Bundy to Headline Nashville Engagement of Legally Blonde Tour

By Adam Hetrick
June 22, 2009

Tony nominee Laura Bell Bundy will return to the role of Chihuahua-toting law student Elle Woods in the Nashville engagement of the national tour of Legally Blonde the Musical.

Bundy, who is now a Nashville, TN, resident, will perform the role during the evening performances of Legally Blonde, which plays Jackson Hall June 23-28. Lauren Zakrin will portray Elle Woods at matinee performances.

Bundy assumes the role while national tour leading actress Becky Gulsvig is on vacation. Zakrin performed Elle Woods at the Dayton, OH, stop of Legally Blonde last week.

Laura Bell Bundy made her Broadway debut in the 2002 original cast of Hairspray as Amber Von Tussle and is known for her work in Wicked and Ruthless!; she earned Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nominations for her work as Tina Denmark in the latter. On screen Bundy has been seen in "Dreamgirls," "Guiding Light," "Jumanji," "Life with Mikey," "Adventures of Huck Finn," "Home Improvement," "Strangers with Candy" and "Curtis Court." Bundy released her solo country debut recording, "Longing for a Place Already Gone," last year.

Tony Award-winning choreographer Jerry Mitchell, who made his directorial debut with the Broadway musical, also directs and choreographs the tour, which launched in Providence, RI, last September.

The touring company of Legally Blonde also features 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 ensemble comprises Barry Anderson, Sara Andreas, Kyle Brown, Nick Dalton, Ven Daniel, Amber Efe, Alex Ellis, Jay Garcia, Spencer Howard, Paul Jackel, Sarah Marie Jenkins, Leslie McDonel, Brian Patrick Murphy, Mamie Parris, Tally Sessions and Adam Zelasko.

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."

Current tour dates for Legally Blonde include:

Nashville, TN (June 23-28 at Jackson Hall)
Kansas City, MO (June 30-July 5 at the Starlight Theatre)
Atlanta, GA (July 14-19 at the Fabulous Fox Theatre)
Dallas, TX (July 21-Aug. 2 at the Music Hall at Fair Park)
Ft. Worth, TX (Aug. 4-9 at Bass Performance Hall)
Los Angeles, CA (Aug. 12-Sept. 6 at the Pantages Theatre)
Costa Mesa, CA (Sept. 8-20 at the Orange County PAC)
Tempe, AZ (Sept. 22-27 at ASU Gammage)
Sacramento, CA (Sept. 30-Oct. 11 at the Sacramento Community Center Theater)
Detroit, MI (Oct. 15-Nov. 1 at the Fisher Theatre)
Melbourne, FL (Nov. 3-8 at the Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts)
Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Nov. 10-22 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts)
Worcester, MA (Nov. 25-29 at the Hanover Theatre)
Wilmington, DE (Dec. 1-6 at the DuPont Theatre)
Hershey, PA (Dec. 8-13 at the Hershey Theatre)
Norfolk, VA (Dec. 28, 2009-Jan. 2, 2010 at Chrysler Hall)
Tulsa, OK (Jan. 5-10, 2010 at Tulsa PAC)
Oklahoma City, OK (Jan. 12-17, 2010 at the Civic Center Music Hall)
Tucson, AZ (Jan. 19-24, 2010 at the Tucson Music Hall)
Portland, OR (Feb. 16-21, 2010 at the Keller Auditorium)
Seattle, WA (Feb. 23-March 14, 2010 at the 5th Avenue Theatre)
Salt Lake City, UT (March 23-28, 2010 at the Captiol Theatre)
San Diego, CA (March 30-April 4, 2010 at the Civic Theatre)
St. Louis, MO (April 8-11, 2010 at the Fox Theatre)
Milwaukee, WI (April 13-28, 2010 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts)
Appleton, WI (April 20-25, 2010 at Fox Cities PAC)
Ohama, NE (April 27-May 2, 2010 at the Orpheum Theatre)
Indianapolis, IN (May 4-9, 2010 at the Clowes Memorial Hall)
Cincinnati, OH (May 11-23, 2010 at the Aronoff Center)
Louisville, KY (June 8-13, 2010 at the Kentucky Center)

For more information visit legallyblondethemusical.com.