i was really looking forward to this production after viewing the MTV telecast a while back - the tour was scaled down from the Broadway production but the sets and the lighting were still nice and flashy and fit the tone of the show

I loved the choreography - especially the Riverdance take-off and another number about exercise called Whipped Into Shape that is done with jump ropes

The score is fun if not outstanding - most of Elle's number are very upbeat which fits her perfectly - there is a great number called Ireland - and a funny song which begs the eternal question - is he gay or European? Our local paper said the number was mildly offensive but i thought it was a hoot

Lots of good people in the cast - Elle was played by a 19 year old understudy - if she didn't command the stage as Laura Bell Bundy appeared to do on video, she shows great potential even though her voice didn't carry as well as I would have liked in a few places - the actors playing Emmett and Paulette were equally good - in fact, i enjoyed everyone in the cast

My only complaint was the sound - it's a good thing that I had watched the video and listened to the CD as i'm not sure i would have understood what was going on otherwise (never saw the movie) - not sure if the problem was with the sound design or the theatre - for most of the show the instrumentals outpowered the vocals - especially for Elle - many in the audience were commenting that they couldn't understand the lyrics - not a good thing in a musical

overall the show was lots of fun - and hopefully the MTV version will be released on DVD once the tour is complete