Fizzled BlondeOh! My! God! Another Broadway musical is about to bite the dust.
Legally Blonde - The Musical, based on the infinitely superior
2001 film, has posted its closing notice.
The
Jerry Mitchell-helmed and choreographed tuner will shutter after its final
Palace Theatre performance on October 19. It will have played a total of 595 regular performances when it closes.
Despite the fact that the show is still pulling a capacity crowd of over 60%, the average ticket price last week of just $52.13 hints at a deeper issue: the effect that the worrisome economy may be having on Broadway as a whole. Not even a dose of stunt casting via an MTV reality series could keep a substantial number of tickets from being sold at TKTS.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde, Musical
Blonde Not Quite Ready To Jump SharkImagine my surprise when one of my dear, regular readers sent me the following from
Us Magazine:
A source says Britney Spears’ ex, 30, may be heading to NYC in September to make his Broadway debut in Legally Blonde, the Tony-nominated musical adaptation of the hit film, Us Weekly reports in its latest issue, on newsstands now.
“He’s so excited!” a Federline source tells Us.
The former backup dancer and aspiring hip-hop artist — who is hitting the gym after packing on “daddy weight,” ex Shar Jackson says — will test his song-and-dance chops in a trio of roles — including the UPS guy who inspires the “bend and snap.”
“This is his chance to show the world what he can do,” says a pal.
And now that he has physical custody, sons Sean, 2, and Jayden, 18 months, might join him in the Big Apple.
“This is his dream and he wants to bring the kids,” says the insider. “Jamie and Lynne [Spears] promised to help him make it work.”
(A rep for the show says he is not scheduled “as of this time.”)
Federline may not be the only star hitting Broadway: New mom Nicole Richie has been approached to star in Chicago.
Then, imagine my even
bigger surprise when reading Chris Caggiano's post yesterday at
Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals:
Another sign of the impending apocalypse: US magazine reports that Kevin Federline may be joining the cast of Broadway's Legally Blonde. Presumably as Warner, the part originated by Richard Blake? Or perhaps as the UPS guy that Paulette falls for? Or maybe even the "Is he gay or European?" dude at the trial? Certainly not as Emmet, the good guy who gets the girl, a part originated by the talented Christian Borle?
My surprise wasn't necessarily that
Legally Blonde would actually jump the shark with stunt casting. No. It was that either of these fine people would read
Us Magazine!
So I clicked onto
Us this morning to see what's up. And guess what? Kevin Federline
will not be appearing in
Legally Blonde. Or at least, so they say now.
Impending apocalypse avoided? Well, not if the
Us rumor on Nicole Richie going
Chicago proves true. But let's just say, I'll believe it when I read it somewhere else.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Blogs, Britney Spears, Broadway, Chicago The Musical, Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals, Jump The Shark, Kevin Federline, Legally Blonde, Nicole Richie, Stunt Casting, Us Magazine
ShowBusiness - The SOB Contest!
You've read
my glowing review.
You've read
my interview with three-time Tony winner
Dori Berinstein.
Now read on for how to win either a DVD copy of "
ShowBusiness: The Road To Broadway" or a poster of the documentary film, courtesy of Steve On Broadway (SOB) and
Liberation Entertainment!
To "enter," all you have to do is type in your e-mail address on the right hand column of Steve On Broadway and press the "Subscribe Me!" Feedblitz button. Not only will you automatically receive a free Steve On Broadway e-mail each day, but you'll also be entered in the contest! (And if you're already a subscriber, you'll automatically be entered!)
You must subscribe in order to be eligible.If you want to double your chances, simply link your blog to Steve On Broadway and let me know you've done so by leaving a comment below. (If you already link to Steve On Broadway and
aren't listed among SOB's Daily Reads on the right hand column of this site, please let me know so I may add you to my blog roll).
That's all there is to it. It's that easy! Best of all, there's no purchase necessary to win.
The SOB Contest ends on November 22 -- hopefully, you'll have something to be thankful for!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Dori Berinstein - The SOB Interview (November 7, 2007)
ShowBusiness: Year In The Life Of Broadway (October 16, 2007)
Labels: Avenue Q, Broadway, Caroline Or Change, Documentary, Dori Berinstein, DVD, Legally Blonde, ShowBusiness The Road To Broadway, Taboo, The SOB Contest, Wicked
Dori Berinstein - The SOB InterviewIn introducing my very first Steve On Broadway (SOB) Interview, I'm pleased to present my Q & A with Broadway producer, documentary director and three time Tony Award winner
Dori Berinstein (pictured in photo by Anita and Steve Shevett).
My questions touched on everything from her superb "
ShowBusiness: The Road To Broadway" documentary film (now available on DVD) to the possible stagehands strike to her work with
Legally Blonde.
In turn, she provided some terrific, candid comments, including on the one Broadway show that did
not grant her access, why
New York Post's
Michael Riedel needs to find new friends, plans for taking
Legally Blonde on tour and to London, and other intriguing irons she currently has stoking in the fire.
Here's Dori Berinstein - The SOB Interview:
Steve On Broadway (SOB): “ShowBusiness: The Road To Broadway” is clearly a labor of love. I enjoyed it so much, I viewed it twice. How long had this documentary been percolating and what was your inspiration?
Dori Berinstein: Thank you! I loved every second making the film.
I read
William Goldman's extraordinary book, "
The Season," about the 1968 Broadway season behind-the-curtain, when I was in college. I was completely captivated. After years of dreaming about one day producing Broadway shows, I knew then, that I also wanted to bring that vibrant, creative, passionate and insular world to life on film.
SOB: I’ve previously described your documentary as a year in the life of Broadway. Was that your original vision?
DB: I wanted to capture a Broadway season inside out. Of course, so much happens over the course of a year. It's impossible to anticipate which shows will hit and which will struggle. I knew going in that our specific story would unfold as the season progressed.
SOB: The 2003-04 Theatrical Season you chronicled coincided with the last chapter of the
PBS documentary, “
Broadway: The American Musical.” Did that documentary inform any of your decisions going into “ShowBusiness” on where to focus?
DB: Not at all.
I know the team behind "Broadway: The American Musical." They're tremendous.
Our projects, though, we're entirely different.
Michael Kantor aspired to chronicle the Broadway musical throughout the 20th century for television. His epic work spanned 6-parts and relied heavily on archival footage, still photos, on-camera interviews, etcetera.
"ShowBusiness," a feature film, is far more specific and personal. We dove into the dramatic lives of a handful of performers, creators, producers, etcetera ... behind-the-curtain during the course of a specific year on Broadway. We were committed to going wherever our story took us. Choices made by other projects were irrelevant.
SOB: While you devote time to virtually all the major shows of Broadway’s 2003-04 season, you focus primarily on four major musicals of the year --
Avenue Q;
Caroline, Or Change,
Taboo and
Wicked -- why these?
DB: Focusing our storytelling on these four shows was an excruciating task. There were so many extraordinary stories to tell about the season. Editors
Richard Hankin and
Adam Zucker were tremendous partners creatively. Ultimately, we focused in on
Avenue Q,
Caroline,
Taboo and
Wicked for three primary reasons:
One, each show had such a unique "road to Broadway," and each show was jam-packed with extraordinary talent, on stage and behind-the-curtain.
Two, the personal stories --
Jeff and
Bobby,
Euan,
Tonya....etcetera -- elevated our story, we believe, making it much more than a "Broadway" film. We wanted our audience, whether or not they were fans of theatre, to get lost in their roller coaster experiences over the course of the year.
Three, we liked the way these four stories could be interwoven and leave our audience with a sense of what it takes to launch and run a show on Broadway.
We could have made the same film with four plays from that season. It was an extremely difficult choice.
SOB: You offer plenty of drama, whether it’s the tensions among the
Avenue Q team or Euan Morton discussing his resident alien status or even just showcasing the bitter cold winter months’ impact on Broadway. How were you able to gain such incredible access from such a wide range of shows and talent?
DB: The Broadway community ... the actors ... the producers ... the publicists ... everyone ... was extraordinary. I am deeply grateful.
The Broadway Unions and Guilds and AFTRA supported our project from the get go, making it all possible.
I imagine being an "insider" ... a Broadway producer for nearly 15 years, helped tremendously. The community knew I shared a deep love of theatre, and while I wanted to paint an honest, accurate picture -- I wasn't looking at all to make anyone or any show look bad.
SOB: Conspicuously absent from your film was
Hugh Jackman’s Tony vehicle
The Boy From Oz. Was that a conscious decision?
DB: I would have loved to capture the creative evolution of
The Boy from Oz. There were 37 show that season.
The Boy From Oz was the only show that denied us access.
SOB: Which of these shows did you have a chance to personally see in their early stages, and which do you believe ultimately enjoyed the greatest metamorphosis?
DB: I had the great good fortune to see each of the shows early on.
Of course, tremendous work was done on
Wicked between their out-of-town run in San Francisco and their Broadway launch. You really don't know what you have, no matter how great the book ... the score ... or the cast, until you get a show up on its feet. Not every creative team, though, dives in and makes such radical changes before coming in. The way the show evolved, and the choices that were made, were quite remarkable. The results speak for themselves.
I also tremendously admire the work done to adapt
Avenue Q to Broadway. Off-Off Broadway, the show was tremendously intimate. Transferring to a larger venue presented huge challenges. How can that intimacy be preserved in a much larger space? From set design, to staging, to storytelling, incredible work was done to make the transition seamless.
SOB: Of all the shows you featured, did any one become a favorite of yours?
DB: I was so close to each show that season. There was no way to have favorites.
SOB: I loved the kibitzing among the theatre critics and pundits. How difficult was that to accomplish, and was there any reason why
Ben Brantley and
John Lahr were interviewed apart from the rest?
DB: I was eager for the critic "lunch" to be as organic as possible. This group of critics knows each other. Lunching together, chatting about the season, was very conceivable.
Ben Brantley and John Lahr wouldn't naturally be part of that group. I did feel their perspectives were very important -- Brantley, as the lead theatre critic for the tremendously powerful
New York Times and John Lahr, a wonderful writer and great defender of
Caroline, Or Change.
SOB: Michael Riedel makes an astute observation in your documentary that “My peers who are not in the theatre do not go to a theatre, it has fallen off their entertainment landscape.” What must live theatre do to get back on that landscape?
DB: Michael needs some new friends!
I think Broadway has come a long way in 5 years.
Wicked,
Lion King,
Beauty And The Beast, in particular, certainly catapulted interest in Broadway by a younger demographic.
Shows like
Avenue Q,
Rent,
Spring Awakening and
Legally Blonde also have had, and continue to have, a huge impact on teen and young adult theatre-going.
When I look at the shows now in development for Broadway next year and beyond, I see tremendous diversity ... shows that are sure to bring in audiences of all ages.
SOB: You’re currently represented on Broadway through
Legally Blonde. Did you get the box office bounce you were seeking from the
MTV experiment?
DB: We are thrilled with the response to
Blonde on MTV. The ratings surpassed everyone's expectations and our CD catapulted to #1 on
iTunes. Clearly, we're going to benefit from the MTV airing for many years to come. Given the great nationwide response, I suspect we'll continue to see the positive impact of the MTV airing as the
Blonde U.S. Tour kicks off late next summer.
SOB: In making this documentary as an accomplished Broadway producer, did you learn anything new that surprised you about the theatrical art form?
DB: When you work on a show as a producer, an actor, a creator ... you're myopically focused. Time is scarce ... you barely know what's happening outside your theatre walls. It was fascinating to see inside each of the shows that season and realize, irregardless of scope ... of pre-promotability ... of talent involved ... that they all shared this fierce passion for what they were doing. The risks, creative and financial were stark, for everyone. It didn't matter if it was a small play or a giant musical. It's that passion, that risk, that commitment to the art that unites the community. It was thrilling to see.
SOB: I’ve been covering the ongoing labor dispute with the stagehands. Any thoughts on how the current impasse can be broken?
DB: Wish I knew! So hoping the dispute can be resolved without a strike.
SOB: What’s next for Dori Berinstein?
DB: I've just completed post production on a new documentary, "Some Assembly Required," about kids competing in a national toy invention competition and am nearing the end of principal photography on another doc, about the
New Jersey Nets Senior Hip Hop Dance Team.
For Broadway, several new projects I'm tremendously excited about are in the works. As those brew, focus continues on
Legally Blonde in New York, the upcoming U.S. Tour and our launch in London.
SOB: Thanks so much for joining Steve On Broadway (SOB)!
DB: Thank you Steve!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:ShowBusiness: Year In The Life Of Broadway (October 16, 2007)
Labels: Avenue Q, Broadway, Caroline Or Change, Documentary, Dori Berinstein, DVD, Legally Blonde, ShowBusiness The Road To Broadway, Taboo, The SOB Interview, Wicked
One Short Hour In The Emerald CityLast month,
Legally Blonde landed
in its entirety on
MTV recently and caught the attention of 1.27 million viewers during its initial broadcast alone. While it didn't experience any significant upward bump at the box office -- yet -- it certainly counts as an ingenious way of reaching out to a potent new (
read: young) audience.
But that remarkable cross promotion may be eclipsed tonight as
ABC's popular "
Ugly Betty" features the über-popular
Wicked within its storyline in an episode entitled, "Something Wicked This Way Comes." The hour-long weekly comedy attracts audiences of over 14 million viewers, including a substantial number in the target audience.
According to
Access Hollywood:
In Thursday’s episode, Betty Suarez, played by America Ferrera, heads out to the hugely popular musical with her beau Henry, played by Christopher Gorham.
“This is a date, or what is supposed to be a date between Henry and Betty to come and see Wicked,” Gorham explained of the episode. “Of course, things end up going awry and Henry and Betty end up on stage, so it’s amazing.”
Tonight's episode features
Eden Espinosa (Elphaba),
Megan Hilty (Glinda) and
Kristoffer Cusick (Fiyero) from the current Los Angeles sitdown production of
Wicked. The LA production opened in February.
While I'm the furthest thing to any of these show's much sought-after demographic, you can bet I'll be tuning in. Nevertheless, my hunch is that ticket sales for each of the
Wicked productions will spike after tonight's broadcast among the age groups they're seeking.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Wicked Broadway tickets.Click here for Wicked Chicago tickets.Click here for Wicked London tickets.Click here for Wicked Los Angeles tickets.Click here for Wicked U.S. Tour ticket information.Related Stories:
One Short Day, In Universal's Emerald City (June 26, 2007)
Wicked To Finally Land In Oz During 2008 (May 16, 2007)
Wicked (The SOB Revisit) - London (April 17, 2007)
Theatre For A New Age (April 8, 2007)
Wicked World (March 19, 2007)
For Good: Wicked Wins LA Critical Praise (March 1, 2007)
Hollywood Becomes Wicked (February 27, 2007)
Were London Critics Mourning West End Wicked? (September 28, 2006)
West End Wicked Opens Tonight (September 27, 2006)
Wicked Witch of the West End Takes Flight Tonight (September 7, 2006)
Jaaku or Neikan? Wicked Set for Japanese Translation (July 24, 2006)
Five Times More Wicked (July 17, 2006)
Wicked's West End Witches Update (May 17, 2006)
Worldwide Wicked Casting News (May 5, 2006)
Encore: Spotlight Week Ending April 30, 2006 (April 30, 2006)
Labels: ABC, Legally Blonde, Los Angeles, MTV, Musical, Television, Ugly Betty, Wicked
Putting The Music Back In MTVNew York Post's Michael Riedel reports this morning that
Legally Blonde will steal a page from the Disney playbook (read:
High School Musical) and put its production on the
cable network formerly known as Music Television (MTV) come October.
With inane shows like "
My Super Sweet 16" and "
Laguna Beach," MTV's ever-devolving demographics make it the ideal place for
Legally Blonde to gain a little extra mojo (last week, the tuner was down to 84.4% capacity with an average ticket price of $78.82 going into the fall doldrums). Plus, MTV is practically across the street from the
Palace Theatre -- home to Elle & Co. -- so most of those screaming tweens from
TRL are likely find their way.
Just one overriding concern: won't the MTV audience be surprised when they actually hear music coming from their television sets?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:The Night Legally Blonde Wasn't (May 25, 2007)
Legally Blonde (The SOB Review) (May 8, 2007)
Did Critics You Know Like Totally Blonde? (April 30, 2007)
Legally Blonde Comes Of Age Tonight (April 29, 2007)
Dye Is Cast For Legally Blonde Reviews (February 8, 2007)
Coming Of Age: Legally Blonde Opens In San Francisco (February 6, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Which New Broadway Musical Are You Most Enthusiastic About Seeing? (October 16, 2006)
A Place Where Nobody Dared To Go...Until Now: They Call It Xanadu (July 18, 2006)
Broadway Bound to Get Nuttier with More Movie Adaptations Turned Musicals (June 7, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Film, High School Musical, Legally Blonde, Michael Riedel, MTV, Musical, Television
The Night Legally Blonde Wasn't
One of the best things about the Internet and blogs is that you can learn all sorts of great information that "mainstream" news outlets wouldn't ordinarily share.
One of my Daily Blog Reads is the lovely and effervescent Sarah B. at Adventures In
The Endless Pursuit Of Entertainment. I mean, with a name like that, it just has to be entertaining!
During the "Bend And Snap" number, Laura Bell (Bundy)'s wig came off. She picked it up and held it in her hands for a moment before putting it back on. She broke the
fourth wall when she turned to the audience and said, "So much for Legally Blonde." The audience went wild by jumping to their feets and screaming. The music continued, but the cast lost it for at least five minutes. It was my first time to see this on Broadway. Sure, accidents happen but it's up to the cast to continue on. They almost couldn't. The audience ate it up because of course, it makes them even more connected with what's happening on stage -- a once in a lifetime that can never be repeated.
Hold on to your hat, Sarah, because I'm offering you a hat tip of my own. You've helped underscore yet another reason why I flip my wig over the spontaneity of live theatre any day -- including a show I don't care for -- over most stuff on the silver screen.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Adventures In The Endless Pursuit Of Entertainment, Blogs, Broadway, Film, Laura Bell Bundy, Legally Blonde, Musical
Tony Officially Shuts Out LoveMusik, Legally Blonde From the "Why Can't We All Just Get Along" file, this year's
Tony broadcast just can't seem to get a break with decent news coverage. Perhaps it could if players involved didn't air their dirty laundry quite so publicly.
The latest dust-up occurred a couple days ago when the Tony producers nixed a plan to feature song performances from
LoveMusik and
Legally Blonde -- you know, the two viable shows that had been in the running for the coveted also-ran nod in the category of Best Musical until
Mary Poppins claimed it.
According to
New York Post's Michael Riedel, CBS had been pushing the idea to include performances to liven up the show and initially received the green light from the American Theatre Wing's
Howard Sherman. But the broadcast's producers put the kibosh on that for fear that including non-nominated works would open the floodgates to other shows demanding their time on the broadcast.
Arguing for an expansion of tune offerings,
The Playgoer's Garrett Eisler succinctly notes: "Maybe they should...just dazzle us for two hours with great performances." While Tony broadcasts have traditionally been viewed by a narrow slice of Americans, you'd think that Broadway would use the telecast to its advantage by enabling its cherished viewers to see as wide a swath as possible.
On the related topic of the Tonys, you'll now find four new polls in which I ask you to name the featured actors and actresses from both plays and musicals you believe will win the Tony Award on June 10. After voting, feel free to comment on why.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Tony Box Office Bumps (May 21, 2007)
Tony Award Nominations Announced (May 15, 2007)
Labels: Blogs, Broadway, Legally Blonde, LoveMusik, Mary Poppins, Michael Riedel, Musical, The Playgoer, Tony Awards
Backlash Awakening?After the Tony nominations were announced on Tuesday, the prevailing conventional wisdom among most pundits seemed to be that
Spring Awakening had a solid lock on winning the honor for Best Musical.
Even
the pundit of all Broadway pundits,
Michael Reidel of the
New York Post,
dutifully painted a picture of backroom drama at the Tony nominating committee meeting that sought to ensure a win for
Spring Awakening by locking out
Legally Blonde:
Some of them, who were very much in the thrall of Spring Awakening, got wind of the Pinkies' plan (to get the road vote) and, it appears, blocked it by giving the fourth slot for Best Musical to Mary Poppins instead of Legally Blonde. The path to Tony Award glory is now clear for Spring Awakening.
"Not so fast," cry a number of vital voices like Rob Kendt (
Broadway.com and
The Wicked Stage) and
Peter Filichia of TheaterMania. There's even a backhanded compliment thrown its way by
Chris Caggiano at Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals who quite accurately points out that
Grey Gardens could have tied
Spring Awakening's impressive 11 nominations had it not been for its lack of choreography.
I also vividly recall when another one of my favorite theatre bloggers
Rocco at What's Good/What Blows In New York Theatre bluntly stated in January:
I was shocked...to find myself among the ranks with those who kinda hated Spring Awakening. I thought for sure, I was going to love this show. It seemed right up my alley, as a fan of the original play, and an advocate of new musicals on Broadway. But those factors are the main reasons why I was put-off by almost every aspect of this production. For starters, the cast is constantly giving off this attitude that what they're doing up there is so cool and so edgy.
Although
I kinda liked this electrifying show -- and could certainly put aside how anachronistic and smugly self-aware I found it -- much of
Steven Sater’s book was surprisingly predictable. As "shocking" as the material was clearly intended to be, I found myself easily figuring out where this was all headed. Although it came close, I never thought this show reached the heights of excellence that
Grey Gardens or even
Curtains mastered.
Although I realize my little SOB Poll may not provide the most accurate barometer of what's to come (even though your votes proved to be largely correct in predicting the outcome of the Tony nominations), I find it interesting that in the current poll where I ask which show will win the Tony for Best Musical, that the numbers for
Spring Awakening have been dropping fairly precipitously over the past three days, mostly to the benefit of
Grey Gardens. Yes, there's still about a 20% gap between the two shows, but it's much closer than it was even 24 hour ago.
All this leads me to ask: could it be that
Spring Awakening is already peaking? Just as a summer breeze begins to blow away the last vestiges of spring, could it be that Tony voters might be considering a show that can reputably blow away
Spring Awakening as its Best Musical? We'll know for sure in another 24 days.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Grey Gardens tickets.Click here for Spring Awakening tickets.Related Stories:Tony Award Nominations Announced (May 15, 2007)
New York Posts Picks For Tony Nods (May 11, 2007)
Which Shows Will Be Tony-Nominated For Best Play? (May 8, 2007)
Which Shows Will Be Tony-Nominated For Best Musical? (May 3, 2007)
Theatre For A New Age (April 8, 2007)
Spring Awakening (The SOB Review) (March 3, 2007)
Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) (February 21, 2007)
Musicals Versus Plays: You Decide (January 5, 2007)
Spring Awakening Rouses Box Office; Cast To Appear At Big Apple Store (December 12, 2006)
Waking Up To Critical Acclaim (December 11, 2006)
Spring Awakening Blossoms On Broadway Tonight (December 10, 2006)
Curtains To Rise At Al Hirschfeld Theatre In March (November 3, 2006)
Mary Poppins, Grey Gardens Tops Among SOB Readers (October 27, 2006)
How Sheik: Spring Awakenings To Receive Broadway Transfer (July 20, 2006)
Tony Award Nominations Announced (May 16, 2006)
Labels: Blogs, Grey Gardens, Legally Blonde, Mary Poppins, Michael Riedel, Musical, SOB Poll, Spring Awakening, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations
Legally Blonde (The SOB Review) - Palace Theatre, New York, NY
** (out of ****)
Oh my…God help us.
I realize that
Legally Blonde has, like, totally captured the hearts of many an audience member (especially the tween-to-teen set), but the allure of this latest film-to-fluff fare for the stage escapes me. You know a show is in trouble when the most appreciative audience response is reserved for the dogs.
About halfway through the first act of
Legally Blonde, the talented but misused
Orfeh sings the incongruous tune “Ireland” that includes the prescient line, “I don’t know where this metaphor is going.” That line neatly captured my frustration with this over-the-top ode to girlie girldom power that chose several bizarre tangents to veer off toward.
For every genuinely clever line in the book by
Heather Hach -- and there were several like the one where Harvard admissions discussed reasons for letting this blonde bombshell into school: "diversity" -- there was a groan-worthy tune from
Laurence O'Keefe and
Nell Benjamin (like "Serious" that sounds more like a retread from
Saturday Night Fever or "There! Right There!" that I'll get back to in a moment) or serious misstep.
Including in the choreography by
Jerry Mitchell, who’s usually, like, you know, really superb at this sort of thing. I'm a huge fan of his previous efforts, but the moves here work more like a hybrid of “
Bring It On" and
Riverdance. Perhaps he was just a bit too busy adjusting to his additional role -- his first time as a director.
Of all people, Mitchell should know better than to exacerbate gay stereotypes. Whether providing the dykiest of lesbians or the nelliest of hairdressers or the complicit conspirators in the tedious “There! Right There!" number that tries to discover whether a potential perjurer is gay or European, it’s a surprise that
GLAAD hasn’t been knocking the show. It was appalling.
As for Hach's book, there was little other than the memory of
Reese Witherspoon in the movie to help the audience understand why everyone in the show -- including the aforementioned Harvard admissions team -- was so readily capable of making the huge leap toward loving the lead character of Elle Woods.
Don't get me wrong, the lovely
Laura Bell Bundy does what she can with the part, and she's a terrific singer and dancer, but the book does her quite a disservice. For example, we're to believe that this perfectly dressed, well-coiffed Elle will take the advice of the poorly-dressed, wrong-side of the tracks hairdresser Paulette (Orfeh) whom she just met?
Of course, there's so much energy and exuberance that you can't blame the audience for getting whipped into a frenzy, including on numbers like "Whipped Into Shape" -- another tangential number that only marginally moves the story along. The use of the Delta Nu Greek chorus throughout the show is inspired. And I confess that I'm simply unable to get the tune "Omigod You Guys" out of my mind (please! Make it
stop!!).
But I much prefer
Legally Blonde - The Film.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, Film, Jerry Mitchell, Laura Bell Bundy, Legally Blonde, Musical, The SOB Review
Did Critics You Know Like Totally Blonde?
Saying the show "trades up on the original model in both character development and infectious comedy,"
Variety's
David Rooney is perhaps the most generous: "Working from
Amanda Brown's novel and
Karen McCullah Lutz and
Kirsten Smith's screenplay, book writer
Heather Hach has added definition to the story's generic message about being true to yourself and not judging people by their packaging....Choreographer-turned-director
Jerry Mitchell has done a creditable job of driving this well-oiled machine. Its zippiness in the opening stretch, in particular, is almost dizzying."
Bell Bundy and the show are both "peppy and bright,"according to
Linda Winer of
Newsday, but her review is mixed: "[T]he show, directed with cheerfully breathless momentum by Jerry Mitchell, clearly has a healthier 'sell-by' date than the ones marked on the piles of discarded crates that brought
Footloose,
The Wedding Singer,
Saturday Night Fever and (add your own) short-lived movie adaptations. After all, Mitchell choreographed such long-running, crowd-pleasing adaptations as
Hairspray and
The Full Monty. With
Legally Blonde, his directing debut, he takes the logical well-worn step from moving bodies to energizing the total vision. Everything gets moved -- except, you know, your heart."
Labeling the tuner as "tuneless,"
Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press seems to enjoy save for the music: "It really moves....So why, despite the expensive glitz and an aggressive, go-go attitude, does
Legally Blonde only fitfully entertain? Most prominently because of a disappointing score....What slows down the production are some of the songs by
Laurence O'Keefe and
Nell Benjamin. Most of them are vaguely pop, tunes with little discernible theatricality. The melodies evaporate quickly..."
Agreeing on the musical score,
New York Post's
Clive Barnes says it's a "pleasant if noisy night out" in his two-and-a-half star review: "When was it that so many Broadway musicals took "Looney" to their hearts but managed to leave out the 'Tunes'? Heather Hach's book, based on the screenplay and the original novel (who knew?) by Amanda Brown, makes all the right moves and has a good feel for both fun and wit, even though theater necessarily lacks the open-ended possibilities of a movie. And unfortunately, the score never picks up the slack, although the lyrics by the husband and wife team of Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin are markedly sharper than their usual."
Calling
Blonde "high-energy, empty-calories and expensive-looking hymn to the glories of girlishness,"
The New York Times'
Ben Brantley is largely dismissive with a sugar twist: "
Legally Blonde...has Laura Bell Bundy, the kind of young woman who summons instant parental pride in the middle-aged. In addition to her prom-queen prettiness, she sings and dances flawlessly, and she delivers silly lines as if she meant them. But she lacks the quirkiness and irresistible watch-me egotism that a big, heroine-worshiping musical needs at its center....This means that the weight of the show, directed with hyperkinetic effusiveness by Jerry Mitchell, shifts to its feel-good formula."
"It's only sorta fun," laments
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News : "Hach cleverly uses Elle's sorority sisters as a Greek chorus to pump up the show's girl-power vibe. The dark-haired Leslie Kritzer, as Serena, is a sassy standout, and suggests that if brunettes don't have more fun, they have the funniest lines -- and know how to work them.
Blonde's shortfalls are rooted in the score."
During the upcoming week, I'll be taking in this show, so stay tuned for my SOB Review shortly thereafter.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Film, Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde, Musical
Legally Blonde Comes Of Age Tonight
Will New York critics react similarly? As I said earlier, I have a hard time believing this is one that Ben Brantley will enjoy. Stay tuned here for the full round-up of reviews for Legally Blonde tomorrow.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Coming Of Age: Legally Blonde Opens In San Francisco (February 6, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Which New Broadway Musical Are You Most Enthusiastic About Seeing? (October 16, 2006)
A Place Where Nobody Dared To Go...Until Now: They Call It Xanadu (July 18, 2006)
Broadway Bound to Get Nuttier with More Movie Adaptations Turned Musicals (June 7, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Film, Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde, Musical, Opening Night
The Hits From Coast To Coast
Ever since finally installing a statcounter on Steve On Broadway (SOB) last month, I've been intrigued by which stories are being read the most. In a bit of shameless self-promotion, here's the top ten according to you and other readers, along with some thoughts as to why these stories struck a chord (and for your added convenience, I've provided links to each of the original postings):
10. Were Critics Faithful To Betrayal? - Through May 27, Chicago's Steppenwolf is the place to see the company's incarnation of the Harold Pinter classic. This posting captures the reviews by the
Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones and
Chicago Sun-Times' Hedy Weiss.
8. (tie) Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) - I learned with this story that if you load up an item with all kinds of varied information, ranging from a sequel to
The Phantom Of The Opera to discussions of Daniel Radcliffe's on-stage nudity to
Xanadu's casting (minus, Jane Krakowski, of course), you're bound to get readers. But I also took an unnecessary shot at John Doyle and indicated that Kristen Bell would replace Krakowski; I was wrong on both counts. So sorry!
8. (tie) Curtains (The SOB Review) - With this tuner from Kander & Ebb
and Holmes now in previews (with an opening set for March 22), is it any wonder that buzzomaniacs are wondering what others are saying about the show? I took in the tuner way back last summer in LA and loved it, as evidenced in my four-star SOB Review! Can't wait to see it again on Broadway, either.
7. Curtains Meets The Critics - Just as folks are searching for buzz on the aforementioned show, apparently they also want to know what the Left Coast critics have said. You can get it all via my Critics' Capsule on the show.
6. Holliday: You're Gonna Love Me...Again! - Apparently the fan base of
Dreamgirls just can't get enough of all things Jennifer Hudson
or Holliday. Just as hopes for a new Broadway revival with Miss Hudson are running high, suddenly Miss Holliday snaps us back to reality with the announcement that
she's gonna play Effie Melody White
again...in Atlanta this summer.
5. Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - The Musical (The SOB Review) - Welcome to all my Aussie cobbers who have visited this Yank's site to learn just how good the musical version of one of your fave pictures is! Well, what was initially going to be a limited run show at Sydney's Star City Casino through last October has continually expanded its run thanks to its fair dinkum popularity. I saw it in December as a Chrissie prezzie, and the performance was chock! Tickets are now selling through June 10. Good onya!
4. The Glass Menagerie (The SOB Review) - Welcome back to all you Randy Harrison fans worldwide who flocked to see how supposedly "not very positive" I was in my review of your favorite from "Queer As Folk." Well, while I may have quibbled with his meandering accent, I thought he comported himself "reasonably well, particularly in going toe-to-toe with Amanda (Harriet Harris)." You still have until March 25 to fly into Minneapolis to see this production that I awarded 3 1/2 stars out of 4 -- a great show in my book.
3. Dye Is Cast For Legally Blonde Reviews - With Left Coast critics singing this new tuner's praises and with Broadway previews less than a month away (April 3), it's no wonder that Google searches for any tidbit on
Legally Blonde are more common than split ends.
2. Betrayal (The SOB Review) - I was considerably more enthusiastic about the aforementioned Harold Pinter play at Steppenwolf than the critics. Maybe that's why so much traffic came my way. Just for the record, I gave this good, solid production 3 out of 4 stars.
1. The Pirate Queen (The SOB Review) - Two nights ago, this new musical began preview performances on Broadway...less than three months after taking a pretty severe beating from the Chicago critics. I was there on its Windy City opening night and could only muster up a two-star review. While I had hoped the production would have improved, I'm already reading comments from others (like Mike at
The Lunar Gemini), who aren't very impressed. Is there still hope of a salvage operation prior to its April 5 opening night? My bet at this point is it's going to sink.
Thanks to you, dear reader, for checking out
Steve On Broadway. And whether you agree wholeheartedly or think I'm full of it, you're always welcome to leave comments and join the discussion!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Betrayal tickets.Click here for Curtains tickets.Click here for Dreamgirls (Atlanta) ticket information.Click here for Equus tickets.Click here for Legally Blonde tickets.Click here for Priscilla Queen Of The Desert tickets.Click here for The Glass Menagerie tickets.Click here for The Pirate Queen tickets. Labels: Betrayal, Broadway, Curtains, Daniel Radcliffe, Dreamgirls, Equus, Jennifer Holliday, Jennifer Hudson, Legally Blonde, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, The Glass Menagerie, The Pirate Queen, Xanadu
Dye Is Cast For Legally Blonde Reviews
Two nights ago in San Francisco, the Broadway-bound musical version of
Legally Blonde opened. Critics were generally positive, if not ecstatic.
In his three and a half star review,
Chad Jones of the
Oakland Tribune is almost giddy: "With expectations riding high,
Legally Blonde shoots out of the gate like a prize, Prada-clad stallion and races toward that elusive goal of Broadway immortality....[T]his one has blood pumping in its veins. And that blood is a bright shade of pink....For a just-hatched show, this
Blonde is in awfully good shape, though (not to disparage blondes in any way) it doesn't have a whole lot going on in its pretty head. And that's OK."
Variety's
Dennis Harvey offers nothing but praise: "The good news is it does that -- thoroughly, delightfully so. The bad news? Actually, there is none. This fuchsia fluffsicle, socked over by choreographer-turned-director
Jerry Mitchell, might not win over those opposed on principal [sic] to the Hollywoodization of Broadway. But its S.F. tryout is already a genuinely likable, splashy crowd-pleaser that could prove grumble-proof come its May Rialto launch....Among the show's many appealing aspects is how it manages to swim in broadly amusing shallows most of the time while avoiding heartlessness."
Proclaiming
Legally Blonde "a crowd pleaser," with a three star review,
The Examiner's
Leslie Katz is mostly upbeat: "[T]he joie de vivre spirit of that (opening) tune remains throughout the show’s two and a half hours, and it’s that tone that makes this lightweight story of a not-so-dumb sorority girl who 'finds herself,' by way of
Harvard Law School, so appealing....Like the film, it’s a crowd pleaser. The jokes are genuinely funny, its young actors are good-looking and energetic, the dancing rivals what’s popular on TV, and the costumes and sets flash and dazzle to just the right extent....But hopes and dreams, and memorable melodies, are lacking in
Legally Blonde, which hits many of its jokes...but misses its heart."
Calling it "a buoyant blend of comic invention, captivating performances, bright design and knock-'em-dead dance numbers,"
San Francisco Chronicle's
Robert Hurwitt offers a mostly positive review: "[I]t loses momentum at key moments, about two-thirds of the way through each of its two acts. (Jerry) Mitchell('s) given
Blonde a remarkably fluid, cinematographic incarnation that succeeds in making the musical look not only larger than life but bigger than film....Mitchell takes advantage of every opportunity to inject similarly animated production numbers, while keeping the plot and clever interchanges of
Heather Hach's faithful book crystal clear.The dynamic opening "Omigod You Guys" -- one of songwriters
Laurence O'Keefe and
Nell Benjamin's catchier tunes -- is a whirlwind of uncontainable sorority excitement...Where the composers run into trouble is with the songs that have to move the plot forward."
Assuming all the kinks of the San Francisco tryout will be worked out before hitting the Great White Way in April, Jerry Mitchell may very well have the makings of a huge hit with a built-in audience on his hands. So why do I have this nagging feeling that
Ben Brantley still won't like it?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, California, Critics' Capsule, Legally Blonde, Musical
Coming Of Age: Legally Blonde Opens In San Francisco
What's particularly noteworthy is that Tony-winning choreographer and onetime performer
Jerry Mitchell is making his directorial debut. Mitchell won his Tony for choreographing the 2004 revival of
La Cage Aux Folles, although he actually got his first Broadway break more than a quarter of a century ago as a member of the dance company in the 1980 revival of
Brigadoon.
A true Broadway Baby, Mitchell has certainly more than endeared himself to New York's theatre community, thanks in no small part to his leading role as creator of
Broadway Bares, the sexy, annual fundraising event that has raised millions of dollars for
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS since its 1992 inception.
The tryout at the
Golden Gate Theatre ends February 25, when it will head to the Big Apple. Opening night at Broadway's
Palace Theatre is currently slated for April 29.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for San Francisco tickets. Click here for Broadway tickets. Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, California, Film, Legally Blonde, Musical, Tryout
M-G-M: Movies-Going-MusicalDon’t expect to see an end anytime soon to the ongoing phenomenon of films being transformed into stage tuners. Despite some recent backfires (read:
High Fidelity, among others), many more movie-to-musical metamorphoses are already underway.
This Broadway season will see yet another silver screen comedy hit the boards of the Great White Way's Palace Theatre in
Legally Blonde with
Laura Bell Bundy come April, and it’s been all but confirmed that
Mel Brooks’
The Producers will make way later this year for the stage incarnation of his
Young Frankenstein. As previously mentioned, it’s also been announced that
Desperately Seeking Susan is being prepped for the West End.
The trend will surely continue well beyond these few titles. Indeed, when perusing my program from Sydney’s stage musical version of
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, a special message appeared from
Darcie Denkert and
Dean Stolber, veteran film and theatre executives who conceived, developed and run
MGM On Stage, “the industry leader in developing and licensing film properties for live stage presentation.”
In fact, according to the program notes, 25 new projects are already in the works, including the aforementioned
Legally Blonde, along with
The Pink Panther,
Marty,
Moonstruck and
Where's Poppa?Of course, MGM has a breathtaking catalogue from which to select. There will almost assuredly be some missteps along the way. But as long as the batting average remains fairly decent, particularly among audiences enthusiastic about revisiting some of their favorite characters, this twist in adaptations will be here to stay.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Australia, Broadway, Desperately Seeking Susan, Film, High Fidelity, Legally Blonde, Musical, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, The Producers, Young Frankenstein
Which New Broadway Musical Are You Most Enthusiastic About Seeing?As noted yesterday, readers of Steve On Broadway (SOB) will find a new poll feature on the right-hand column that enables you to provide a snapshot opinion on all things theatre with the click of your mouse.
Please note that the poll's mechanism only enables you to vote once meaning that if you try voting for a second time, only your last vote will count officially.
My first question is pretty simple: "Which new Broadway musical are you most enthusiastic about seeing?" Your choices include
Grey Gardens,
High Fidelity,
Legally Blonde,
Mary Poppins,
The Pirate Queen and
The Times They Are A-Changin'. I'm only listing new shows that have been confirmed to open during the current 2006-07 Theatrical Season.
I also invite your comments to each story posted on Steve On Broadway (SOB). In fact, please feel free to tell me why you're voting the way you are for a show. As always, whether you think my opinion mirrors yours or is just plain wrong, I promise to post each comment that seeks to engage in a thoughtful discussion on theatre.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Take The Steve On Broadway (SOB) Poll (October 15, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Grey Gardens, High Fidelity, Legally Blonde, Mary Poppins, Musical, SOB Poll, Spring Awakening, The Pirate Queen
A Place Where Nobody Dared To Go...Until Now: They Call It XanaduPerhaps with the plethora of movies-turned-musicals, ranging from the
possibility of a Batman tuner to the confirmed
Legally Blonde (scheduled for Broadway's Palace Theatre early next year), it was only a matter of time until someone mined Olivia Newton-John's thin movie repertoire for inspiration. With apologies to Cole Porter, it seems that
anything goes today. While many films have translated well to theatrical musicals (
The Producers,
Hairspray,
Beauty And The Beast), many have been critically drubbed (
Sweet Smell of Success,
Tarzan,
Lestat). Yet they keep on coming!
Now, the 1980 film fiasco "Xanadu" --
that famously received a one-sentence review: "In a word, Xana-don't" -- is about to get its second musical reading treatment on August 3. Surprisingly, the cast isn't too shabby. Jane Krakowski is set for the Newton-John role (Kira), Ben Vereen will take on the role established on celluloid by Gene Kelly (Danny), and Broadway babies like Cheyenne Jackson, Annie Golden and Mary Testa will also participate.
While the movie didn't fare very well, its soundtrack was a huge hit, marrying tunes by Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lynne with fare by John Ferrar, who wrote a large cross-section of Olivia Newton-John's hit catalogue. Those songs will be included in the score for the stage adaptation.
Xanadu will be directed by Christopher Ashley and feature a book by Douglas Carter Beane (critically-acclaimed for his Off-Broadway sensation,
The Little Dog Laughed, which will transfer to the Great White Way this fall).
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Film, Legally Blonde, Musical, The Little Dog Laughed, Workshop, Xanadu
