The last time I talked to Rhiannon Hansen in July 2008, she was trying to figure out how to pack for a year — in only two suitcases.
Fast forward a year and a half, and the blonde from Logan has been thoroughly enjoying life on the road in the national tour of "Legally Blonde the Musical," which opens this week in Salt Lake City.
Quick recap: Hansen auditioned for the role of Elle on MTV's "Legally Blonde: The Search for the Next Elle Woods," a reality TV show that had the girls eating, cooking and living together, while they sang, danced and acted — against — each other.
"The competition got so tense," she said last time we spoke. The top four girls were offered contracts in either the Broadway production or in the tour.
Today, Hansen couldn't be happier.
"I'm having such a good time," she said over the phone from Seattle. "I've just enjoyed the sightseeing in each city when it's not raining, eating all the different foods, having an opening night in each city, it's been great."
Hansen plays Elle's ditzy friend, Margo, "the dumb blonde." But she also understudies Elle.
"I'll be going on as Elle on Sunday (March 28) for both shows. So, I'm looking forward to doing that in my hometown."
The musical, based on the 2001 hit movie starring Reese Witherspoon as Elle, focuses on a perky blond sorority queen from California who decides to follow her boyfriend, who dumped her, to Harvard Law School in order to win him back.
The movie — and the play — both carry a positive message for girls. That why producer Dori Berinstein wanted to be a part of it.
"At the time I had an 8-year-old daughter," the three-time Tony Award-winning producer said.
"I felt that 'Legally Blonde' was sending out such a fantastic message of empowerment to girls. It is good to be smart, be your fabulous self and be nice to people," she said. "And that's such an important message."
Her daughter is now 15. "She still loves the show. She grew up behind the curtain and was completely by my side," Berinstein said. "And it's been great to expose her to this world at such a young age. I couldn't be happier."
"As a mom I really wanted to make sure my daughter was immersed in the 'Legally Blonde' message and also felt very strongly about getting the message to the world."
The musical has now been seen on Broadway, London's West End, South Korea, the Philippines and of course, here, with the national tour.
"I loved Chicago, I loved L.A., I loved Boston," said Hansen, who collected stickers from each city. "I've got all these stickers on my trunk that we carry our heavy stuff in."
Hansen hasn't grown tired of performing or traveling. "You find different things in every city that you just fall in love with," she said. "You find your favorite cafes and restaurants. And you miss some food that you can't get next week in the next town."
But the food that she misses most? "Mom's home-cooked meal," she said.
"I called my mom and asked her if she was going to make spaghetti, and I'm so looking forward to it," Hansen said. "You just miss homemade food so terribly. Restaurant food all starts to taste the same to you. You start to get bored with what you're eating."
With shows every night, Hansen will spend the bulk of her time in Salt Lake City rather than Logan, but "I am going to try to get to Logan and switch out my wardrobe, switch my sweatshirts, pull out T-shirts and things like that."
And, of course, she'll see family and friends. "I'm actually so excited for it. I'm kind of nervous. I get more nervous performing in front of my family and stuff, so I'm a little bit nervous, especially for Sunday. All these people who followed my audition … it's so fun to go full circle — to have them see me go on as Elle. But it makes your tummy tickle a little bit."
If you go
What: "Legally Blonde the Musical," national tour
When: March 23-28, times vary, matinees available
Where: Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South
How much: $35-$67.50
Phone: 801-355-2787
Web: www.arttix.org or www.legallyblondethemusical.com
e-mail: ehansen@desnews.com