a 175, and submit an application to Harvard AFTER Warner had already been accepted.

...Also, Elle and her friends' creepy ability to know where and when the most secretive college board in America was meeting and crash it with a song and dance number. SO pre-9/11.

Really, the Broadway Abridged guy covers this pretty well.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:55pm

I hate to defend the book, but weren't those earlier LSATs practice tests?

I agree with the rest, especially about Broadway Abridged

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 1:57pm

I love Broadway Abridged.

[insertclevernamehere]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 2:27pm

Also, why is a woman being tried in Boston for a crime she allegedly committed in LA?

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 2/22/09 at 2:32pm

DON'T QUESTION HACK!!!!!!