Doris Nhan Arts and Entertainment Editor
Let’s be honest. Legally Blonde was not geared towards the middle-aged or older population. With Reese Withserpoon’s perfect blonde hair and her ‘bend-and-snap’ methodology to winning a man, Legally Blonde is and always will be for the tweenage and young adult nation. My bet is that Legally Blonde the Musical is not singing a different tune.
But when Legally Blonde the Musical comes to Washington this December at the Kennedy Center, chances are the only ones who will show up are the middle-aged theatre patrons who donate proliferously to the center. The upwards of $90 per ticket is far too much for a college-aged student who eats 50-cent canned Spaghetti-Os like it’s his job. So what exactly is the Broadway touring industry expecting from these types of shows?
Theatres are beginning to target younger audience, hoping to pull in the fresh faces of our generation. National Theatre has “student rush” tickets that market $25 tickets versus their usual $41.50 to $151.50 price range. Seemingly perfect, they come loaded with specific stipulations – available only two hours before show time and only at the box office and a limit of 2 per person, with student ID.
Theatres will always have a reputation of being pretentious, unaffordable and mostly about Shakespeare. But that’s far from the truth. Theatre is about classics, yes, but also about the contemporary. Altar Boyz, a satirical musical about a Christian boy band with one Jewish member, is playing at the Bethesda Theatre. The Wizard of Oz, a beloved classic is showing at the Warner Theatre. But as long as prices are steep and the reputation of theatre continues to be fulfilled by its wealthy, older patrons, no matter how modern plays and musicals get – theatre will always be behind the times.
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