Tony Award-winning actor Michael Rupert, who originated the role of Professor Callahan on Broadway, will be reprising the role on the LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL tour. Ken Land, who has played the morally dubious lawyer since the tour launched in September 2008, has joined the Broadway revival of Promises, Promises. Rupert's first performance in Denver will be Wednesday, February 10, 2010.
"We've been incredibly fortunate to have Ken Land in the show and wish him all the best," says producer Mike Isaacson. "We couldn't be happier to welcome back Michael Rupert, Broadway's original Callahan. We know Michael will be an exceptional addition to the National Tour."
In addition to LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL, Rupert been seen on Broadway in Ragtime, Falsettos (Tony nomination), City of Angels, Mail , Sweet Charity (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award), Shakespeare's Cabaret, Pippin and The Happy Time (Tony nomination, Theater World Award). His Off Broadway credits include Elegies A Song Cycle, Ancient History, Putting it Together, Falsettoland and March of the Falsettos. Regionally, Michael has appeared in productions of The Full Monday, Baby, Life(X)3, Adrift in Macao, A New Brain (Helen Hayes nomination), Golden Boy, Fiddler on the Roof, Don't Stop the Carnival (Carbonell nomination), Merchant of Venice, Falsettos (LA Ovation Award), Leonard Bernstein's Mass, Working, Another Midsummer Night and Elegies A Song Cycle (Barrymore Award). As a composer, his work includes the Broadway musical Mail (LA Drama Critic's nomination), the off-Broadway musical, 3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down (Drama Desk nomination) and the up-coming Streets of America. Rupert also directed Don't Stop the Carnival at the Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas; City at the NY Fringe Festival; and The Crucible, Ragtime and Parade, all at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA.
As previously announced, Becky Gulsvig, the Elle understudy in the original Broadway cast, plays Elle Woods in the tour. Fans of the MTV reality show "Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods", which premiered on June 2, 2008, will also recognize a familiar face in the tour cast: Third runner-up and fan favorite Rhiannon Hansen appears as Elle's best friend Margot. The reality show represented the musical's second venture with MTV. In the fall of 2007, MTV aired LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL in its entirety to stellar ratings and was subsequently nominated for two 2007-2008 Daytime Emmy Awards.
Joining Gulsvig, Rupert and Hansen are DB Bonds as Emmett, Natalie Joy Johnson as Paulette, Jeff McLean as Warner, Megan Lewis as Vivienne, Coleen Sexton as Brooke, Tiffany Engen as Serena, Lucia Spina as Enid and Candice Marie Woods as Pilar.
Also featured in the cast are Barry Anderson, Sara Andreas, Kyle Brown, Liberty Cogen, Ven Daniel, Brooke Leigh Engen, Spencer Howard, Paul Jackel, Jason Kappus, Ashley Moniz, Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone, Brian Patrick Murphy, CJay Hardy Philip, Alex Puette, Jonathan Rayson, Constantine Rousouli and J.B.Wing.
A West End production of LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL opened at London's Savoy Theatre on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 to rave reviews. The Independent's Paul Taylor calls the show "Perfection. Ridiculously enjoyable from start to finish. Four stars." Time Out London declares it "A Triumph." And The Daily Mail says "Jerry Mitchell's musical is fantastic."
