Legally Blonde is based on the 2001 film, which, in turn, is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown. The novel is a compilation of funny letters and stories from Brown's time in Stanford Law School. Producers had a desire to bring the film's story to Broadway. They brought together composer Laurence O'Keefe and his wife and lyricist Nell Benjamin, screenwriter Heather Hach, and renowned choreographer/director Jerry Mitchell to work on the project.
Legally Blonde, based on the hit movie of the same name, premiered at San Francisco's Golden Gate Theatre in February of 2007. The show then transferred to Broadway, where it opened at the Palace Theatre on April 29, 2007. The original production starred Laura Bell Bundy and Christian Borle. It ran for 595 regular performances before closing on October 19, 2008.
Shortly before the Broadway production closed, a national tour opened on September 21, 2008. It ended on August 15, 2010. A non-Equity tour opened just a month later. It started on September 21, 2010 in Jackson, Mississippi and ended on May 15, 2011 in New Haven, Connecticut.
The West End premiere of Legally Blonde opened on January 13, 2010 at the Savoy Theatre. It became one of the most popular shows on the West End, but eventually closed on April 7, 2012 after 974 performances. A UK national tour ran from July 8, 2011 to October 6, 2012. Outside of the UK, the musical has also enjoyed significant success. An Australian production opened in October 2012 and is currently touring across the continent. There have been international productions from South Korea to Sweden, Austria to the Philippines, and France to Panama.