LEGALLY BLONDE Brings Summertime Broadway Treat
by Evans Donnell, Tennessean

There’s no need to fly to New York for a summertime taste of Broadway. Just go see Laura Bell Bundy and castmates in Legally Blonde The Musical.

Bundy, now a Nashville resident pursuing a country music career, has returned to her Tony-nominated role as Elle Woods in the musical version of the 2001 hit movie starring former Music City resident Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon’s mom Betty was even on hand to welcome the show to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center on Tuesday.

 

Betty Witherspoon and her fellow audience members were treated to a production that lives up to the HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC series label in all aspects — acting, singing, dancing, direction, music, set, costumes, lights and sound.

For those unfamiliar with the film, Elle Woods is a college sorority president whose sunny Southern California existence is upended when her boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Jeff McLean) dumps her prior to his departure for Harvard Law School. Woods figures the way to get him back is attending the prestigious institution herself. What follows reminds us that not judging a book by its cover remains sound advice.

 

There are plenty of light, funny moments in the book by Heather Hach and the music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin. There’s some poignancy, too, and it adds up to a satisfying script.

 

Making the most of that script is Bundy, who will handle the evening performances in Nashville while Lauren Ashley Zakrin plays Elle at the matinees. It’s easy to see why Broadway audiences and critics took to her: She’s got good acting instincts and dancing ability, and she’s got a voice that’s versatile and vibrant. In other words, she’s the complete package.

 

There’s fine support from her castmates, too. Among those lending a winning hand are McLean, D.B. Bonds as good-guy Emmett Forrest, the appropriately scene-stealing Natalie Joy Johnson as Paulette, Ken Land as the slithery Professor Callahan and Tiffany Engen as Serena.

The quality of this production is also seen in its other elements. Kudos to the energetic choreography and fluid direction of Jerry Mitchell, the colorful scenic design of David Rockwell, the perfectly tailored costumes of Gregg Barnes, the sharp lighting design of Ken Posner and Paul Miller, the clear sound design of Acme Sound Partners and the lively music conducted by Jan Rosenberg.

 

There have been some touring shows at TPAC that weren’t up to Broadway standards. Happily that’s not the case with Legally Blonde The Musical. It’s a bit of the Great White Way on Deaderick Street that's just right for summer.

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THERE ARE TWO ELLES IN ‘BLONDE’: WHILE NATIONAL TOUR STAR BECKY GULSVIG IS OUT ON VACATION, TONY-NOMINATED STAR OF THE BROADWAY PRODUCTION LAURA BELL BUNDY AND STAR OF MTV’S “LEGALLY BLONDE: THE SEARCH FOR ELLE WOODS” LAUREN ASHLEY ZAKRIN TO SHARE DUTIES!

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL, presented by BMI, premieres at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Andrew Jackson Hall, June 23-28, 2009, as part of HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC.

Becky Gulsvig, who has received rave reviews for her performance as Elle Woods in the national tour of LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL, will be on vacation June 15-29, 2009. Stepping in to fill Elle’s shoes once again are two actresses very familiar with the role: Lauren Ashley Zakrin, star of the MTV reality series, “Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods,” and Laura Bell Bundy, the Tony-nominated star of the Broadway Production. Zakrin will cover the role during the Dayton, OH engagement June 16-21, 2009.

Bundy, who recently has relocated to Nashville to pursue a country music career, will perform as Elle Woods during all evening performances at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, June 23-28, 2009. Zakrin will perform during the matinee performances at TPAC.

“We are extremely fortunate to have these two amazingly talented actresses, who know this role inside and out, ready at a moment’s notice to hit the stage,” said producer Mike Isaacson.

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.

“The excitement of having LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL at TPAC has been building since we announced the title last spring. We’re wrapping up our 2008-2009 season with a show that is absolutely, outrageously fun,” said Kathleen O’Brien, TPAC’s president and CEO. “And what a nice opportunity for Nashville audiences to welcome two amazing Elles to TPAC’s stage. We’ve got an MTV star as well as a budding country star! Lauren Ashley Zakrin has made quite a name for herself since the MTV reality show aired. And we’re thrilled to welcome Laura Bell Bundy back to the TPAC stage; she’s performed as part of Broadway Meets Country as well as for our annual Fest de Ville Gala fundraiser in 2008, and seeing her in the role she originated and received a Tony nomination for will be a fantastic treat. Getting tickets is just a bend and snap away, so don’t miss the chance.”

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. Fans of the MTV reality show “Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods”, which premiered on June 2, 2008, will recognize two familiar faces in the tour casting: Third runner-up Rhiannon Hansen plays Elle’s best friend Margot and fourth runner-up Lauren Zakrin is an ensemble member and will cover the role of Elle while Ms. Gulsvig is out on vacation. 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.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording for LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL was released on Ghostlight Records, an imprint of Sh-K-Boom Records, and captured the #1 slot on the Billboard Cast Album chart and charted at #86 on the Billboard Top 200. The album has continued its success, charting every week as one of the top-selling Broadway cast recordings and soared to the Top 10 albums (of any genre) on iTunes once the show premiered on MTV.

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.

Show dates:
June 23-28, 2009
TPAC'S Andrew Jackson Hall
505 Deaderick Street

Performance times:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Friday at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Tickets: $22.50-74.50, depending upon performance time and seat location.
Tickets are available at www.tpac.org/legallyblonde, TPAC Box Office (Downtown or at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in The Mall at Green Hills), all Ticketmaster outlets; or by calling Ticketmaster at 615/255-ARTS (2787)

http://www.tpac.org/legallyblonde

http://www.ticketmaster.com
http://www.legallyblondethemusical.com

So much happened before Dorothy dropped in...

http://www.tpac.org/wicked

BROADWAY’S BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTER COMES TO NASHVILLE
ON-SALE DATE SET FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 6

BY STEPHEN SCHWARTZ AND WINNIE HOLZMAN
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY GREGORY MAGUIRE
MUSICAL STAGING BY WAYNE CILENTO DIRECTED BY JOE MANTELLO

WICKED, the most anticipated musical production of the 2009-2010 HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC season, will go on sale to the public on Saturday, June 6, at 8:00 a.m. The on-sale event will take place, rain or shine. Promotions, giveaways and event details are subject to change without notice.

Between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., tickets will be exclusively available at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s downtown box office. The line for the event will begin at the bridge on War Memorial Plaza.

Ticket buyers are encouraged to arrive early for access to some of the best seats in the house and special box office opening festivities. WJXA Mix 92.9 radio will be on site with live remote broadcasts, offering prizes for WICKED trivia and karaoke participants. WJXA also will give WICKED hats to the first 92 ticket buyers in line, Dunkin Donuts will provide green “munchkin” donuts and coffee to the first 150 people in line, and Which Wich will hand out vouchers for a free “The Wicked” sandwich to the first 100 people in line, as well as free samples at the event.

Beginning at 10 a.m., remaining tickets will be available online at www.tpac.org/wicked; by calling Ticketmaster at 615/255-ARTS (2787); and at all Ticketmaster outlets, including TPAC’s Box Office at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in The Mall at Green Hills. There is a maximum of 8 tickets per person. For information on offers for groups of 20 or more, call TPAC Group Sales at 615/782-4060.

The preexisting sales to season ticket holders and groups indicate an overwhelming interest in WICKED. It is possible that the Nashville engagement will sell out quickly. Patrons are urged to purchase their tickets to WICKED early.

WICKED will play September 2-20, 2009 at TPAC’s Andrew Jackson Hall. Performance times are as follows: Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. (with the inclusion of one Thursday matinee performance at 2:00 p.m. on September 3); Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $30-135.

Gather up your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews for Bob the Builder Live!, coming to TPAC May 15-17, 2009.

This brand new show, "Spud’s Big Mess", features all of your favorite characters in a fun-packed show set in the heart of Sunflower Valley. Join Bob, Wendy, Scoop, Lofty, Dizzy, Scrambler and the rest of the gang in fantastic songs and an exciting adventure as they have to deal with Spud’s mischievous antics, as well as some monster surprises along the way!

Bob and his team-even Farmer Pickles, Pilchard and Bird - work together to save Sunflower Valley from Spud’s old tricks! And this time, the friends pull together to build the first ever Sunflower Valley recycling plant and wind farm!

Based on the popular international television show sensation, Bob the Builder Live! is guaranteed to delight, educate and entertain! Tickets are $20-$40.

Showtimes:
Friday, May 15, 2009 - 6:00 PM
Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 11:00 AM
Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 2:00 PM
Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 5:00 PM
Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 11:00 AM
Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 2:00 PM


For more information or to purchase tickets online: http://www.tpac.org/bobthebuilder

HAPPY DAYS – A NEW MUSICAL

Richie, Fonzie and the gang keep “rockin’ and rollin’ all night long”

At the Tennessee Performing Arts Center

May 5-10, 2009

A pair of past Tony Award®-winners will be on hand on Tuesday morning, May 5 to announce the nominations for the American Theatre Wing’s 2009 Tony Awards. You can get the nominations list here at TonyAwards.com, or see the announcement event live on the Clear Channel Spectacolor HD video screen in New York City’s Times Square.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer/lyricist of the 2008 Tony-winning Best Musical, In the Heights, joins Cynthia Nixon, the much-lauded stage and screen veteran whose most recent Broadway appearance earned her a Tony Award as Best Actress in a Play, to do the honors.

The nominations announcement, which is sponsored by IBM, will take place at 8:30 a.m. ET at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. As in past years, CBS will broadcast portions of the event live during “The Early Show.” In New York City, NY1 News will provide live cable TV coverage.

Miranda and Nixon will reveal the recipients of nominations in each of the 27 competitive categories. Productions that opened during the 2008-2009 Broadway season on before the April 30 cut-off date may be eligible for Tony Awards this year. In addition, there will be an announcement of the Regional Theatre Tony Award
recipient, and of any Special Tony Awards that the Tony Awards Administration Committee may choose to bestow.

The Tony ceremony will take place on June 7, 2009 at Radio City Music Hall®, and will be broadcast live that evening on CBS at 8/7c.

See It on a Giant Outdoor Screen - and Your Computer Screen

In 2009 for the first time, the Tonys take it to the streets: The announcement will be shown live, in it entirety, on a giant screen in Times Square. The Clear Channel Spectacolor HD video screen is located on Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets, opposite the red steps of the new TKTS booth.

Here at TonyAwards.com, you can get the complete list of nominations as soon as they are announced. You can also sign up in advance to have the list e-mailed to you on Tuesday morning. Later that afternoon, we’ll post a video clip of the  announcement, courtesy of NY1.

Tony Tickets Go on Sale

A limited number of tickets to the June 7 Tony Awards ceremony will be available for sale to the general public beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5. We'll post a link and a phone number here at TonyAwards.com at that time.

Two Broadway Favorites

Lin-Manuel Miranda won a 2008 Tony Award as the composer-lyricist of In the Heights, in which he also created the leading role of Usnavi (he received a second Tony nomination for his performance). During the Tony ceremony, he wowed audiences by delivering his acceptance speech as a freestyle rap (“Mr. Sondheim, look/I made a hat where there never was a hat/It's a Latin hat at that!”). This season he created the Spanish translations used in the current Broadway revival of West Side Story. Additionally, "In The Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams," a documentary film telling the behind-the-scenes story of the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, premieres on THIRTEEN's Great Performances, May 27 on PBS at 8:00 p.m. (ET).

Cynthia Nixon has appeared in 10 Broadway plays since her debut in a revival of The Philadelphia Story at age 14. In 1984, while a freshman at Barnard College, she made theatrical history by simultaneously acting in two hit Broadway plays: Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing and David Rabe’s Hurlyburly. Nixon played small but significant roles in each play, both of which were directed by Mike Nichols, at theatres only a few blocks apart. During her entire career, Nixon has alternated between stage and screen work. Though best known to mass audiences for her performance as Miranda Hobbes in “Sex and the City,” she has always been a regular presence on the New York stage, and is a founding member of the theatrical troupe The Drama Dept. It was her performance as a mother coping with the death of her only child in David Lindsay-Abaire’s drama Rabbit Hole that earned her a Tony Award in 2006. Nixon is currently appearing Off Broadway in Lisa Loomer’s play Distracted, which performs through May 17.

Miranda and Nixon are both native New Yorkers, and are both graduates of Hunter College High School.

www.tonyawards.com