Legally Blonde Musical for Sydney in 2012

Producers Howard Panter and John Frost announced on November 11, 2011 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.

The cast, originally scheduled to be officially announced at the launch by NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell on February 27, 2011, has been delayed by a week due to a clash with the leadership spill in Canberra.

Much speculation has been flying around far and wide about the casting. 

The rumours, though, have gone mainstream media, with Confidential in Brisbane's Courier Mail and Sydney's Daily Telegraph reporting the casting of three Wicked alumni – Lucy Durack (Elle), Rob Mills (Warner) and David Harris (Emmett). Wikipedia initially listened these details as firm casting too, though it has now softened the description to rumoured.

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."

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.

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It has been announced that Sydney has secured the Australian Premiere of the award-winning Broadway and West End musical Legally Blonde.

Producers Howard Panter and John Frost announced that Legally Blonde will open at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre in mid-2012 with the assistance of the NSW Government through Events NSW and the City of Sydney.