Legally Blonde - from Broadway to MTV

When I was a tyke, you could catch glimpses of Broadway on programs like The Ed Sullivan Show, as performers recreated songs for the national audience. These days, there doesn't seem to be an outlet for that sort of thing (though why Conan O'Brien or David Letterman don't take more advantage of the shows down the street, I have no idea).

That's about to change - at least momentarily - as MTV (as in Music Television - you know, the channel that used to show music videos) has announced plans to film the Broadway musical Legally Blonde and air it in its entirety. The first broadcast is scheduled for Saturday, September 29 at 1:00 p.m.

MTV will film Legally Blonde at the Palace Theatre. This isn't the first time a stage show has been recorded for TV, of course - but no show has ever been broadcast while still running on Broadway. It's an interesting experiment - will the broadcast spark interest in the live show or kill off the audience's interest?

Legally Blonde stars Kentucky native Laura Bell Bundy as Elle Woods. Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, the show features a score by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O'Keefe and book by Heather Hach.

You know what I always say: set the Tivo!