Legally Blonde - Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

[pomegranate]

Nov 16, 2021 7:44:12 GMT viserys said:

Nov 16, 2021 6:03:35 GMT danb said:

The recent Les Mis & Heathers tour have shown that there is plenty of age appropriate talent out there so lets use it.

You mean like late-20s Christina Bennington and 30s Jodie Steele in the Heathers leads?

I like this show and may be interested in seeing it live, but for me it also depends on the casting.

I’m sure Reece Witherspoon was 25 in the film!

[danb]

Nov 16, 2021 7:44:12 GMT viserys said:

Nov 16, 2021 6:03:35 GMT danb said:

The recent Les Mis & Heathers tour have shown that there is plenty of age appropriate talent out there so lets use it.

You mean like late-20s Christina Bennington and 30s Jodie Steele in the Heathers leads?

I like this show and may be interested in seeing it live, but for me it also depends on the casting.

Tour, not London.

[alison]

Nov 16, 2021 6:03:35 GMT danb said:

As long as it isn’t full of late 20’s ‘Six’ alumni playing 19/20 year olds I won’t mind. The recent Les Mis & Heathers tour have shown that there is plenty of age appropriate talent out there so lets use it.

It’s not 19/20 year old characters in Legally Blonde though - they’ve all completed a bachelor’s degree first so we’re talking at least 22/23 depending on whether they took a gap year or not.

I absolutely agree with your point in principle though - we don’t need Jodie here too.

[LaLuPone]

I’d love to see Vicki Manser as Elle to be honest, and so would all the crazy Six fans I’m sure!

[southstreet]

Well, I am well beyond my twenties and love this show, so I am very much looking forward to it and intrigued to see what Lucy does with it.

[happytobehere]

I really like the Vicki Manser suggestion, she’d be a fabulous Elle.

I’m intrigued by this production, but whether or not I’ll buy a ticket depends on who they cast.

[WireHangers]

I wonder how diverse the cast will be considering how overwhelmingly white previous production of LB have been.

[singularsensation10]

The casting breakdown suggests that the director wants to completely flip it on its head which suggests Elle isn’t likely to be a blonde White girl.

[LaLuPone]

Legally Brunette doesn’t have quite the same ring to it…

[BurlyBeaR]

Illegally Ginger?

[Jon]

i imagine Elle will be blonde but not white which could work,

[WireHangers]

Nov 18, 2021 19:09:48 GMT singularsensation10 said:

The casting breakdown suggests that the director wants to completely flip it on its head which suggests Elle isn’t likely to be a blonde White girl.

Have you got a copy of the casting breakdown?

[craig]

I enjoyed it at The Savoy, but don't really remember it all that well. It didn't leave a lasting impression.

Definitely intrigued by Moss directing though, I think we're in for something quite different to the original production!

[singularsensation10]

Nov 22, 2021 0:29:55 GMT WireHangers said:

Nov 18, 2021 19:09:48 GMT singularsensation10 said:

The casting breakdown suggests that the director wants to completely flip it on its head which suggests Elle isn’t likely to be a blonde White girl.

Have you got a copy of the casting breakdown?

This is an excerpt taken from the Margot, Serena, Pilar breakdown:
“Margot, Serena, Pilar / Greek Chorus Leaders - Elle’s bffs from the sorority who also appear as the Greek-Chorus-come-pop-group voices in her head. They embody the power of unbridled femme-ness. All three should be great singers, dancers, and comic actors. Charismatic as heck. (F3-F5 belt; in their 20s; various ethnicities, definitely not all cis women - perhaps not all of them use exclusively ‘she/her pronouns’ - but all have ‘femme-ness’ as a crucial part of their identity in some way).“

[inthenose]

Nov 26, 2021 8:23:12 GMT singularsensation10 said:

Nov 22, 2021 0:29:55 GMT WireHangers said:

Have you got a copy of the casting breakdown?

This is an excerpt taken from the Margot, Serena, Pilar breakdown:
“Margot, Serena, Pilar / Greek Chorus Leaders - Elle’s bffs from the sorority who also appear as the Greek-Chorus-come-pop-group voices in her head. They embody the power of unbridled femme-ness. All three should be great singers, dancers, and comic actors. Charismatic as heck. (F3-F5 belt; in their 20s; various ethnicities, definitely not all cis women - perhaps not all of them use exclusively ‘she/her pronouns’ - but all have ‘femme-ness’ as a crucial part of their identity in some way).“

You're having me on! They never wrote that, surely?!

[mrbarnaby]

Oh Jesus.

[WireHangers]

Nov 26, 2021 8:23:12 GMT singularsensation10 said:

Nov 22, 2021 0:29:55 GMT WireHangers said:

Have you got a copy of the casting breakdown?

This is an excerpt taken from the Margot, Serena, Pilar breakdown:
“Margot, Serena, Pilar / Greek Chorus Leaders - Elle’s bffs from the sorority who also appear as the Greek-Chorus-come-pop-group voices in her head. They embody the power of unbridled femme-ness. All three should be great singers, dancers, and comic actors. Charismatic as heck. (F3-F5 belt; in their 20s; various ethnicities, definitely not all cis women - perhaps not all of them use exclusively ‘she/her pronouns’ - but all have ‘femme-ness’ as a crucial part of their identity in some way).“

Ohhhh. That’s interesting!

[sprampster]

Methinks for this production maybe Elle is gonna be an Elliott

[danb]

I do hope not. It will take an awful lot of unpicking and re-scripting to make sense. All of the Callahan stuff and the relationships. It’s ok doing surface level gender switch but I think it becomes a bit disrespectful and trivialises peoples real life struggles when it becomes a glib theatrical tool. ‘Company’ worked, just. When the tone is this light I just think it would be a bad idea.

[pomegranate]

I don’t think Elle will be gender-swapped. The casting brief is for the delta nu sisters.

It’s not going to change the dynamic, this is the world we live in now and the casting is going to reflect real life.

I think it’s a great thing that they’re not erasing trans and non binary people. It has nothing to do with the piece being light and fluffy. This is real life and these are real people who exist.

[fiyerorocher]

I don't think a gender swapped Legally Blonde would work very well. Part of the point is that Elle is looked down on for being stereotypically feminine. Without that, there's a lot less to the story. Also they'd have to change the title and 'Legally Blond' just doesn't look right.. :')

[partytentdown]

I don't think there is any evidence at all that they plan to swap the gender of the lead! So let's be careful before someone at the Mail reads this and blows their top!

[Mark]

Tickets now on general sale.
I've booked for second preview and again for mid June.

[danb]

Nov 29, 2021 11:28:01 GMT pomegranate said:

I don’t think Elle will be gender-swapped. The casting brief is for the delta nu sisters.

It’s not going to change the dynamic, this is the world we live in now and the casting is going to reflect real life.

I think it’s a great thing that they’re not erasing trans and non binary people. It has nothing to do with the piece being light and fluffy. This is real life and these are real people who exist.

Ease off the patronising woke warrior tone please. This may well be real life, and I’m more than aware that these people ACTUALLY exist; just not in the current script of ‘Legally Blonde’. That will need changing the same way that society is changing to welcome trans and non-binary people.

[oxfordsimon]

It is 20 years since the first film came out and so the musical is already essentially a period piece.

I don't believe many sororities were accepting of gender nonconformity at that time. So will this be an updated production?

There is already some queer representation in the piece with Enid, Nikos and Carlos (though the latter two often fall into cheap stereotype portrayals)

I am all for representation and inclusion. I am all for casting as broadly as possible.

But if you are staying true to the original then it is hard to see what us gained by trying to reimagine the Delta Nu girls in the way that casting call seems to suggest. The book barely allows them any individual personality as it is. Trying to expand the roles doesn't seem appropriate.

So what is the aim here?

Being inclusive in terms if casting is great and to be encouraged. Trying to add in an exploration of gender identity seems rather tokenistic and forced when the script, lyrics and score don't give you any material with which to do that.

Or is the aim for the producers to get people talking about the production 6 months ahead of time in order to try to boost sales?

Well they have succeeded in the first part of that. I am not sure they will sell any extra tickets on the basis of reimagining the Delta Nus.