OMIGOD! A World Premiere (Legally Blonde SF Video) — Page 6

It doesn't take much to get me to see a show.

Frankly, I think it would take just one GREAT number for me to put a show on my "must-see" list. I remember looking at the clips of HIGH FIDELITY and though I wasn't crazy about most of it, there were a couple of clever lyrics I noticed here and there and at least one solid song (I can't remember which one) that I thought had some potential, so I bought a ticket. I had a feeling that the overall show wouldn't work (based on the source material which I just didn't think would "sing"), but still went based on just a few glimmers of talent I saw in the clips.

Similarly, I thought LENNON would probably be a turkey, but went anyway because I knew the talents of Julia Murney, Chuck Cooper and Marcy Harriell and figured that even if the overall show didn't work (though I like Lennon's music), I figured the cast would have their moments.

I went to see LESTAT -- despite TERRIBLE word of mouth from out of town -- because I really thought (and still believe) that a good show could be made out of the Anne Rice books and wanted to see how close they got to making a decent show out of it. The answer: not very close. It was a mess. I also figured that Elton John would come up with at least a couple of good songs. Not close on that score either. It was an idea with a lot of potential and a lot of talent involved that ended up being a truly misconceived mess that should have closed out of town.

I also saw IN MY LIFE -- and I'm glad I did. Had a great time. Still have no idea what the hell it was, but damn if it wasn't entertaining. One of the strangest shows I've ever seen.

As far as LEGALLY BLONDE, I just didn't see ANYTHING really appealing. I've certainly liked some of the cast members before in other shows, but really saw nothing in their work here that impressed me in the slightest. I didn't like the score. I found the voices grating. And I'm frankly embarrased for Jerry Mitchell -- I've been rooting for him to be the next great director/choreographer (based on his previous work, he has a lot of potential). What happened? Perhaps, there's some amazing dance number somewhere else in the show that they didn't film for the reel or maybe he's in the process of creating something dazzling and showstopping -- I think he has it in him, but what's there in the clips literally looked like a high school cheerleading pageant. I, of course, will read all of the upcoming reports about the show coming from out of town, as well as when it gets to previews here, but RIGHT NOW, I see nothing that makes me want to buy a ticket to see this -- it frankly, looks like it would be a painful experience to sit through.

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Updated On: 1/31/07 at 03:01 PM

Legally Blonde totally corners it's audience. No man is going to want to see a show with PINK everywhere and ditzy chorus girls singing pop songs. That's where Wicked got it right, and that's why I think Wicked is such a giant hit. It's a show that everyone can enjoy, but Legally Blonde is only marketing and designed toward one certain group of people, and if you're not in that group of people then you're not going to find it appealing.

People, it's just a couple of songs in a short video...and am I one of the only ones that likes the BEND & SNAP number?

Haha, hopefully they're trained to "hold it in" until their scene is over.

In my opinion the reel, while fun, doesn't have any of the best stuff. No "What You Want", "Ireland", "There Right There", or "Take It Like a Man". Those are the moments I look forward to when I see the show. There's plenty more time for that material to sneak out, it's a long process and the cast and crew is obviously working very hard to make it work for the audience. I saw it again last night and little by little it is getting better. I had hoped I would see more changes made at this point but we'll see where it is at open.

I'm a sucker for Orfeh so I wish I had Ireland to play over and over.

"A girl sweet as you has a future
You have hope, as each new day dawns
Girls like you always get to see Irland
Give my love to the leprechauns" :)

Updated On: 1/31/07 at 03:36 PM

Well, if the show has ANY chance of being a hit, it had BETTER find a way to appeal to my "age group" and older since we're the ones who buy the vast majority of tickets for Broadway. The average age of theatregoers on Broadway last year was 42 years old and people under 18 only constituted about 8% of the total attendance. Even for a show like WICKED, which everyone associates with teenage girls, according to its lead producer, teenagers make up less than 10% of its audience -- it's middle aged and older ADULTS who are keeping that show a soldout hit, not the kids. The same is true of supposed "youth shows like RENT and SPELLING BEE and AVENUE Q -- the kids may talk about them incessantly and create fan pages and crowd the stage door, but no show can survive on $20 student rush tickets and NEEDS to have tens of thousands of people willing to pay the full $111.50 ticket price if it has even the slightest chance of recouping. 90% of actual sales are made by people over well over 18. So, LEGALLY BLONDE better hope and pray that those clips and any further marketing and reviews make the show have a STRONG appeal to the over-40 set, or it'll go the way of HIGH FIDELITY, WEDDING SINGER and other shows who's so-called "target audience" was the under the age of 18.

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Updated On: 1/31/07 at 03:41 PM

Its one thing to say give them a chance to fix it and not to pass judgment, but if they felt it was still such a work in progress and weren’t proud of what they were presenting, they shouldn’t have filmed a full performance and presented these clips as a show preview. If the producers freely present us this material, we have ever right to judge it.

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MargoChanning, I will defend to the death your right to say anything you want to (and Sean Martin and a few others on this site) because they are reasoned comments with insight and footnotes. What is p**sing me off are the people who pile on with short, angry one-line "reviews" of shows they haven't seen. Now Margo, I know you haven't seen Legally Blonde either, but you have been considerate and knowledgeable and I believe that your comments are constructive, even if you don't happen to like the show. I read everything you write carefully and fondly.

However the "it sucks and I'll never see it!" crowd are really starting to grate.

I'll tell you I hate "Rent" and "Wicked" but I'll provide reasons. And I've seen both several times and I never shout down something I haven't scooped.

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Updated On: 1/31/07 at 04:46 PM

People of margos age etc are not going to get legally blonde

It will hit all the write notes with its target audience

I'm a 22 year-old girl who enjoyed Legally Blonde the movie, and I am supposedly in their target audience and I found that the clips made the show look incredibly unappealing.

I guess it's target audiences are pre-pubescent and adolescent girls who can freely throw away their parent's money.

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"It will hit all the write notes with its target audience"

I'm a 22 year-old girl who enjoyed Legally Blonde the movie, and I am supposedly in their target audience and I found that the clips made the show look incredibly unappealing.


I fall into the target audience as well. I'm 16 and found it very underwhelming. In a sense, I'm a bit offended that producers think that this sort of fluff will attract every person my age. But I digress...

Its one thing to say give them a chance to fix it and not to pass judgment, but if they felt it was still such a work in progress and weren’t proud of what they were presenting, they shouldn’t have filmed a full performance and presented these clips as a show preview. If the producers freely present us this material, we have ever right to judge it.

I agree completely. If the producers are confident enough to show us what they've got, then we are well within our rights as, well, human beings, to say whether or not we are interested. I agree that people who are saying things like, "This show sucks. It should go far, far away" need to defend their opinions, but people who are giving well-supported arguments as to why they aren't interested (such as MargoChanning) shouldn't be chastised for not being interested. I don't see any of that happening yet, but I have a sneaking suspicion this may occur. However, I did just drink two Mountain Dews (poor decision making right there), so perhaps it's the caffeine, not my psychic abilities.

The show truly is better than the promo video. I have no connection to this project in any way. The show is just better than the video.

That said, the video doesn't *totally* misrepresent the show, so if you *loathe* the video, then this show is probably not for you. But if you say "eh" to the video, you might still like the show, especially once they work the kinks out.

I agree that it's "fair" to judge based on what the producers have put out there, but just because it's fair doesn't mean it's accurate.

The thing about this show is that it's total fluff. It will always be total fluff (yes, I know there's a message about being true to yourself and whatever...it's a fluffy message). So if it's going to succeed, it's got to be *great* fluff. Great fluff is fun and people will spend money to see it (not everybody, but a lot of us). But Broadway tickets are too expensive for "pretty good" fluff. There's plenty of pretty good fluff on TV and at the movies for far cheaper.

I'm so glad these clips were posted. I will be in NYC right as the show begins previews and had actually considered buying a ticket....not anymore. If "Grease" wants The Palace I don't think that will be a problem....this show ain't lasting too long if these clips are the best it has to offer.