Bonds, Johnson, McLean, Lewis and Land Join Cast of Legally Blonde National Tour

By Adam Hetrick
August 6, 2008

Casting is now complete for the national tour of Legally Blonde: The Musical, which officially launches in Providence, RI, Sept. 21.

As previously reported, Becky Gulsvig — who understudied Tony-nominated actress Laura Bell Bundy as the musical's pink-clad heroine, Elle Woods, on Broadway — will head the cast of the national tour as the valley girl with Harvard ambitions.

Gulsvig will be joined by D.B. Bonds as Emmett, Natalie Joy Johnson as Paulette, Jeff McLean as Warner, Megan Lewis as Vivienne, Coleen Sexton as Brooke, Ken Land as Professor Callahan, Cortney Wolfson as Serena, Rhiannon Hansen as Margot, Crystal Joy as Pilar and Gretchen Burghart as Enid.

The Legally Blonde ensemble comprises Sara Andreas, Ward Billeisen, Joshua James Campbell, Nick Dalton, Ven Daniel, Alex Ellis, Jay Garcia, Paul Jackel, Sarah Marie Jenkins, Leslie McDonel, Brian Patrick Murphy, Mamie Parris, Stacey Sargeant, Tally Sessions, Josh Walden, Lauren Zakrin and Adam Zelasko.

Tony Award-winning choreographer Jerry Mitchell, who made his directorial debut with the musical, will also direct and choreograph the tour.

Current tour dates for Legally Blonde include:

Providence, Rhode Island (Sept. 21-28, 2008 at the Providence Performing Arts Center)
Baltimore, MD (Sept. 30-Oct. 12, at the France-Merrick PAC)
Buffalo, NY (Oct. 14-19, at Shea's Performing Arts Center)
Rochester, NY (Oct. 21-26, at the Auditorium Theatre)
Boston, MA (Oct. 28-Nov. 9, at the Opera House)
Cleveland, OH (Nov. 11-23, at the Palace Theatre)
Schenectady, NY (Nov. 25-30, at Proctor's Theatre)
Philadelphia, PA (Dec. 2-7, at the Academy of Music)
Hartford, CT (Dec. 9-14, at the Bushnell Center)
Washington, DC (Dec. 16-Jan. 11, 2009, at the Kennedy Center)
East Lansing, MI (Jan. 13-18, 2009, at the Wharton Center)
St. Louis, MO (Jan. 20-Feb. 1, 2009, at the Fox Theatre)
Austin, TX (Feb. 2-8, 2009, at the Bass Concert Hall)
Houston, TX (Feb. 10-22, 2009, at the Hobby Center)
Des Moines, IA (Feb. 24-March 1, 2009 at the Civic Center)
Memphis, TN (March 3-8, 2009 at the Orpheum)
Orlando, FL (March 10-15, 2009, at the Carr PAC)
West Palm Beach, FL (March 17-22, 2009, at the Kravis Center)
Greenville, SC (March 24-29, 2009, at the Peace Center)
Naples, FL (March 31-April 5, 2009 at the Philharmonic Center)
Clearwater, FL (April 7-12, 2009, at Ruth Eckerd Hall)
Durham, NC (April 14-19, 2009, at the Durham PAC)
Charlotte, NC (April 21-26, 2009, at Ovens Auditorium)
St. Paul, MN (April 28-May 10, 2009, at the Ordway Center)
Chicago, IL (May 12-31, 2009, at the Oriental Theatre)
Pittsburgh, PA (June 9-14, 2009, at the Benedum Center)
Dayton, OH (June 16-21, 2009, at the Schuster Center)
Nashville, TN (June 23-28, 2009, at Jackson Hall)
Kansas City, MO (June 30-July 5, 2009, at the Starlight Theatre)
Atlanta, GA (July 14-19, 2009)
Dallas, TX (July 21-Aug. 2, 2009, at the Music Hall at Fair Park)
Ft. Worth, TX (Aug. 4-9, 2009, at Bass Performance Hall)
Los Angeles, CA (Aug. 12-Sept. 6, 2009 at the Pantages Theatre)
Costa Mesa, CA (Sept. 8-20, 2009, at the Orange County PAC)

Legally Blonde features a score by Laurence O'Keefe (Bat Boy: The Musical) and Nell Benjamin (Sarah, Plain and Tall), with a book by Heather Hach (the film "Freaky Friday").

James Sampliner serves as music director for Legally Blonde, with orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke. The production features scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Paul Miller and sound design by ACME Sound Partners.

The score includes "Omigod You Guys," "Serious," "What You Want," "Harvard Variations," "Blood in the Water," "Positive, "Ireland," "Chip on My Shoulder," "So Much Better," "Whipped into Shape," "Take It Like a Man," "Bend and Snap," "There! Right There!" "Legally Blonde," "Legally Blonde Remix" and "Find My Way/Finale."

Hal Luftig, Fox Theatricals and Dori Berinstein produce the show on Broadway, in association with MGM Onstage, Darcie Denkert and Dean Stolber.

For more information, visit legallyblondethemusical.com.