WE HAVE A DATE – LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL

Producers Howard Panter and John Frost today announced that the hit musical LEGALLY BLONDE will open at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on 4 October, 2012.  The Australian Premiere of this award-winning Broadway and West End sensation was secured for Sydney with the assistance of the NSW Government through Destination NSW and the City of Sydney.
Howard Panter, founder of The Ambassador Theatre Group, the largest theatre group in the West End and the UK with 39 Theatres, and producer in Australia of West Side Story, Guys and Dolls and The Rocky Horror Show, said, “I’m very pleased to be bringing LEGALLY BLONDE to Australia with John Frost. After two years in the West End, this all singing, all dancing, feel good musical comedy continues to be a huge hit following its Broadway premiere season. I know Australia will fall in love with this wonderful musical and its heroine Elle Woods.”
LEGALLY BLONDE makes a hat trick for producer John Frost, as it follows his productions of Annie and An Officer and A Gentleman into the Lyric Theatre. Frost said, “LEGALLY BLONDE is 100% pure entertainment, and I know Sydney will fall in love with the show as much as I have. I’m delighted to be working with Howard Panter for the first time, and to be presenting my third major musical in 2012 at the beautiful Lyric Theatre, under the new ownership of Stephen Found.”
NSW Minister for Tourism, Major Events and the Arts, George Souris said Sydney is the perfect home for the Australian premiere of LEGALLY BLONDE at the Lyric Theatre in the newly refurbished The Star. “Next year is shaping up to be a very big year for musical theatre on the NSW Events Calendar with the Australian premieres of Annie, Legally Blonde and the world premiere of An Officer and a Gentleman.
“The NSW Government through Destination NSW has worked hard on a musicals strategy to ensure Sydney is the number one city for first run musicals in Australia. Like many others, I’m looking forward to welcoming LEGALLY BLONDE to Australia’s leading tourism and events city,” he said.
Based on the hit movie of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon, LEGALLY BLONDE the Musical was created by a top-of-their-class creative team, led by Tony Award®-winning director and Olivier Award-nominated choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray). LEGALLY BLONDE will take you from the social whirl of California Campus life to Harvard’s Halls of Justice with musical theatre’s new stage heroine (and of course, her Chihuahua, Bruiser). The verdict? This much fun shouldn’t be legal!
During its first year on Broadway in 2007, LEGALLY BLONDE earned seven Tony Award® nominations, 10 Drama Desk Award nominations and an Outer Critics’ Circle Award. The show also ranked in the top 10 for the most requested Ticketmaster “Arts & Theatre Events” for 2007. Since it opened at London’s Savoy Theatre at the end of 2009, LEGALLY BLONDE has continued to be a smash hit sell-out success, winning the Olivier Award for Best Musical in 2011.
The cast for the Australian production of LEGALLY BLONDE will be announced in February.