Alex Gaumond to return to We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre

Canadian musicals star Alex Gaumond is to return to the cast of We Will Rock You a the Dominion Theatre in London.

Gaumond, who was nominated for a Best Actor in a Musical gong at this year’s Olivier Awards for his performance in Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre, will play Galileo in the show from 8 August 2011.

Current Galileo, Ricardo Afonso, will leave the production to join Summer Strallen, Tom Chambers, Martin Ball, Vivien Parry and Stephen Boswell in the UK tour of the new stage version of Irving Berlin’s Top Hat.

Alex Gaumond is an actor and songwriter who has lived and worked in the UK since 2002. He played Galileo in the 2009 tour of We Will Rock You.

Also rejoining the cast of We Will Rock You will be Mazz Murray, who is the show’s longest serving Killer Queen and will make a final, two week farewell appearance in the role from 8 to 20 August 2011.

The Queen and Ben Elton musical is in its tenth year at the Dominion Theatre, where it holds the record for the longest-ever running show.

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Alex Gaumond Joins We Will Rock You

OMG! Alex Gaumond to star in We Will Rock You. And Mazz Murray returns to say farewell to Killer Queen role.

Nominated as Best Actor in a Musical in both the Oliver Awards and Whatsonstage.com Awards for his performance as Emmett in the original London cast of Legally Blonde, actor, singer Alex Gaumond is to take over the leading role of Galileo in the Queen & Ben Elton hit West End musical, We Will Rock You. The announcement was made today by show producers Phil McIntyre Entertainment, Tribeca and Queen Theatrical Productions.

Gaumond begins rehearsals with the WWRY cast August 1st to take on the role of Galileo full time at London’s Dominion from August 8th.

Playing Legally Blonde’s shy and charming fellow law student Emmett opposite first Sheridan Smith and then Susan McFadden in the role of Elle, Gaumond proved hugely popular with audiences as well as receiving his two Best Actor nominations. Gaumond ended his eighteen month stay with the production June 18th.

Joining We Will Rock You, Gaumond takes over from WWRY’s current Galileo, Ricardo Afonso, who moves to join the cast of the stage version of Irving Berlin’s Top Hat, due to open in August.

Trading those unflattering Harvard corduroys for jeans and t’s, Gaumond is set to enter the leather clad, guitar-thrashing futurist world of Queen and Ben Elton in which originality and individualism are outlawed and only one man, Galileo, can fulfil a prophecy that will bring about the overthrow of the mighty Killer Queen and enable the return of rock ‘n roll.

It is a return to familiar territory for Gaumond – the dystopian world of Ga Ga girls, Bohemian rebels and Marks & Spencer smoothies; the Canadian actor/singer/songwriter, resident and working in the UK since 2002, gained his first major leading role when he was cast as Galileo in the 2009 UK touring production of We Will Rock You. Gaumond triumphed in the show for seven months before joining Legally Blonde.

Gaumond is presently contracted to play Galileo in the WWRY London Dominion production until end of January 2012.

The show’s co-creator Brian May welcomed Gaumond saying: “Alex is a superb actor, and his interpretation of Galileo on tour in the UK was a huge hit with audiences. We look forward to a new triumph in the Dominion, in WWRY’s 10th year.”

We Will Rock You’s producers today also announced that actress/singer Mazz Murray, the show’s longest serving Killer Queen until her departure on maternity leave last year, is to make a return to the show for a special two week farewell season. Mazz who played Killer Queen between May 2004 – June 2010, will return to say goodbye to her nemesis role August 8 -20, nicely coinciding with Alex Gaumond’s opening in the show. We Will Rock You’s current Killer Queen, Brenda Edwards, is on break during this period, returning to the show immediately after.

We Will Rock You is into the start of its tenth year at the Dominion Theatre where it holds the record for longest-ever running show. The touring production continues to break box office records throughout the UK.

September 5 will see a special performance of We Will Rock You at the Dominion to mark the 65th birthday of former Queen front man Freddie Mercury whose statue towers above the theatre entrance. Proceeds of this special performance will be directed through the Freddie For A Day campaign to The Mercury Phoenix Trust, the charity set up in Freddie’s name to fight HIV AIDS worldwide. See: www.freddieforaday.com

We Will Rock You is presented by Phil McIntyre Entertainment, Queen Theatrical Productions and Tribeca Theatrical Productions. Book and direction by Ben Elton. Music supervisors Brian May and Roger Taylor.

Release issued by PR Contact

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Photos: Natalie Casey in Legally Blonde The Musical

Production photos for Legally Blonde The Musical at the Savoy Theatre in London, now starring Natalie Casey.

TV and stage actress Natalie Casey joined the cast of Legally Blonde The Musical last month, replacing Denise Van Outen in the role of ditzy beautician Paulette Buonofonté in the hit show.

Lee Mead is also set to join the cast from 20 June, replacing Alex Gaumond as Emmett Forrest.

Legally Blonde The Musical, which started at the Savoy Theatre in December 2009, won this year’s an Olivier Award for Best New Musical.

Natalie Casey’s last London stage appearance was in The Invisible Man at the Menier Chocolate Factory, and her other theatre credits include Oklahoma for Chichester, Well at the Apollo Theatre, Fame at the Shaftesbury Theatre and Hobson’s Choice at the Watermill Theatre.

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More News on Legally Blonde The Musical

 

Alex Gaumond In Concert

Following the success of his highly acclaimed Lauderdale House appearance, Alex Gaumond announces his debut West End Solo Concert:

Venue: Leicester Square Theatre
Date & Time: Sunday May 22nd, 7.30pm

Alex is currently starring as Emmett in Legally Blonde, a role that earned him a nomination for ‘Best Actor in a Musical’ at the 2011 Olivier Awards.

Alex will perform alongside a full band, covering songs that really inspire him. Steering away from a typical musical theatre set list and opting instead for great contemporary material, expect some rock standouts intertwined with the most beautiful love songs.

It will be a captivating evening, with special guests and an electric performance that delivers the vital passion and soul that has earned Alex respect and love from fans worldwide.

“Singer Alex Gaumond gives a breathtaking performance”
- Alexandra Womack

“Alex Gaumond truly steps up to the mark” – Mike Bird

“Alex Gaumond steals the show” – Malcolm Wallace

Release issued by: Mothership Management

LINKS

Leicester Square Theatre website

Lee Mead to join Legally Blonde

West End star Lee Mead is to join the hit musical Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre in London.

Mead will take over from Alex Gaumond in the role of Emmett Forrest from 20 June 2011, joining a cast that includes Susan McFadden as Elle Woods, Siobhan Dillon as Vivienne and Peter Davison as Professor Callahan. Lee Mead’s wife Denise Van Outen is currently playing Paulette in the show, although may have left the production before Lee starts in the role.

Alex Gaumond, who was up for a best supporting Olivier Award this year, has been in the show since it started at the Savoy in 2009 and will leave on 18 June.

Legally Blonde recently scooped three 2011 Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, Best Actress in a Musical for Sheridan Smith and Best Performance is a Supporting Role in a Musical for Jill Halfpenny.

Lee was last seen in the West End as Fiyero in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. He rose to fame after winning the BBC talent show Any Dream Will Do leading to a starring role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi Theatre. Other roles include The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre and UK tours of Miss Saigon and Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime.

Legally Blonde is directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winning Jerry Mitchell, who is currently working on big new Broadway show Catch Me If You Can.

SPECIAL OFFER: Save £26 on tickets to Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre in London

 

LEGALLY BLONDE CAST LIST

Stephane Anelli (Padamadan, Nikos), Emma Bateman (Stenographer), Nicola Brazil (Serena), Thomas Camilleri (Carlos), Peter Davison (Professor Callahan) Siobhan Dillon (Vivienne Kensington), Chris Ellis-Stanton (Grandmaster Chad, Dewey, Kyle), Kimmy Edwards (Judge, Saleswoman), Alex Gaumond (Emmett), Ibinabo Jack (Pilar), Suzie McAdam (Enid), Susan McFadden (Elle Woods), Sorelle Marsh (Courtney, Mom, Whitney), Aoife Mulholland (Brooke), Sean Mulligan (Pforzheimer), Dawn Sievewright (Kate, Chutney), Carley Stenson (Margot), Lincoln Stone (Dad, Winthrop, Reporter), Simon Thomas (Warner), Robbie Towns (Aaron), Dominic Tribuzio (Kiki), Denise Van Outen (Paulette), Tamara Wall (District Attorney) and Stephen Webb (Lowell), as well as Jonathan Mawson, Jane McMurtrie, Lucy Miller, Ruthie Stephenson and Gregor Stewart as swings.

SPECIAL OFFER: Save £26 on tickets to Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre in London

Lee Mead To Join Legally Blonde The Musical As The Show Celebrates Recent Wins At The 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards

From mid-June Lee Mead will join the west end cast of the Olivier award-wining Legally Blonde The Musical to play Emmett Forrest. He joins Susan McFadden as Elle Woods, Carley Stenson as Margot, Nicola Brazil as Serena, Siobhan Dillon as Vivienne and Peter Davison as Professor Callahan. Alex Gaumond, who has played the role of Emmett since the UK premiere of the show, has now extended his run until mid-June when Mead will take over.

Legally Blonde The Musical opened at the Savoy Theatre in December 2009 and has been playing to packed audiences ever since. In addition to winning the 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best New Musical, Best Actress in a Musical (Sheridan Smith) and Best Performance is a Supporting Role in a Musical (Jill Halfpenny), Legally Blonde The Musical is now booking until 31 March 2011.

College sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods doesn’t take no for an answer. So when her boyfriend Warner dumps her for someone serious, Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and heads for Harvard Law! Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.

The current full cast is Stephane Anelli (Padamadan, Nikos), Emma Bateman (Stenographer), Nicola Brazil (Serena), Thomas Camilleri (Carlos), Peter Davison (Professor Callahan) Siobhan Dillon (Vivienne Kensington), Chris Ellis-Stanton (Grandmaster Chad, Dewey, Kyle), Kimmy Edwards (Judge, Saleswoman), Alex Gaumond (Emmett), Ibinabo Jack (Pilar), Suzie McAdam (Enid), Susan McFadden (Elle Woods), Sorelle Marsh (Courtney, Mom, Whitney), Aoife Mulholland (Brooke), Sean Mulligan (Pforzheimer), Dawn Sievewright (Kate, Chutney), Carley Stenson (Margot), Lincoln Stone (Dad, Winthrop, Reporter), Simon Thomas (Warner), Robbie Towns (Aaron), Dominic Tribuzio (Kiki), Denise Van Outen (Paulette), Tamara Wall (District Attorney) and Stephen Webb (Lowell), as well as Jonathan Mawson, Jane McMurtrie, Lucy Miller, Ruthie Stephenson and Gregor Stewart as swings.

Lee Mead played the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi Theatre from 2007 to early 2009, after winning BBC One’s Any Dream Will Do. In 2007 he released his debut solo album, Lee Mead, followed in 2009 by Nothing Else Matters. Most recently he starred as Fiyero in the West End production of Wicked. His previous theatre credits include Lord Arthur Savile in Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime on tour in the UK; The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre; Miss Saigon on tour in the UK and Tommy.

Directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winning Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde The Musical has music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, book by Heather Hach, set design by David Rockwell, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Paul Miller, sound design by ACME Sound Partners and orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke.

Legally Blonde The Musical is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, Robert G. Bartner, Ambassador Theatre Group, Bud Martin, Adam Zotovich, Jamie Hendry Productions, Matthew Byam Shaw and Act Productions.

Release issued by: Premier PR

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Susan McFadden to star in Legally Blonde

Sheridan Smith to leave Legally Blonde on 8 January; Susan McFadden to take the lead.

Susan McFadden is to take over from Sheridan Smith in the lead role of Elle Woods in the West End production of Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre.

The Irish actress, who won ITV talent show Grease is the Word in 2007 and played Sandy in the current production of Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre, has been covering the role of Elle and playing the part of Serena in Legally Blonde since October.  She will take over from Sheridan Smith from 10 January 2011.

McFadden, who has been cast in a number of shows produced by Legally Blonde co-producer Ambassador Theatres, has extensive theatre credits in both the UK and Ireland including a national tour of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Cinderella at the Theatre Royal Wakefield, Jack and the Beanstalk at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin, plus Singin’ in the Rain, Annie, Dance of Desire and Brighton Beach Memoirs.

The rest of the Legally Blonde principal cast will continue to appear in the show, including Denise Van Outen as Paulette, Simon Thomas as Warner, Alex Gaumond as Emmett, Siobhan Dillon as Vivienne, Carley Stenson as Margot, Aoife Mulholland as Brooke and Peter Davison as Callahan.

The comedy musical, which opened in January, is based on the movie starring Reese Witherspoon about college sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods, who goes all out to prove to her ex-boyfriend Warner that she’s more than just a dumb blonde – by joining him at Harvard Law School.

The show is directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, book by Heather Hach, set design by David Rockwell, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Paul Miller, sound design by ACME Sound Partners and orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke.

Book tickets to Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre in London

Simon Thomas to star in Legally Blonde

Up and coming musicals star Simon Thomas is to join the cast of Legally Blonde the Musical at the Savoy Theatre in London.

The actor will take over from Richard Fleeshman in the show from 25 October 2010, playing Warner Huntington III. Richard’s last performance will be on 23 October.

Simon Thomas’s recent theatre credits include playing Rapunzel’s Prince in Sondheim’s Into the Woods at the Open Air Theatre, the lead in Disney’s Tarzan at the Neue Flora in Hamburg, plus roles in Marguerite, Make Me A Song and Merry Wives Of Windsor for the RSC.

Also joining the show on the 25th is Denise Van Outen, who takes over from Jill Halfpenny as hairdresser Paulette, Siobhan Dillon and Hollyoaks star Carley Stenson, alongside the current cast that includes the star of the show Sheridan Smith, Alex Gaumond and Peter Davison.

Legally Blonde The Musical  is currently booking until 22 October 2011 at the Savoy Theatre.

The comedy musical, which opened in January this year, is based on the movie starring Reese Witherspoon about college sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods (Sheridan Smith), who goes all out to prove to her ex-boyfriend Warner (Simon Thomas) that she’s more than just a dumb blonde – by joining him at Harvard Law School.

Special Offer: Enjoy discount tickets to Legally Blonde The Musical at the Savoy Theatre in London

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Legally Blonde – Savoy Theatre – Reviews round-up

Round-up of reviews of LEGALLY BLONDE at the Savoy Theatre in London

The reviews of Legally Blonde, which opened on Wednesday at the Savoy Theatre in London, were largely positive.  Cleverly the producers allowed critics to review preview performances as well as the official First Night – which meant they were exposed to some of the hard-core fans that have alreday started to gather around this show. This was a smart move as the infectious enthusiasm of the audience won over many of the critics – all of whom seemed to come to the show with misgivings.

Whilst nearly all the reviews had reservations about the plot, they couldn’t resist being taken by the tongue-in-cheek humour of the show, and particuarly the strong central performce of Sheridan Smith as Elle Woods (see a summary of the plot here). All apart from Quentin Letts of the Daily Mail…

STAR RATINGS

The Guardian

The Telegraph

The Times

The Independent

Daily Mail

Evening Standard

OPENING THOUGHTS

DM: Legally Blonde is so pink it is as though the IRA planted a bomb in the late Dame Barbara Cartland’s laundry basket. It is pink not just in the colour of many of the clothes and stage effects. It is pink to the core of its little, tiny soul.

ES: It’s not often that a West End musical references Simon Cowell, case law and the science of getting a perm. But this is Legally Blonde, in which gags about spring break rub up against throw-aways about Gloria Steinem and Thomas Hobbes, and with its mix of daftness and knowingness this sugary yet far from stupid romp will surely be a palpable hit.

VA: Size, as they say, matters. That idea is not lost on Sonia Friedman and her raft of U.K. producers on “Legally Blonde,” who have put the show in a smallish house more accustomed to plays than lavish tuners. Their financial gamble pays off big time thanks to a heap of reasons, chief among them being casting. This guilty pleasure of a show remains precision-engineered candy-floss, but as Elle, pint-sized knockout Sheridan Smith gives it heart and helium levels of happiness.

TI: Omygod, as a jazzily dressed set of sorority sisters keep squealing at the start of the delightful, annoying, supremely wishful musical that’s just come frolicking into Blighty from Broadway. Omygod, a girl can make it in a male-dominated world without sacrificing a dab of pink lipstick.

IN: I had thought snootily that the stage show of Legally Blonde might put the “ugh” in “euuuugh!” But omigod was I like totally blown away.

GU: It is, of course, preposterous: an LA fashion student conquers Harvard law school and becomes a courtroom star. But, for all its absurdity, I found this Broadway musical infinitely more enjoyable than the 2001 Hollywood movie on which it is based.

TE: OMIGOD! I tried, I really tried to hate this show, but resistance is futile. It’s going to be a huge hit and if you’re a chap, your wife or girlfriend is almost certain to drag you along. You might as well give in gracefully now.

ON SHERIDAN SMITH

ES: Sheridan Smith is emphatically the star of the show… It’s a performance of great warmth and enthusiasm.

IN: With her brilliantly warm, winning, witty and all-round adorable performance as Elle, Sheridan Smith achieves stage stardom like some jaw-dropping hole-in-one in golf… This girl can twirl on a dime and take you from elating silliness to genuine sadness in less time than it takes to say “Delta Nu”.

VA: Elle dreams of a bright and shiny life, a hope-filled demeanor Smith delivers in spades. It’s infectious and immensely winning because she deploys razor-sharp comic timing without ever sacrificing properly developed emotion. She’s deliciously knowing but never arch. Even when surrounded by silliness, she has an uncanny knack of making you lose sight of the performer, to empathize directly with the character’s hopes and dreams.

TE: The chief glory of the show is Sheridan Smith as Elle, blessed with vitality, warmth, great comic timing and sudden moments of touching vulnerability. She is infinitely more likeable than Reese Witherspoon in the film.

GU: Sheridan Smith as Elle is also far more vivacious than Reese Witherspoon. Smith is perky, trim, and sings and dances excellently. But her true star quality lies in her sense of mischief, which I first noticed when she was a teenager appearing with the National Youth Music Theatre. Blessed with the long upper lip of a natural comic, Smith sails buoyantly through the show with a radiant smile as if warning us not to take it too seriously.

DM: Miss Smith’s singing voice is not strong but she brings a likeable cheekiness to the part. A crueller critic might wonder if she is glamorous enough for the role.

IN A NUTSHELL

ES: Legally Blonde is a winner. It’s energetic and amusing, with a sprightly sense of pace, and all but the most flinty-hearted theatregoers will leave it flushed with delight.

IN: It may not be quite as good as Hairspray (it lacks that show’s lovely, double-bluffing libertarian dimension), but it’s ridiculously enjoyable from start to finish and camp peroxide-perfection in terms of its showbiz roots.

VA: this transfer looks set to thrive as long as Smith wants to stick around and steal hearts.

TI: Let’s overlook some forgettable tunes and welcome dance that embraces everything from skipping with ropes to spoof Riverdance. Let’s relish the support both of a fake-Greek chorus dressed as cheerleaders and of two cute, unnaturally obedient dogs. Let’s agree that Legally Blonde is, well, fun.

TE: This is rom-com with a welcome touch of irony.

GU: I can only report that the ­predominantly female audience with whom I saw the show seemed to be ­having a whale of a time and did not give a damn about the fact that the musical is little more than a nonsensical fairytale.

DM: The plot is pap, the musical unmemorable, the dancing often hefty except for one routine with skipping ropes.

KEY TO REVIEWS:

GU = Guardian: Michael Billington. Read review

TE = Telegraph: Charles Spencer. Read review

TI = The Times: Benedict Nightingale. Read review

VA = Variety: David Benedict. Read review

IN = The Independent: Paul Taylor. Read review

ES = Evening Standard: Henry Hitchings. Read review

DM = Dail Mail: Quentin Letts. Read review

Book tickets to see LEGALLY BLONDE at the Savoy Theatre in London

ALEX GAUMOND in Legally Blonde

Alex Gaumond, 31, is no show-business novice. In a few short years the Canadian musicals actor has covered a lot of theatre ground with worldwide tours and numerous roles to his credit.

But this month proves a turning point in his career as he takes on one of the principal roles in the new big budget musical Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre in London. The reviews have been kind – with Variety in particular full of praise for his performance as Emmett, the quiet guy who finally gets the girl: “Resisting the temptation to push the “cute nerd” button, he never overplays his hand. Instead he allows the attraction to stem and grow from the sweetness of his singing voice and the ease of his playing.”

He already has a close connection to the UK, having lived here for the last 12 years after moving from Montreal, Canada. He trained at the Guildford School of Acting and his first professional acting job was in 2000 in the ensemble of Miss Saigon in the Philippines. He has subsequently appeared in numerous shows, including the 2002 West End production of The Full Monty, Sunday In The Park With George and Guys And Dolls, culminating in taking the lead in the UK tour of We Will Rock You.

His high-profile role in Legally Blonde promises to reward his years of hard ensemble work in musical theatre with a bright new future as a West End star.

Book tickets to see Alex Gaumond in Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre in London.

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