what happened to LEGALLY BLONDE?! | Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Revival Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- OHMYGOD HEY!
Last week I was so hyped to visit one of my favourite Theatres (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) to see the bold new revival of LEGALLY BLONDE!
This new production of the show is directed by Six co-writer and two time Tony nominee Lucy Moss and stars Courtney Bowman as Elle Woods.
Check out today's new video for my full thoughts on whether or not the substantial changes made to this show worked in its favour...
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Legally Blonde the musical succeeds because the creators (especially composer Laurence O'Keefe) actually knew what they were doing and _made a musical_ out of it using all the stage and theater and musical tropes and conventions available instead of just slapping songs on top of an abridged movie script.
I mean that didn't stop Heathers- Jokes out of the way, it didn't surprise me because of what they did with Heathers. The original musical adaptation already wasn't that good compared to the original and compared to an adaptation like Legally Blonde, but with every change they made recently it has been a lot "worse"/washed down. So it made sense that when trying to change Legally Blonde, the same thing would happen.
Maybe they're trying to make it new and more exiting but Legally Blonde was already a beloved musical. It just works! People also come to see it when they can!
At most, instead of changing the lyrics and part of the script, they could have changed some line deliveries (ie: have Elle try to not cry for a while after she's tricked into wearing a bunny costume to a formal party and THEN breaking down to Emmet. It makes sense because in the movie, Elle took it in stride and the whole scene in the musical was a change in itself so fusing both works for her character and what she represents) to be closer to the movie or just to spice it up. But I firmly believe that Legally Blonde didn't need to be changed at all. Don't try to fix what isn't broken
I don't like that all the delta nu's wear pink! To me Elle should pop in pink, but if they're all in equally fabulous pink outfits it kind of defeats the purpose imo
Exactly, it's not a signature colour if everyone's wearing it
At least have them wear different shades or let it just be a small detail of their costumes! That way they have that sense of unity visually but also look distinct and let Elle have her signature color! (Although I'd say that Elle should get the mostly pink outfits and wear different shades to make it more interesting, realistic and good looking)
More often than not, I am a fan of color-coded costumes, but why would they make Paulette orange and Brooke blue?? Brooke's in prison, orange is the obvious choice! Regardless, I'm very curious to hear about all the show changes when that video comes along!
Idk I find it really stupid tbh. You don’t need Elle and all her friends to be in bright pink, and only bright pink, to understand their characters. We get it.
Orange is only for prisons in the US though? I believe for prisons in the UK, they wear grey and blue. Now I know legally blonde the musical is set in the US but maybe they made Brooke blue because the audience is from the UK? Or it might not be that deep…
@@Jlonotfromtheblock not that deep, orange jumpsuit reads prision here too
I would have gone orange for Brooke, and green for Paulette, as Ireland is such a big part of her through-line
Hi Emily! Totally, it seemed like a really peculiar choice and I'm utterly grasping at straws here, but is there something about visual grouping according to personality types? How Paulette and Elle are both extroverted communicators (someone with more Myers-Briggs fluency chip in??), and visually pink and orange are close on the spectrum...[insert tangerine joke here] x
I definitely had design problems with this one. The entire sorority wearing not only pink but the same shade of pink takes away from Elle's uniqueness. Her wigs also seemed a little off to me. She's supposed to be a natural blonde making the choice to dye it so meaningful, but they felt a little unreal (this could be because the color was so bright compared to the dirtier color of the blonde chosen for the curtains). The set lacked any and all subtlty with hearts everywhere and the blonde hair curtains and streamers. Because the curtains and Harvard costumes were so similar in tone, people blended in and were hard to focus on. The shape of the stairs going up and around in a heart shape felt like it was consuming in the actors, making them seem smaller. It also didn't help that the cast was often broken up into small clusters, making the stage feel way to big. (I'm a set designer so that's why most of my critiques are in that department. I did really like how the stairs worked for different scenes though!)
I'll stop there because I've just realized I started writing an essay.
I said the same thing and I got yelled at so much! I think the wig looks SO BAD. They need to darken it quite a few shades to get it to suit Courtney. It’s too bright and it washes her out and looks really fake.
3 costume things that stood out to me:
1. the Harvard Jedi, Aaron in the original script (can’t remember if there was a name change), between the brown robe like top and waist tie he could have been Anakin at law school
2. Loved the moment Take it Like A Man where we had Elle in her dark blue suit and blonde hair contrasting beautifully with Emmet’s light blonde-ish suit and dark hair
3. The dogs made me think we judged the Cats film too harshly
Finally someone else agrees they look like Jedi robes!
WHY did we need a lyric change from “try not to get upset / it’s time for me to go brunette” to “try to settle down/ gotta dye my hair a mousy brown” ????!!!! As for the humanoid dogs… traumatising. Lauren Drew supremacy though!
Right?? The change is juvenile and clunky, so unecessary
That was the first line change I noticed
Why would Elle be body positive and supportive of women, and then use brown hair like an insult?? Make it make sense pls
@@elainewaite1263 hmm I think “mousy brown” is just a tone of brown- not necessarily an insult? still don’t understand the lyric change
I think it’s trying to make the bad part of her choosing to dye her hair that she’s going for a basic and boring tone, not just that she’s going brunette. Courtney is a natural brunette as are a lot of the other women in the cast, and I think they’re doing their best to not make “brunette” a negative. But I do think it’s a clunky change
I’m in LOVE with your directorial critiques. I rarely find people who also nitpick based on design, thematic elements, blocking symbolism, etc. and other things a director would notice so I definitely have a new favorite theatre review channel!
As someone who recently played Brooke in a Legally Blonde production… I found the teal color blocking to be strange… it doesn’t seem to relate to her at all. Orange was a theme of my costumes (because… prison-), and then at the end if was more pink and free cause she had cleared her name. I think leaving her in the same color for the whole show just kinda takes a little bit away from the character arc… idk though. I just love Brooke for my own personal reasons haha.
I actually just played her too and I couldn’t agree more it should’ve been orange and I really like in other productions when she changes color out of prison (staying blue was just not it)
I really loved this production. The only thing that I didn’t really like was how they did the first half of So Much Better which really confused me a lot. I thought the cast were so good, especially Courtney who was incredible. I really did not understand how Lauren was able to do Whipped Into Shape and still have energy.
Hi Eddie! I’m not able to see this production yet, so please can you tell me more about how they did the first half of So Much Better? It is one of my favourite songs in the show, so very interested to hear more!
@@lauraatkinson5937 Ok so Callahan releases his list of people for his internship but sends it by text to everyone and everyone sees their name on their phones with Warner then proposing to Vivienne, Elle then starts the song at the front of the group, but normally when Emmett taps her to see her name, he now doesn’t do that and is right at the back of the stage enveloped by the ensemble, Elle looks down and sees her name on her phone (which now doesn’t really make sense as surely if the list is digital she would have already seen it by this point, whilst when it’s an actual list it makes sense that she’s not paying attention to it), then she does it normally and when she sings ‘pinch me now to make sure’, Emmett is still very much at the back of the stage, she doesn’t even pinch herself and it just kind of takes the full energy out of it a bit. Normally the song is Elle celebrating with Emmett, but he doesn’t actually properly make an appearance.
Please excuse this short essay but I’m not sure how to put it more succinctly 😂.
wow that is really different!! I can understand your feelings towards it now!!
I think Legally Blonde's struggles in the original Broadway production were more about venue and marketing, honestly. That is something that London was able to course correct. Opening Legally Blonde at the Palace Theatre was just an absolute kiss of death. It is one of the largest Broadway houses and is a notoriously difficult venue to sell to American audiences these days... it is a legendary Theatre, but you often feel very far away from the stage, lending it to star performers and spectacle, neither of which Legally Blonde was. Also, the stage is offensively high... and that is before a production throws on a usually too tall show deck... if you are in the first 5 or 6 rows, you see nothing from the knees down... when Annie played there, I missed all of "Tomorrow" because Annie was sitting on the ground... in Legally Blonde, you could ONLY see the dogs when they were carried. The physical production was also unnecessarily large to try to fill the space - a correct choice that had to be made, but it ultimately was a weight on the show. It should have opened in on of the mid-sized musical houses here and needed a few names in the production that could sell tickets and not just rely on the name brand.
Staging it at the Palace was a such a big no-no. I think the show would've faired A LOT better if they staged it at the Brooks Atikson or the Marquis.
@@HaussOfSharon Brooks, perhaps. Marquis no.
It’s only about 150 seats smaller than the Palace was at the time and did not have strong signage to attract walking traffic.
it also had A LOT of moving parts for a show that didn't really need special effects / intricate set mechanics = unnecessary added expenses
The good news is the Palace is being renovated (as it’s been closed for forever now) so hopefully they’ll fix this !!!
“What I’m hearing here is that I’m a nightmare” made me chortle into my wine. Thanks for the review! I am dying to see this production so this is especially enjoyable. ❤️
Love your analysis! Just one point on Enid Hoopes - my reading at the time was that references to Enid being a *lesbian* was removed but references to Enid being *attracted to women* were not because in this production Enid is coded as non-binary (so probably doesn't identify as lesbian) - to me that part made sense and was consistent!
I’m surprised considering I know many nobinary people who identify as a lesbian? I understand not all agree with that but also we have so little lesbian representation in theater as it is..? It kinda makes me sad knowing one of the few characters I saw when coming out isn’t there anymore. I feel like we should just write new characters/representation than accidentally take away or change what is already there. (In terms of Enid mind you, I LOVE the rest of the casting)
@@ajreid7357 I know many too
Regarding how the ensemble sings "blood in the water": I personally prefer it without the pop because with the pop reads to me as the students actively agreeing with what Professor Callahan is saying; whereas without the pop reads more as the students are complicit zombies to the institution.
cannot WAIT for your video breaking down the changes. seems like a very interesting production!
I am intrigued to see what the changes are too, This was my high school’s musical in 2020. It’s a great show.
as someone who's played in the Legally Blonde pit a handful of times, yes your musical direction critiques DO make sense!! your "specific needs" resonate with me hahaha
Agree with absolutely everything you said! legally blonde is my fave so defo had high expectations, absolutely loved it but yes all the things you said you wish it had improved upon were all things I was thinking 😩❤️
I had read somewhere that they changed the dogs to humans and thought they just got rid of the dog part - nope 🤣
We watched Legally Blonde in the afternoon, then Come From Away in the evening, and we're so glad we did it that way around. Legally Blonde was so much fun but you could really feel the youth of the cast when you then watch Come From Away in the evening. The cast were brilliant but you could feel some of them struggling at times. Hated the stage so much 😂 Was surprised by how much I enjoyed human Bruiser - saw photos beforehand and was very unsure but Liam sold it!
I NEED to sit with you for lunch some day. Your reviews make me giggle so much and I love having people like you in my life. Luckily there's this channel!!!
You are my favourite stage-y TH-cam channel. As a performer myself I am just so delighted to hear thoughts about theatre with so much substance and actual understanding of the genre. Your reviews are wonderful and incredibly entertaining. You are not a nightmare but a blessing to the theatre community and I am so happy to have discovered your channel! 😂❤️
I'm definitely curious to hear about the changes they made for this production. I can understand updating some of the pop culture references but the rest of it sounds puzzling. I'm personally not offended by the gay or European song. It is all stereotypes but it's not malicious it's just an outdated way of thinking.
I saw Legally Blonde twice in its west end run (Sheridan Smith & Carly Stenson) and I have watched probably every version available on the internet 🤣 it’s my comfort show and I know it inside and out. I can’t get there to see it for this run which makes me sad but I’m not sure I can get on board with some of the changes! The cast look fabulous! I’m not sure about the human dogs 😂
I was really unsure on the human dogs and then I totally got it - it was so camp and fun! It also made sense as I'm pretty sure usually the dogs run on from the wings, which obviously they can't do when there aren't traditional wings!
Can't wait for the next video because I only realized I internalized many of the script/name/lyric changes and didn't realize there were this many! Saw the show twice, once in its previews and a week after opening, the comedy and stage set and even some of the music directing has definitely changed and improved a lot. A lot of problems I had with this production coincides with your comments, ESPECIALLY the end of legally blonde; I never realized putting Emmett downstage and Elle up has the effect you described but it makes so much be- I mean so much sense in the way that I felt this very powerful, moving vocal moment for elle is somehow blurred into the background. I understand they were trying to make the staging work without having a moving door in the middle but I really didn't like making her walk UPSTAIRS in a short time before this important moment.
its mostly with stage directing of some songs, for example I also did not like having her walk around a lot in legally blonde while having her mostly stand at the same place in the high-energy, uplifting so much better (especially the last few lines!!)
I was very mixed on this show, I thought that it was really good but there were a lot of changes that I was confused by. I don't think it helped that there were a lot of mistakes on the night I saw and I thought the cast did really well bouncing back. However I gotta say I preferred watching the production at Mountview earlier this year.
Side note, Lauren Drew as Brooke was downright incredible.
Every time you review a show I have seen you hit the nail on the head! Everytime you review a show I haven't seen I am 99% sure I will agree with EVERYTHING you say when I do go to see it! Love everything you do! ❤
I absolutely LOVED this production. I did feel the sound needed a bit more of a pop at the end of songs, but I did see it in previews so maybe they’ve changed the levels.
*spoiler alert* I fully cackled for the rest of the song in chip on my shoulder when they had a dildo for the line “i don’t know what this is” “it’s for hair!” “Wear a hat!” 😂 I also LOVED the choice to make the boyfriend in Gay or European Irish!
The first production I saw was from a small town theatre group and I loved the staging it was a giant book where they turned the pages to show different settings. It's probably been my favourite set up for it that I've seen
YES! I’ve been waiting for this!
Maybe tied with Hairspray and Avenue Q as my favorite original musical of the 2000s? When we saw the original US tour, I expected to hate it, but the score, book, and Jerry Mitchell's vision were perfection, and you say here explicitly what other critics implied - that the source material saves this production from the unsuccessful choices of the creative team. I'm glad to hear that a big-voiced actress played Paulette, one of my favorite comedic female characters in musical theatre, (right up there with Ado Annie, Miss Adelaide, and Amy from Company).
Very much want to watch this, but am coming from NYC to see the show next week, so will wait to hear your thoughts until I've formed my own.
I can't wait to see your video about all of the changes. I love this show, thanks to you, and am super curious to see what made the cut.
You are making perfect sense! Those little musical moments are important to me, too.
Very excited to hear about the changes!
I’m really happy that the show has since you recorded this has done really well commercially as at one point it wasn’t selling well at all but since the reviews and everything it’s done really well and is selling out most if not every show.
Early also loving the content keep it up!
I went to see this on 27th may an really enjoyed it for the most part. I loved the diversity, I even liked the pink stage. I really disliked the curtain, it just didn’t work for me. The dogs being played by humans was definitely a choice 😅, I liked bruiser but like you thought Paulette’s dog should have be played differently. I would still highly recommend this show for a feel good, camp night out.
I'm so nervous to see this now as I loved it so completely and thoroughly when I saw it back in 2019 😬 I'm super excited to see the new cast bc they look bloody amazing, but it was definitely 10/10 for me a few years ago so knowing there are changes makes me a bit worried
i honestly loved seeing the changes to lyrics and stuff, i found it a really interesting surprise and still came away loving legally blonde. some of their choices were deffo /interesting/ but it was still a great production with a talented and beautifully diverse cast and some hilarious moments
It was incredible
Loved your video! I was just gonna say that the earliest decision to opt up at the end of so much better I’ve seen was from Becky Gulsvig and Lauren Zakrin in the Legally Blonde National Tour of the US
Love the honesty! (And loved that you were “on location” at the start!) Sending 🫶 from across the pond! Xoxo Your Broads ✌️✌️
I very much enjoy that you discussed proxemics, one of my favourite studies of theatre.
Went to see this last week and i really do recommend going to watch if you can. The cast choices were really amazing, its so amazing to see a more normal body type and a gorgeous woman of colour celebrated as an ideal.
I also loved all the changes to the songs, there were lots of fun surprises. Not sure they were all necessary but it was still fun!
So yeah, even though its not the best production ive seen, its a fun night out and its awesome to watch a show at an open air theatre!
When they announced a new Legally Blonde performance, I expected a revival of the original.
yeah same
This is a stagey place; absolutely 😃💖
Playing emmet in my schools legally blonde in July, going to see this in a trip with the school in a couple weeks. Sounds like it’s gonna be an interesting time
hey will HAHAHA
@@suvcubus why you stalking me for iss
@@joannelmatthews soz babes
xoxo pilar
@@suvcubus creep, go eat your rice
Xoxo Emmet
"10 years later, I had to come out to my mother. Let that sink in." *SPITS OUT WATER*
also the CHOREOGRAPHY was AMAZING?!?!
I'm not over the fact the choreography of the corridor, for example
it was just
so good
like
I knew it was a busy corridor so easily
but like it was still dancy and cool looking but also very inconspicuous
and therefore absolutely incredible choreo 😍*chefs kiss*
Hello from Illinois! I’ve recently subscribed to your page and love hearing your reviews! I’m also an actor and overall theatre lover. A human actor as Bruiser?? Hell to the no lol 😂
I'm interested to see the next video on this. It sounds like there were a lot of changes.
Great video! I live in the US so I was curious about this production since there’s no way I can see it. In other news, did you hear about what happened with the US Emojiland tour? There’s something fishy about that whole sitch, I wish more people were talking about it.
i heard that they're stopping the emojiland tour and recording it instead? not sure if thats accruate
Early 😆 haven’t seen the show, never been there either. Might go see. Did you feel cold in open air theatre?
Love Courtney and Lauren from previous Six casts
I was new to Legally Blonde as I wasn’t really a theatre goer when it was previously performed. I probably wouldn’t have gone this time were it not for the casting, big fan of Six and & Juliet so that’s why I ended up buying tickets. I think your review was spot on, and you have vocalised everything that I was feeling, obviously without knowing anything about script changes etc… I think the main thing that I felt was that it would be better with walls and a roof, and I enjoyed it more when the sun set, can’t explain why. Wasn’t a fan of the costumes, but thought that on the whole the performances saved it, especially Nadine. I did enjoy it, but wouldn’t be a returnee in its current form. Was worried about the dogs, but they turned out to be one of the things I liked the most 😀
The original Broadway pro shot is on TH-cam, if you’d like to watch it!
"What I'm hearing here is that I'm a nightmare!" (: Best. Line. Ever.!!!!! (: (: (:
As always such a fun video!
Do you guys in England get to watch the Tonys live? (next Sunday). I was so happy to get to see the Oliviers online this year!
I don't think you're giving Hairspray the credit it deserves for starting the trend of whimsical film-based musicals. It came out 5 years earlier than Legally Blonde.
I am loving your videos more and more! you make some great observations! I will relate to your points as I listen to them:
* The choice of this musical to this particular theatre is So bizarre mainly because the show's setting is almost entirely indoors. It makes no sense to produce it outdoors. This particular space allows to expand your physical peripheral view and this musical doesn't allow for that at all.
* The dogs being played by humans was a choice that made little sense. It made it feel like a panto, it was very juvenile and it almost felt as if someone suggested it in some pre-production meeting and what started as a joke became reality. It adds nothing to the production. This show doesn't really need more of a comic relief as it's a musical comedy!
* You just touched on the Legally Blonde choreo in regards to Elle's position in it but I generally had an issue with the choreo also not suited to the space. So many beautiful tableaus that were completely frontal view so either sides just got... well... the side of the performers.
I can't wait to watch your video mentioning all the changes in the play because I have to say - I felt that the updates were forced and not conducive. I felt that the changes didn't support the wonderfully diverse cast and that for a proper update they needed to change much more of the play. The changes felt cosmetic to me.
Played Warner in this years ago… love this show.
so curious to hear about the lyric and name changes. i guess lyric changes to make it more up to date make sense, but why name changes? what does that add to the plot?
Hi! As an example, I noticed they adjusted Aaron Schultz to Aaron White for this production - that felt sensible for the cast member (this is speculation but perhaps it was to demonstrate attentiveness of non Jewish performers taking Jewish roles? Given the name connotations of Schultz? So switcheroo... ), I can't see how it changes the broader plot significantly (pls help if I'm missing anything)
So… on 8:25, there is a very very swift titlecard of “media offline” and then in a sorts of languages? Why….?
love this video! but what's with the single frame of 'media offline' at 8:23 ffsjshj
1. Can you make a video where you make the themed cocktails?
2. Can you make merchandise that says” This is stagey place to be.”?
Maybe it’s just me but I love that the stage is a big set of lips!!!
Love this show.
I went last night.. I LOVED IT. And, the utter confusion in the older audience members face was HILARIOUS.
Curious about the lyric and story changes. Didn’t know this production had those!
I saw the opening night on the 13th with a friend who works in stage managing and we enjoyed the show (especially A2 because A1 was wobbly/nearly unwatchable - but you know it’s opening night) however, LB is one of my favourite shows and to really enjoy this one, I HAD to act like it was a new show and not the classic I love!!
What I found strange was that ‘so much better’ was in a lower key. It’s was a few semitones lower. So the big high notes weren’t as big.
Also we thought the curtains were HAY at first and we were like - is this on a farm??? Halfway through we realised it was blonde hair 😂
On the night we went it was "Bruiser loves Love Island!"
Just saw got to see show tonight, some assorted random thoughts:
Overall I really enjoyed the production and it made me feel very happy and energised, there was a great atmosphere at the theatre and it was my first time successfully seeing something at Regents Park (I had tried to see LSOH on the last day and it got rained out :(). My initial reaction to the sight of human Bruiser was to cringe but I really came around on him through his great performance. Similarly I had thought the production pictures/stage looked awful but I was fine with it once I was there. There were some parts where I felt like I only understood what was going on because I had already done the show, particularly towards the end of Act 2 it felt a bit overly chaotic. I had watched the video before so was surprised to note they did keep the Harvard professor line about "ethnic" dancing, also them making Carlos Irish seemed a weird choice given how important Irishness is to Paulette's unrelated storyline. Sadly didn't get to see Lauren Drew but her understudy Biancha Szynal did great job especially for her debut in the role, it was really nice to see the love given to her and Jasmin Colangelo on for the first time as Enid by Courtney and the rest of the cast highlighting them for extra bows at the end of the show. I had a great seat really close to the stage with helped with the atmosphere but got distracted by being too aware of some of the ensemble tracks and wondering about the choices e.g. a crazy quick change in Legally Blonde Remix from Elle's Dad/Kyle and a couple ensemble members who only seemed to appear in one scene and never again. But yeah overall a great night at the theatre!
Okay but did they keep the part where Elle proposes to Emmett at the end? That's so important for feminism 😩
Yes they did
@@katrina_SJD Thank God 😭
I love Legally Blonde the musical. Top 10 ever LOVE IT. I'm scared to see this production after all I've heard. I don't want to spoil the showfor myself.
you're wonderful. x
Lauren Zarkin did the option up on Broadway when she was understudying the role.
ngl when I first saw Bruiser on Twitter my immediate thought was "okay but why not a pup hood?" and that's not even my kink.
😬
i’m going on saturday and i’m very excited, i just want to know if there’s good merch? if so what is there and what’s the price bc i’ve never gotten musical merch before but i want legally blonde to be the one i invest in
Thank you for another wonderful review!! Can’t wait for the breakdown of changes. You’re the best!! 😊😊😊
Woahhh they changed some of the names and the lyrics??? I need your video on it NOW
I enjoyed the production. On the whole. I saw the original with Sheridan Smith lo those many moons ago, and at first I was put off by the SIX-afication of the show. Seeing Anne Boleyn as Elle was weird. Objectively Courtney Bowman was completely miscast. She was simply not Elle Woods. And yet... She kind of knocked it of the (Regent's) park. Really won me over. But it was an uphill battle. I went home thoroughly happy, but it just was not the complete joy fest of the Savoy production.
It's interesting that you bring up the color blocking! Seems a LOT like a certain musical about 6 women Moss also worked on👀
I loved this production so much, it was hilarious (especially the vibrator joke, if you know you know) I'm really sad it's only running for a month and would love a west end transfer so that more people get the opportunity to see such a great show!
I 100% agree, I loved every single second!🤩🤍
i live in pakistan and will likely never see any of these shows in my life so i don't know why i am bingeing your videos but im having fun
Really fab to see it is basically sold out. I haven't heard such rave reviews in ages - it has been a hit!
Missed opportunity to start the video with "omigod you guys" 🤣
Are those Star Wars posters behind you? If so, where did you get them? I love them!
I hope and expect that you'll discuss Kyle at GREAT length in the next video.
And I was similarly saddened that Paulette's dog wasn't a leather daddy.
(Hit me up if you'd like academic collaboration on any gender/music/sociological elements - saw the gig recently & can't stop reflecting on it so would love to put those thoughts somewhere - love your work superstar
Did they perform with British or American accents? Given that the show takes place in Boston, I’m just curious. Great review!
American accents, but not the Boston accent. Too many 'R' sounds for this Bostonian.
I loved it! Loved the dogs. And the updated references. I don’t think it makes it more relatable as you say, but for fans of the show, they’re like little easter eggs to look out for. Timothee Chalamet lol.
I feel the exact same way and I haven't seen it.
I travelled from the US to the UK (staying up north) with the hopes to see this or Six. My trains just got canceled because of the strike and I’m so sad.
Recently I’ve been looking up different productions of LBTM and was excited for so many full versions of different shows suddenly on TH-cam- but then slowly having to stop watching bc of all the lyric changes just taking me completely out of the moment- especially Ireland and Positive
Just here for the dog convo.
Chip on my shoulder is all that part is about the the though process and hense the pace.
13:08 Sounds like my high school when they did this show. I played Enid in the production. And all mentions of her sexuality were scrubbed from the show. Only difference is that There! Right! There! was also (illegally) removed from the show.
Honestly, it's confusing what this production did. I didn't watch this show, so I can't say what they did or didn't do. But I really hope they didn't erase her sexuality altogether.
I do love this production my little pet peeve is that I know Elle must love pink stereotypically but she clearly has limits I just don't know why everything is pink. in the old version they showed her limits in the costume design as well and at the end yes she did go back to pink but the ending is a bit more in your face and not so much as realistic. (I know this show ain't to realistic but still ;-;) just in general it would be nice if the colours were not in your face
also even though I'm from the UK I do have a slight bias to the Broadway production as that influenced my love for the show. which perhaps inspired this opinion
I went the other day and A2 felt so much stronger
I wonder if that line about Bruiser liking the Bachelor is a thing which changes every show maybe? Because when I saw it, she said that he likes Too Hot To Handle.
it was love island today
I love hiw everyone has a different answer
Since you mentioned the MTV show "Legally Blonde, the search for the next Elle Woods," have you seen the parody series on TH-cam "Legally Brown, the Search for the Next Piragua Guy"? Hilarious and worth watching every episode. Huge stars in it including Lin-Manuel Miranda!
Especially funny, obviously, if you know In the Heights.
Can you review Oklahoma at the Young Vic? x
did you ever watch the search for elle woods? that was a fever dream
Apparently hellish for the girls too, saw an interview where one said she thought the producers didn't feed them and made them run for hours. There's also a reunion concert at 54 on TH-cam that's v.good
unfortunately allie daniels wasn’t performing the night i went to see it, but i completely agree about billy luke nevers! he stole the scene every time!
what bothered me the most was that the backdrop was a zoomed in picture of her hair 💀, as soon as my friend pointed it out I was just staring at it the whole time
I was slightly worried to watch this because I really enjoyed the musical, but I actually did agree with a bunch of what you said, especially with Enid. A big part of her original character imo in the original was that she was that butch lesbian 'stereoptype' so was surprised to see Callahan not call note to this, but still have there be jokes about her being queer after Elle does the bend and snap.
I'm interested to see what you think of the changes because yeah some of them I get but others I'm also like "why?😅"
Totally. Callahan seemed astonishingly non-confrontational with Enid in this RP production, which hides some layers of his character's unpleasantness.
Some changes I could really get behind (eg Callahan's 'I don't speak Instagram' is more relevant now than 'I don't speak MTV'), but if that's being changed, why is the French bisexual gag (and everything else) unchanged in Gay Or European?
Well 2001 wasn’t as easily offended as they are now. Butch lesbian isn’t even a bad thing, I got a friend who’s a stud. They are real people. 🤷🏽♀️
Very interesting choice that they made the actors play the dogs. For a moment I wonder if its just that using actors is more convenient