Helping Shows Hit the Road: Legally Blonde The Musical
America’s favorite blonde, Elle Woods, is ready to prove who’s in charge as Legally Blonde The Musical comes to Walton Arts Center for four shows only Oct. 14-16. The ultimate Broadway tribute to girl power, Legally Blonde the Musical takes you from a UCLA sorority house to the Harvard halls of justice with a timely coming of age story of Broadway’s brightest heroine.
Based on the beloved movie, the contemporary, sassy musical also follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, sexism, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams.
The tour isn’t just making a stop at Walton Arts Center, it will be holding technical rehearsals and launching a national tour from Northwest Arkansas. “Teching” is when all of the actors, designers, creatives and crew put the technical elements of the show in place, including sets, lights, costumes and the orchestra, to prepare a show for its life on the road.
Other shows that got their start at Walton Arts Center include: A Chorus Line (2002, 2022), The Music Man (Fall 2002), The Graduate (2004), BLAST (2005), AIDA (2006), The Wedding Singer (2009), Blue Man Group (2010), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (2017), The Lightning Thief (2019), Falsettos (2019) and Blue Man Group Speechless (2019).
The process cannot be completed without a rehearsal space. It requires a full-scale theater and a live audience to get the show ready. Watching and listening to the reactions of the first audiences gives the artistic staff information about the parts of the show that need a bit more work. These initial performances are an integral part of the theatrical process and one in which few audiences are able to participate.
We typically choose to tech outside of large metro areas for the community vibes,” said Sophie Whitfield, associate general manager and associate producer with Big League Productions. Big League teched A Chorus Line at Walton Arts Center in Summer 2022 and is bringing Legally Blonde The Musical this fall. “We get great reception from local vendors, and we love getting to know the city we tech in. Fayetteville has so much to offer and we are excited to get to go back!”
Producers looking to tech and mount a tour view Walton Arts Center as a resource, which speaks volumes about the organization’s reputation in the industry. Teching is also a huge benefit to the economy of the region. When a cast and crew of 25-75 spends two weeks in town, they are supporting hotels, restaurants, hardware stores, yoga studios, coffee shops and more while they are here.
Walton Arts Center has helped 13 Broadway-sized shows launch both national and international tours since 1997 and is excited to help Legally Blonde the Musical get ready for its US tour.