BREAKING NEWS

Due to a toe injury, Becky Gulsvig will be out of LB and Lauren Zakrin will be going on as Elle tonight...and most likely for (at least) the next two weeks' performances.

Update: Rumors of a Laura Bell Bundy return?

For all of you in Houston, Texas

Rumor has it that Lauren Zakrin and Rhiannon Hansen will be splitting Elle duties for the week the tour is in Houston.

Rumor Has It...

Cortney Wolfson (of the web series The Battery's Down) and Lauren Zakrin (of MTV Elle fame) will be in the Legally Blonde tour.  Wolfson will appear as Serena and Lauren will be in the ensemble and will understudy Margot and Elle.

Whoopi is coming to Xanadu as a muse!  What genius casting! I wonder if this will become a trend.  I would love to see someone like Jennifer Coolidge appear as a muse.

And finally...Raul Esparza is returning to Broadway in the Speed the Plow revival.

The Search for Elle Woods, Episode 6

Hi there, readers; I apologize for the delay on this post (and all others after it for awhile). This was my first week back at school; I'm studying abroad in Europe this semester, and to prepare for the travel ahead, I have a three week class sequence to take. Needless to say, my days have been hopelessly devoted to church history, western civilization, and architectural design...there has been little time to write and update. 

This week's episode was a little uncomfortable to watch; with only five girls left, there's a heightened level of intensity; every audition means more, every girl's performance in the workshop exercise is even more scrutinized, and the stress is taking a toll on the contestants. This week, both Autumn and Natalie went blonde, evening the playing field, and the girls were tested to see which girl could set herself apart and exhibit both her "inner and outer Elle." The girls sang the "Legally Blonde" ballad with Andy Karl....so whose name was on the list? Who was sent packing?

Autumn admitted that she was not a fan of her blonde hair, and I  have to admit--neither am I.   Because she is a little on the pale side, I think she would be better off with a more strawberry blonde color; this blonde washes her out too much.  After a rough few weeks, Autumn needed to excel this week.  Not only was her publicity shot inventive and fun, but her "Legally Blonde" audition was by far the strongest of all the girls'.  She really evoked Elle's utter devastation and disappointment.  I hope producers choose her; if not, I at least take comfort that, as the most talented of the bunch, this opportunity will open many doors for her.

What a shocker! Bailey copied Laura Bell's pose!  I never expected that at all...I have never been a fan of Bailey's, and this week certainly did not make a convert out of me.  Bailey did not connect to the material at all this week; her performance lacked sincerity, vulnerability and believability and I feel like she spent more time crying about the inch cut off of her hair than she did thinking about the motivations and emotions she should be portraying.

Lauren gave the second best performance this week.  I absolutely loved her singing (her slide during the word "drive"--wonderful--like candy for the ears!) and am extremely excited to see her perform "What You Want" next week.  However, I think her age will ultimately work against her.  I doubt producers will give someone so young the role of Elle; anchoring a show is an extremely large task for an eighteen year old, plus she looks extremely young (even next to Andy Karl who looks younger than Christian Borle).

Natalie won the challenge this week, and I am not sure why.  There is nothing particularly innovative about a short girl standing on top of a few books, but okay then...I have been a fan of Natalie's since the beginning, and though I knew she was not right for Elle, I was upset to see her sent home this week.  She clearly had a much stronger voice than Rhiannon, and on principle, that should have earned her another week to stay.  But alas, Natalie was sent back to the sun, back to the shore, back to who she was before.  However, I am hoping to see her show up in something...perhaps Penny in Hairspray?

Oh, Rhiannon.  First, you say that Emma should have stayed over Autumn, and then you give poor performances in both the photo challenge and the audition.  As huggable and adorable as I normally find you, you were not my favorite person this week.

Rhiannon's audition this week was the weakest by far, and there is absolutely no way she'll make it past next week.  She does have an interesting personality, but that can only go so far.  She is not ready yet; there is absolutely no way she is capable of handling the material and belting out the score eight times a week.  I felt myself cringing during her belting (so many poor notes!) and realized that she plays Elle very young...and very dumb.  Rhiannon and Bailey emphasize Elle's ditzy side more while Autumn and Lauren attempt to emphasize that she's actually intelligent.  I said this earlier, and I'll say it again--Rhiannon is better suited to Margot.

Search for Elle Woods, Episode 5

Yes, dancing in stiletto pink boots on cobblestones in Brooklyn will TOTES help you be a better Elle! For real.

This week, the girls were challenged to learn the "Positive" dance sequence. The winner of the dance challenge, Natalie, got to take a yoga class with Kate Shindle. The judges then challenged the girls to rate who the worst actor, dancer, singer. Autumn, in true Elle fashion, turned it around, and put a positive spin on the judges' questions. The girls no longer rated who they thought was the worst actor or worst singer. Instead, they voted and discussed who the best actor was, who the most improved singer was, and so forth.

Autumn landed in the bottom two again this week, and again I didn't think she deserved to be there (though I admit that when it comes to her, I may not be the best judge). MTV also edited the show to make it look like she threw up from nervousness, when in reality, she had food poisoning from yogurt.
Bailey, as much as I hate to say it, really "worked it" this week. She commands attention when she dances, she stands out, and she made good use of her hair. I'm betting she'll make it to the Elle finals.
Emma "didn't make the list" this week, and I'm honestly not surprised. She continued to blame her problems on her bronchitis (there should be a drinking game where every time she says bronchitis, you take a shot). I suspect bronchitis may have contributed to her struggling, but the reality is she had trouble with her singing before bronchitis and she admitted she was a weak dancer in the first episode. I honestly didn't think she was very good, but I do feel sympathy for her--it must be incredibly hard to live in the shadow of her famous director father.
Lauren has a lot of raw talent and an interesting presence. She's not the thinnest or most attractive girl there nor is she the most experienced, but there is something about her that is magnetic. She's interesting to watch, and I grow to appreciate her more every week.
I said Natalie lacked charisma last week, and after this most recent performance, I sincerely apologize and retract my statement. She really turned on the charm this week.
Rhiannon, like I suspected, struggled a little this week. I actually think she did better in rehearsal than she did in the audition, which is frustrating and unfortunate.

Next week, the girls take on the "Legally Blonde" ballad and are going to work with Andy Karl as Emmett. I predict that Autumn and Lauren will excel and that Bailey and Rhiannon will be the ones to go to the casting office.

The Search for Elle Woods, Episode 4

I never fail to be entertained by the challenges producers continue to throw at the contestants on this show. This week, the girls were tested on their ability to bond with their chihuahua costars. While I understand the importance of having an Elle that works well with the dog playing Bruiser, I'm not sure that a girl's ability to channel the "Dog Whisperer" should factor that heavily into casting directors' evaluation of her potential at this point in the audition process...but maybe that's just me. However, the challenge this week did allow for lots of girly screaming and plenty of shots of cute dogs. Cassie S frightened the dogs, Bailey called her dog stupid (major no no), and Autumn won the challenge and had the opportunity to meet Richard H. Blake, giving her (in theory) a leg up on the audition scene for this week, "Serious."
Now on to the performances...
I will agree with the judges that Autumn's performance was not her best, but I will argue that it certainly did not warrant a place on the chopping block. Though it does seem unfair, I suspect that they wanted to scare her a little or make an example of her. Beyond that, I can't understand why they would criticize her so much, when, even at her worst, she still performed better than many of the girls there.
Though she has outstanding vocals, I'm still not a Bailey fan, and especially after this week, I'm exhausted by her Laura Bell Bundy impersonation. There's nothing new about this portrayal; I've seen it before, and while Broadway replacements have the difficult task of honoring the performer(s) that came before them, they should also bring something different to to the role--Bailey does not. Her Elle is too cookie cutter, too precise. However, given that casting director Bernie kisses the ground she walks on, she has a very good chance of winning.
Ding Dong, Cassie S is gone, and my did she go out with a bang. Her "Serious" was pretty painful to listen to and to watch--the girl really needs to take some acting and singing lessons. She came off very young, very whiny, and not very sympathetic. You're almost glad when Warner dumps her. Cassie was shocked when she was called into the casting office, and seemed genuinely confident that she had done a great job. However, her cluelessness was not what made me cringe the most. The judges explained that she could be a great swing etc., and she completely rejected the idea, explaining that she wanted to be a STAR. Bad call, Cassie. The majority of people working on Broadway are ensemble members or swings, and one of the judges in front of you (Paul Canaan) is one in Legally Blonde. When Cassie finally got the boot, she proceeded to rant that she didn't deserve to be cut. Face it, Cassie--you are neither awesome blossom nor fabulous fantastic. Good riddance!
Celina was the other girl to get the boot. While it was clear that she did not have an "Elle presence," this week I did somewhat understand why the casting directors kept around. She's actually a good actress and singer; she just wasn't right for this part...and really, I can't say anything bad about a girl who told off Cassie S.
Though she was suffering from bronchitis, Emma showed marked improvement this week (ie: no more mean Elle) in her scene with Richard. Her acting was better, and so was her singing, but the girl still has trouble belting, and there's just no way that a girl that struggles with belting is going to be Elle.
I may have to jump on the Lauren bandwagon here; she was by far my favorite this week (though I would have appreciated seeing a little less of her cleavage, ahem). She's got a really strong belt, and while she made a few choices and a few inflections I didn't agree with, she was interesting to watch; she was warm and Elle seemed more three dimensional and more relatable compared to how other girls have portrayed her. Plus, she had really good chemistry with Richard (just like she did with Nikki...good sign. Side note: Lauren fans can breathe this coming week; judging from the promo run at the beginning of the series, she'll definitely be around for the "What You Want" audition scene, which isn't next week.)
I like Natalie, but as I thought about the episode, I actually forgot about her and wouldn't have remembered her if I hadn't looked back at the full audition scenes online. I think she really just needs to take it to the next level (as Tyra Banks would say). If she gets eliminated, I think it will be because she's not charismatic enough, not because she doesn't have the talent.
And finally...Rhiannon. I don't know why, but I really like her (as my best friend Kate explained, "She just looks like she'd be so cool to be friends with"). Of all the girls this week, she had, by far, the best comedic timing. However, she's not the strongest singer, which could cause her problems.


Next week's episode is making me a little nervous. It's centered on dancing, and something tells me Emma, Autumn, and Rhiannon could struggle...and if Autumn goes, this will be one unhappy musical theatre junkie. Additionally, the challenge next week looks horrendous. Who's the worst dancer? singer? actor? Who needs to lose weight? How very un Elle Woods of them! Isn't the Broadway show supposed to be praising girl power, confidence, and friendship? No snaps for you.

Search for Elle Woods, Episode 3

Before we get started, I must profess my undying love and devotion to Seth Rudetsky. A writer, actor, vocal coach, and radio host, his appearance on this show is like a shining beacon of sanity (and his video blogs after each episode are genius). If you're not familiar with who he is, look up some of his stuff; you won't be sorry.

Moving right along....Tonight the girls tried their hand at Blonde's opening number "Omigod, You Guys." This song is one of the most addictive in the entire score and sets the tone for how the audience feels about Elle. If you can't hook them by the end of this number, you're never going to. The audience has to adore Elle, and recognize both her sweetness and her strength in this number. So, were the contestants up to the task? The verdict is in...

Autumn again proved to be one of the strongest in the bunch. She flubbed one of the opening lyrics, but managed to cover it up without flinching. Her acting is subtle and thought out; she makes good choices, but what about Legally Blonde is subtle? She may need to vamp it up a little. (Side note: Autumn is now sporting blonde curls; judging from that and several of her comments on her fan page, I'm guessing she's the winner).
Bailey is good and her "Omigod" song and book scene were solid. I will give her that much. She's more consistent than most of the girls, but for some reason, the more I see her, the less I like her. For me, there's a lack of sincerity there.
Cassie S continues to make herself even more polarizing (and given MTV's edit of the show, I'd bet money that she's not going to win; MTV will be careful to only show the winner in a positive or sympathetic light--the target audience for LB is young girls and their parents, and with that kind of audience, you can't boost ticket sales when you're leading lady is known to be a raging diva; parents will buy tickets to see a young lady their daughters can look up to and respect, and Cassie S's antics thusfar take her out of the running). Cassie S did improve from last week; but that's not saying a lot. Her voice is still a little on the shrill side and I can't stand the scrunched up faces she makes (check out Bailey's audition for a good example).
The appeal of Spam, what Bob Dylan says, how to balance a chemical equation...Celina joins this list of things I don't understand. I still am wondering why she's there, when audition after audition, she fails to show anything akin to an "Elle Woods presence." She came off a little mocking and extremely out of place.
Emma showed improvement this week vocally, but the judges were right: she comes off mean, and Elle Woods can be interpreted in many ways, but mean is not an adjective that describes her. Here, she comes off as just a bitchy sorority girl--not exactly someone we want to root for.
Lauren has a bit of a battle ahead of her. She clearly does not look like a college graduate, and her face tends to look a little scowly. I don't think she's mean, I just think, unlike Bailey who always looks wide eyed and giddy, Lauren's face tends to be more serious. Her acting and belting were good, but it all didn't come together this week. (Side note: Rumor has it that Lauren does not get the role of Elle, but she does get cast on the tour. Though she may not work as Elle, she may be a very good swing or Delta Nu.)
Lindsey, Lindsey, Lindsey. Lindsey got the boot this week, and to be perfectly honest, I was not the least bit surprised. Her voice was too low for the song and she struggled with the lyrics throughout the entire episode. (Honey, if this is your dream role, you need to know the words; I understand flubs happen, but when you clearly are clueless about the lyrics, something's wrong. I know all the lyrics to the song, and I'm not auditioning on national television.)
Natalie was lovely this week, and while in the long run, she may not end up being the best girl for Elle, she would make a great Delta Nu, or a hilarious Margot or Serena.
Though ridiculously likable, Rhiannon doesn't work for Elle in my opinion. Her vocals aren't as strong as they need to be, but her acting is very interesting and even more impressive to me, she put an incredible amount of energy into all of the girls' auditions when they had to sing back up. Cast her as a Delta Nu.  As Margot, she'd be genius.

Search for Elle Woods, Episodes 1 and 2

Omigod, you guys...they're totally ripping off the Grease reality show and searching for Laura Bell Bundy's replacement! This show is just as silly and ridiculous as I expected, and watching the contestants, I can't help but feel sorry for Laura Bell Bundy for knowing that her replacement is being chosen in such a ridiculous fashion and wonder what Annaleigh Ashford and Becky Gulsvig, two Elle understudies who were more than deserving of taking over the role, think. However, Jerry Mitchell and the producers-that-be decided to go in a different direction; Annaleigh is now in Chicago doing Wicked and Becky is primed to launch the Legally Blonde tour. Where does that leave the Broadway company? Is one of these women actually capable of carrying a show, performing 8 times a week, and appearing onstage for around 90% of the show's length?

Exhibit A: Annaleigh Ashford "So Much Better"
Exhibit B: Becky Gulsvig Act One Highlights

The premiere was contrived; Host Haylie Duff made several references to her Broadway debut as Amber in Hairspray--how hard she worked, the frustrations of the audition process, the long hours. Clearly, no one told her:
1. Her talent didn't get her the role. Her last name did.
2. She was one of the worst received Ambers.
3. It is not necessary to refer to oneself again and again; we get it--you were on Broadway. Next, please?

As calculated and scripted as this show seems to be, I must at least applaud the producers for including acting and dance auditions in this show; all potential Elles are forced to undergo workshops in fitness, vocal performance, acting scenes, and dance sequences, whereas the Grease contestants only "sang" for their supper.

Instead of doing a traditional recap of the episodes, I think I'm going to focus more on the contestants. So here we go:
Autumn is by far my favorite in the running right now. Her "So Much Better" audition in the first episode was strong, and just as importantly, it was different--she clearly wasn't trying to channel Laura Bell Bundy's Elle and I appreciate that she was presenting her own interpretation. Her acting audition with Nikki Snelson was inspired. While I could have done without her dropping on the floor in relief when the judges told her that Nikki had dropped a line to test her, I still applaud her performance. Autumn is also a member of AEA and earned raves for her turn as Beth in the first Little Women national tour, so she definitely has some credibility as a performer. She may be a redhead, but she might be the perfect girl to go Blonde.

Judging from several internet polls, Bailey seems to be the fan favorite. A wholesome, Southern gal and pastor's daughter, she comes across as incredibly likeable and warm, had impressive chemistry with Nikki, and her interpretation of Elle is much closer to Bundy's than Autumn's. She is surprisingly adept at hiding her heavy Southern accent and when dancing in large groups, even in a sea of blondes, she somehow stands out. However, I worry that her Elle, while relatable, is not very realistic. Could her Elle really rise to the top of the class at Harvard? Would we really believe that her Elle was intelligent, or would she just seem incredibly lucky?

Cassie O. has gone home, having been eliminated in the second episode. In the first episode, she lost some points with me when she explained that she "just loved the sound that comes out of her mouth." It came off very narcissistic, but she redeemed herself when she talked about how she loves to talk with a dorky lisp. Her "So Much Better" audition was one of the strongest, and her acting during that song showed potential. It's unfortunate that her acting in the scene with Nikki Snelson was so wooden, stilted, and awkward. She lacked a great deal of energy, she stumbled over her words, and she seemed quite confused. It was extremely disappointing given her vocal talent.

Cassie S. might be familiar to some of you as Brenda from Hairspray, the Nicest Kid in Town who was just a little too "fun lovin and freewheelin." As a dancer, she is stellar, but this also comes back to haunt her as she tends to fall into a pattern of standing in stances like fifth position during acting scenes, making her appear stiff and posey. Her singing, for me, is subpar, and unfortunately, no one has told her that her motto, "awesome blossom fabulous fantastic" is hideously annoying. She seems like too much of a diva, and I am NOT a fan.

Celina is a complete mystery to me for many reasons. I'm not sure why the judges chose her to be a finalist. She looks and acts nothing like Elle Woods, and her raw demeanor and scratchy voice would be much better suited for Elle's classmate Enid in the show. Celina also confuses me because she is one of the few contestants who actually has professional experience (appearances in 42nd Street, Cats, and Tarzan, to name a few). Given her background, I expected her to be more polished, professional, and more prepared. However, she did not handle the "dropped line" challenge well at all, and looked fidgety and uncomfortable as she struggled to improvise. She needs to go soon; I understand the judges want to mold her, but I think they're fighting a losing battle when it comes to her.

I look at Emma and I want to like her. Physically, she is ideal for the role. Her singing and acting are fine (though in her scene with Nikki, she did come off as a little aggressive), and she struggles a little with the dancing portion, but so far, she hasn't shown a "wow" factor. It also worries me that she is lauded theatre director Jerry Zaks' daughter--she must have had a lot of opportunities for lessons yet she is not an amazing performer. If it hasn't kicked in yet, will it ever? Still, I hope she surprises me. However, I will say that I think it is a little suspect that she did a show with actor-judge Paul Canaan, but both have neglected to mention this fact.

Lauren is the youngest of the bunch and her youth worried me at first. Despite her youthful appearance, she acts older and more mature in her scenes as Elle and comes off incredibly poised. While I did not necessarily agree with all of her acting choices, I did find her approach interesting. Her singing voice is also remarkably strong given her age and experience and it stands up against the more seasoned performers she's competing against. However, her "I'm not here to make friends" attitude could come back to haunt her and her youthful appearance could be a drawback in the theatre world, where casting directors tend to go for older performers.

Lindsey is stunning. Long, lean, and by far, the most striking of the girls, Lindsey is the first one that caught my attention. However, her acting scene with Nikki Snelson was an enormous disappointment. She came off disingenuous, she stumbled over words, she overacted, and she stood silently and awkwardly when Nikki dropped a line, and did not even attempt to cover the mistake and move on. If she had acting chops, I think she could be a serious contender; unfortunately, after this past week's workshop, I am concerned that she has a long, hard climb ahead of her if she ever wants to be the next Elle Woods.

Though she does not have conventional Elle Woods looks, Natalie's performances in the first two weeks have established her as a serious contender. Her "So Much Better" audition was the best of the bunch, and she belted the final note perfectly (several of the other girls' auditions were painful to listen to) and though she was thrown a little by Nikki's line drop, she managed to recover and improvise well. However, before the audition, she did get extremely emotional, which worries me. WIll she have what it takes to withstand the competition? Or will her emotions get the best of her?

Rhiannon is cute, quirky, and extremely likable. However, she found it hard to keep up with the choreography which is worrisome, and though her acting is good, she gives Elle Woods a goofiness that I don't think necessarily works. Elle has a mixture of sass, silliness, and poise. Rhiannon needs to tone down the silliness and up the poise.