Bailey Hanks is the next Elle Woods
Over the course of the MTV competition show "Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods," I was a fan of 28-year-old Autumn Hurlbert from the start. She had the best voice of all 10 contestants, and I just had the feeling that she'd best be able to handle the rigors of performing eight shows a week on Broadway.
But I will admit that in the last couple of weeks of the show, Autumn faded a little. She never really clinched the deal for the role, you could say, and I think that's why it ultimately went last night to Bailey Hanks, who always had the clear advantage of absolutely looking the part.
The cool thing is that all four of the top-ranked contestants got roles with the show. Playbill.com sums it up:
Finalists Hurlbert, Rhiannon Hansen and Lauren Zakrin have all been cast in either the Broadway production or the first national tour of the musical, which launches in Providence, RI, Sept. 23. Hurlbert, the first runner-up in the competition, will understudy the role of Elle Woods on Broadway and will perform in the ensemble. Zakrin, the youngest contestant on the reality show, will understudy the tour's Elle Woods, Becky Gulsvig, and will also be a member of the ensemble. And, Hansen will play the role of Margot, Elle's best friend, on tour.
I liked the show from the start, because at least the grand prize really meant something. The producers of "Legally Blonde" took a risk, essentially, by entrusting their multi-million dollar investment to the outcome of a reality show. Now I'm just waiting for what could be Bailey's biggest (and toughest) challenge: the follow-up review from The New York Times.
And I'm curious to see whether all the national media attention will increase audiences long-term for the show.
By the way: Ghostlight Records today released Hanks' single version of Legally Blonde's first-act closer, "So Much Better," on iTunes. A single version also is available on Ghostlight's official website.
Comments:
Donald, I only watched the show on a sporadic basis, but I thought it was clear they were going to choose Bailey over Autumn. Yes, Autumn had the best voice, but I thought she looked too old (and not that she's 28 but she's got an older-looking countenance) and, to put it bluntly, ordinary for a role like Elle Woods. Bailey has the sparkle and energy and dance moves.
But, I do wonder if that voice can carry 8 shows a week. I still think this is a wacky way to to find an actress for a hit Broadway show....Hmm, how did that TV talent search work out for the folks producing "Grease"?
Posted by: felicia matlosz at July 22, 2008 1:33 PM
Well, when it gets down to brass tacks, she is only signed for a two or three week contract (starting tonight.) If she's that bad, the producers have an out.
Posted by: J at July 22, 2008 3:14 PM
To J: That's interesting about the length of her contract. Do you know if that's a lot shorter than usual for replacement Broadway stars?
Posted by: Donald Munro at July 22, 2008 3:18 PM
I don't, but I do know that the prize for the show was a two week contract. From what I understand she's done well in her put-in, and they've since negocsiated her a six-month deal, so her future with LB looks promising.
If she weren't doing well, she probably wouldn't have gotten the contract upgrade. For example, Caissie Levy played Elphaba in LA's sit-down production of Wicked for five months, and her standby got more stage time than she did, due to the difficulty of the role, and Caissie developing voice problems.
I really wish Bailey well as she hit a home run last night on the show, and all the press seems to be good for Legally Blonde.
Posted by: J at July 22, 2008 3:38 PM
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