Sunday night, I went to see Legally Blonde: The Musical at the Gateway on Long Island. Having seen it three times on Broadway already, I wasn't as excited to see it as I normally would be to see a stage performance. I made a comment a while back about how I regretted seeing Legally Blonde so many times because I could have been seeing other musicals on Broadway instead of repeatedly seeing the same show.
Just to give you an idea of how obsessed I actually was:
The entire back is autographed, too. (No picture of the back, someone spilled coffee on it.) Because Lori and I had the cast sign it four times. Four times? Yes. We went into the city on a day when we weren't seeing Legally Blonde and had them sign it before Laura Bell Bundy left the show.
And here are all the playbills:
Anyway, as I said, I wasn't that excited. I knew the cast was talented, I'd seen a rehearsal video. But I just sort of had a "been there, done that" attitude about it.
And of course, as soon as the curtain went up, that attitude was gone. I forgot how much I loved Legally Blonde until that moment. My honest opinion of the performance at the Gateway is that it was better than it was on Broadway.
Ruby Lewis blew Laura Bell Bundy (and Bailey Hanks, but that goes without question) away. She was perfect as Elle. Brent Michael DiRoma was an incredible Emmett. I'm so used to Christian Borle as Emmett, so I expected someone older to be playing that role, but he was amazing, I wouldn't have changed it. The entire cast was great.
There were a few changes to the lyrics. Most of them weren't drastic, but "Ireland" was almost an entirely different song. Not that that's a bad thing. I'm just wondering what the reasoning for changing so much of it was. And normally, "Legally Blonde" takes place outside of Elle's dorm room, with Emmett on one side of the door and Elle on the other. But that wasn't the case last night, Emmett and Elle were in the same room. I kept waiting for the part where Emmett sings, "Please will you open the door" because I was curious as to whether or not they would use the line from one of the older versions where he sings, "You never gave up before" instead. (I know every lyric change these songs have gone through from the demo album to the SF previews, to Broadway.) They didn't use that though, instead he sang, "I should have told you before." Honestly, regardless of what line they use, that song is my absolute favorite, and Ruby and Brent sang it beautifully.
"Whipped Into Shape" was, as always, one of the best numbers to watch. I have no idea how any of those people can get through that night after night without constantly tripping up, which is why it's always so great to watch.
And, cutest thing ever. The dog who played Rufus was in Legally Blonde on Broadway. And the dog who played Bruiser was in the National Tour.
Legally Blonde is playing through July 9th, so if you're anywhere near Long Island, I would definitely recommend seeing it.
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