Producers of a major new tour of the smash-hit Broadway and West End musical Legally Blonde The Musical are on the hunt for a four-legged star for its Liverpool Empire run.
EastEnders’ Rita Simons, Lucie Jones, who is representing the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Never Give Up On You’ on Saturday May 13, and Bill Ward, star of Coronation Street and Emmerdale are the human stars of the show.
But Legally Blonde The Musical also has two dogs in the cast – a Chihuahua called Bruiser and another called Rufus.
Bruiser is already cast and will be on the road with the cast but producers are holding auditions for the role of Rufus.
If you think your pooch has got what it takes simply email legallyblondedogauditions@gmail.com requesting an application form.
Successful applicants will be invited to attend the auditions at the Empire Theatre in February.
An audition process can be daunting, so to make to make it a little easier and save you time, here is what they are looking for:
A British Bulldog – First and foremost, they are looking for a British Bulldog as appeared in the film. They are open to other breeds, but they need to have that look about them. Fairly bullish and robust. Cute and fluffy is not what they’re looking for here.
Temperament – If your dog is relaxed, laid back, good with people and enjoys a good fuss, they would love to hear from you.
Responsive to commands – If your dog responds to ‘come here’, ‘sit’ etc and doesn’t just wander off doing its own thing, then they could be exactly what they are looking for. They do not expect Rufus to perform tricks.
Tricks – Having said they do not expect tricks, if your lovable brute has any, the producers would love to see them. They have five minutes to show them what they’ve got. If they’re skills are good enough, your furry friend could end up in the show.
Experience – Although absolutely not essential, if your dog has some form of stage experience it will be a huge bonus. Even the most confident of dogs can suddenly be affected by the lights, the band and the huge round of applause they are bound to receive on their big entrance.
Associate director David Barrett said: “Legally Blonde The Musical is a show all about stereotypes and not judging a book by its cover and the dogs are no different in this.
“So whereas ‘Bruiser’ is the cute, tiny, adorable one, with ‘Rufus’ we are looking for the total opposite.
“We are looking for a big, brutish, dog that only its mother could love - preferably a Bull Dog as in the film but we are certainly open to options.”
Legally Blonde The Musical is an all singing, all dancing romantic comedy, a fun-filled, feel-good pink fest.
College sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods, doesn’t take no for an answer.
When her boyfriend dumps her for someone more serious, Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books and heads for Harvard Law School.
Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.
Based on the Reese Witherspoon film, Legally Blonde The Musical earned seven Tony nominations and ten Drama Desk Award nominations during its Broadway run. In the UK it was nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards winning three including Best New Musical, and was nominated for eight Whatsonstage Awards winning four including Best Musical.
Legally Blonde The Musical, with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach, based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the MGM motion picture, will be at the Liverpool Empire from June 5 to 9.
Tickets are available now. To book visit the Empire’s Box Office, or call 0844 871 3017 or buy online at atgtickets.com/Liverpool.
