Besties, we’re ‘Positive’ that ‘What You Want’ on today’s Tony Tuesday is a look at the history of the musical, Legally Blonde!

Based on the novel of the same name by Amanda Brown, and the 2001 smash-hit movie adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon, the Legally Blonde musical hit Broadway in April 2007. With music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and a book by Heather Hach, Legally Blonde was directed by Jerry Mitchell and starred Laura Bell Bundy, Christian Borle and Orfeh.

Legally Blonde tells the story of a bubbly sorority girl, Elle Woods, who is devastated when her boyfriend Warner breaks up with her because he thinks she isn’t smart or serious enough. Determined to prove him wrong, she follows him to Harvard law school, and once there, she discovers a different dream. Along the way, she’s helped by her hairdresser Paulette, her dog Bruiser and Harvard alum/teaching assistant, Emmett.

Luckily for us, the Broadway production was filmed for MTV (we love a pro-shot!) It was broadcast in October 2007 and followed by a reality TV show called Legally Blonde: The Musical - The Search for Elle Woods, where contestants competed to become the next Broadway Elle. The winner, Bailey Hanks, took over from Laura Bell Bundy on 23 July 2008 and remained with the show until it closed on 19 October 2008.

The musical received mixed reviews and although it was nominated for seven Tony Awards and 10 Drama Desk awards, it unfortunately did not win any. However, when it transferred to the West End at the end of 2009, it won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, and also garnered Olivier Awards for actresses Sheridan Smith (Elle) and Jill Halfpenny (Paulette). Legally Blonde closed in the West End on 7 April 2012 after an impressive 974 performances.

The show had a US National Tour from 2008-2010 featuring Becky Gulsvig, as well as two UK National Tours from 2011-2012 and 2017-2018, which starred Faye Brookes and Lucie Jones as Elle. The musical has also had an impressive array of productions all over the world, including Australia, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Japan, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Dominican Republic, Panama, New Zealand, and Germany.

In the summer of 2022, a revival of Legally Blonde showed at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre, starring Courtney Bowman and directed by Lucy Moss. It received praise from critics for its joyful atmosphere and diverse cast.

If you don’t know the amazing songs from Legally Blonde, you can check them out on the original Broadway cast recording, or the original London cast recording, which was recorded live at the Savoy Theatre, both available to stream. And if you think you’re already clued-up on the musical, you can give our Legally Blonde quiz a go on our quiz page!

FACTS:

Music and Lyrics: Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin

Book: Heather Hach

Theatre: Palace Theatre

Run: 3 April 2007 - 19 October 2008 (595 performances & 30 previews)

TONYS:

NOMINATED: Best Book of a Musical - Heather Hach, Best Original Score - Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Best Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role in a Musical - Laura Bell Bundy, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical - Christian Borle, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical - Orfeh, Best Choreography - Jerry Mitchell, Best Costume Design of a Musical - Gregg Barnes

OLIVIERS:

NOMINATED: Best Actor in a Musical - Alex Gaumond, Best Theatre Choreographer - Jerry MitchellWON: Best New Musical, Best Actress in a Musical - Sheridan Smith, Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical - Jill Halfpenny

Watch Becky Gulsvig and the US National Tour cast perform a shortened version of ‘So Much Better’ on the 2009 Tony Awards: