THE FIRST NATIONAL TOUR OF LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL will begin performances at The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, NJ on Tuesday, June 1, 2010 and will play through Sunday, June 6, 2010. The tour is also excited to announce the showstopper song "Ireland" features new lyrics as well as many revised topical references throughout the show. These changes have been brought over from the enormously successful London production for audiences stateside to enjoy.
Sorority star Elle Woods doesn't take "no" for an answer. So when her boyfriend dumps her for someone more "serious," Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.
In its first year on Broadway, LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL earned seven 2007 Tony Award nominations, ten 2007 Drama Desk Award Nominations, a 2007 Outer Critics Circle Award and the chorus of the musical was honored by Actors' Equity Association's Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs (ACCA) with the first ever ACCA Award. The musical also ranked in the top ten list of the most requested Ticketmaster "Arts & Theatre Events" for 2007. LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL received three 2009 Touring Broadway Awards in New York City on May 4, 2009. The show won awards for Best New Musical, Best Production Design and Best Choreography of a Touring Production. The Awards, presented by The Broadway League, honor excellence in Touring Broadway. It is the only such national award.
Becky Gulsvig, the Elle understudy in the original Broadway cast, is Elle Woods in the tour. She was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for her performance as Elle Woods in this production. Gulsvig was also seen on Broadway in Hairspray as Amber Von Tussle.
Also featured in the cast is Tony Award-winner Michael Rupert as the villainous Professor Callahan. Rupert originated the role on Broadway. Rupert received his first Tony nomination in 1968 and won the Tony in 1986 for his featured role in a revival of Sweet Charity. He has starred in a number of Broadway shows, including Pippin, City of Angels, Ragtime and William Finn's Falsettos.
Fans of the MTV reality show "Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods", which premiered on June 2, 2008, will recognize a familiar face in the tour casting: Third runner-up and fan favorite Rhiannon Hansen appears as Elle's best friend Margot. The reality show represented the musical's second venture with MTV. In the fall of 2007, MTV aired LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL in its entirety to stellar ratings and was subsequently nominated for two 2007-2008 Daytime Emmy Awards.
Joining Ms. Gulsvig, Mr. Rupert and Ms. Hansen are DB Bonds as Emmett, Natalie Joy Johnson as Paulette, Jeff McLean as Warner, Megan Lewis as Vivienne, Coleen Sexton as Brooke, Tiffany Engen as Serena, Lucia Spina as Enid and Candice Marie Woods as Pilar.
Also featured in the cast are: Barry Anderson, Sara Andreas, Kyle Brown, Liberty Cogen, Ven Daniel, Brooke Leigh Engen, Paul Jackel, Jason Kappus, Ashley Moniz, Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone, Rusty Mowery, Brian Patrick Murphy, CJay Hardy Philip, Jonathan Rayson, Constantine Rousouli, Sara Sheperd and Josh Walden.
As on Broadway, Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell is the director and choreographer. Music and lyrics are by both Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, and the book is by Heather Hach. The production features scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Paul Miller, orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke and sound design by Acme Sound Partners.
LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL is produced on tour by Hal Luftig, Fox Theatricals and Dori Berinstein, in association with MGM Onstage, Darcie Denkert and Dean Stolber.
The NJPAC dates are June 1-6, 2010. Tickets can be purchased online at www.njpac.org, by phone at 1-888-GO-NJPAC, or in person at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center box office at One Center Street in Newark, NJ.
www.LegallyBlondeTheMusical.com
