DIRECTOR’S NOTES Thoughts on LEGALLY BLONDE

The musical Legally Blonde is based on a novel by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name directed by Robert Luketic. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy and ranks 29th on Bravo’s 2007 list of “100 Funniest Movies.” Premiering on January 23, 2007 in San Francisco, the Broadway musical version of Legally Blonde opened in NYC at the Palace Theatre on April 29, 2007. The show’s stars, Laura Bell Bundy, Christian Borle, and Orfeh were all nominated for Tony Awards. Later, the Broadway show was the focus of an MTV reality TV series called “Legally Blonde – The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods,” in which the winner would take over the role of Elle on Broadway. The Broadway show closed on October 19, 2008 after 595 performances. But even more successful than the Broadway run of Legally Blonde, was a highly lauded 3 year run at the Savoy Theatre in London’s West End, in which the show was nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards. It won three, including Best New Musical. Since then, Legally Blonde has enjoyed international success in productions seen in South Korea, The Netherlands, France, The Philippines, Sweden, and Finland.

Certainly, it is undeniable that both film and musical are pure escapist joy. But Legally Blonde does have a point beyond its camp wondrousness – and that is to challenge the way people make assumptions about appearance. For whether you are a beautiful bubbly blonde (like our heroine, Elle) or someone more “serious” in nature, we all have had to, at one time or another, battle prejudice against ourselves. The trick is to remember that remaining true to yourself is the ultimate key to a happy and successful life. Or to quote one of my favorite First Ladies, Eleanor Roosevelt: “Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

And on a much larger scale, Elle reminds us that we are all human and fallible (even those of you with perfect blonde hair). But we are all also capable of great achievement. Elle helps sort out the conflicting messages about “who” and “what” a modern young person is supposed to be. Just turn on a TV at any given moment, and you are likely to be bombarded with gyrating images of young male teen idols or reality show video vixens who believe that they deserve to be recognized and adored for achieving the grand feat of simply walking the earth. Questionable behavior seems to not only be the norm today, but something a young person should aspire to in order to maintain his or her notoriety. No wonder youngsters are often so confused about what we, as adults, truly value in young people. Elle is kind, independent, and ultimately true to herself – even when that pink sense of self is so at odds with the tweedy reality around her. Elle never apologizes for who she is and triumphs in no small part because of it. Perhaps the final word on Elle should be left in the hands of the great British poet, William Shakespeare, who so masterfully said: “To thine own self be true. And it must follow as the night, the day. Thou canst not then be false to any man.” Perfect proof that, like Elle, being true to yourself never goes out of style!

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MECH '13 STAGES Playbill.indd 37 5/15/13 5:30 PM