Laura Bell Bundy to Reprise Starring Role in Legally Blonde Tour

Tony Award nominee Laura Bell Bundy, who originated the role of Harvard-bound blondeshell Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, will reprise the role on tour beginning January 13 at the show’s East Lansing, Michigan stop. She temporarily replaces star Becky Gulsvig, who is on leave from the traveling production for six weeks due to a broken toe suffered on January 8. Bundy will alternate the role with Lauren Ashley Zakrin, an alum of the reality series Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods.

“It saddens us that Becky will be out of the show for six weeks," producer Mike Isaacson said in a statement. "However, with proper rest and care, she will make a full recovery. Under these circumstances, we are extremely fortunate to have these two amazingly talented actresses, who know this role inside and out, ready at a moment’s notice to hit the stage.”

According to a news release, Bundy and Zakrin will alternate in the role in East Lansing, MI Jan. 13-18 at the Wharton Center, St. Louis, MO Jan. 20-Feb. 1 at the Fox Theatre, Austin, TX Feb. 2-8 at the Bass Concert Hall and Houston, TX Feb. 10-22 at the Hobby Center.

A musicalization of the popular feature film starring Reese Witherspoon as stylish Harvard Law student Elle Woods, Legally Blonde received seven 2007 Tony nominations, including nods for actors Laura Bell Bundy as Elle. The show features a book by Tony nominee Heather Hach and score by the Tony nominated team of Nell Benjamin and Laurence O'Keefe.

Legally Blonde was filmed and broadcast on MTV last October 13, 2007, before becoming the subject of an eight-episode reality casting series The Search for Elle Woods on the network that resulted in Bailey Hanks joining the Broadway company as Elle on July 23. The show closed October 19, 2008, after 30 previews and 595 regular performances.

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 Sara Andreas, Joshua James Campbell, Nick Dalton, Ven Daniel, Amber Efé, Alex Ellis, Jay Garcia, Spencer Howard, Paul Jackel, Sarah Marie Jenkins, Leslie McDonel, Brian Patrick Murphy, Mamie Parris, Tally Sessions, Josh Walden and Adam Zelasko.

The first national tour of Legally Blonde kicked off on September 23 at Rhode Island's PPAC and will eventually play in 35 cities across the country.