MTV Sets Broadcast Date for Legally Blonde
By Andrew Gans
and Adam Hetrick
10 Sep 2007
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Laura Bell Bundy in Legally Blonde.
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| photo by Paul Kolnik | MTV will broadcast Legally Blonde — The Musical Sept. 29 at 1 PM ET.
The program will feature the broadcast of the entire musical as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the musical, which currently plays the Palace Theatre. The musical will subsequently air several times on the cable network. (Premiere date and time, according to a press announcement, are subject to change.)
Playbill.com reported Sept. 7 that Legally Blonde will be filmed a total of three times — once in its entirety, another without an audience, and a Sept. 18 filming that is free to theatregoers ages 15-25. That performance will take on a more interactive feel with the entire orchestra section full of pink-clad fans. All of the footage will be combined for the MTV broadcast.
The MTV broadcast will feature a Pink Carpet extravaganza filmed at the Palace Theatre; the aforementioned backstage feature will air prior to the telecast of the musical.
In a statement Tony DiSanto, EVP of MTV's Series Development & Programming, said, "Legally Blonde has captivated and entertained fans worldwide, both on the big screen and on the Broadway stage. In an MTV first, we are giving those same fans, and new ones, a unique opportunity to experience this hit Broadway musical in its entirety like never before. We are creating a one of kind special weekend event -- done in a way only MTV can."
Blonde producer Hal Luftig added, "MTV's endorsement of a show on this level is unprecedented and will benefit the industry as a whole as Broadway continues to expand its audience. This is a great match and we could not be happier."
This is a rare, if not unprecedented step, for a Broadway musical to air in its entirety during its run. Several productions — including the original casts of Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George — were taped during their runs, but were broadcast after closing. A concert version of Les Misérables was aired during the run of that international hit musical, but it was not a fully staged production. More recent shows that have been filmed for broadcast include Smokey Joe's Cafe and Jekyll & Hyde. The recent revival of Company was also filmed for future broadcast.
The MTV special is executive-produced by Tony DiBari, Tim Healy, David George and George McTeague; Frank Garritano is producer.
Directed and choreographed by Tony Award Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde officially opened at the Palace Theatre April 29. The new musical began previews April 3.
Laura Bell Bundy (Hairspray, Wicked) plays sorority girl Elle Woods, who gets dumped by her boyfriend and follows him to Harvard Law School. The Blonde cast also includes Christian Borle (Spamalot) as Emmett, Orfeh (Saturday Night Fever) as Paulette, Richard H. Blake (The Wedding Singer) as Warner, Kate Shindle (Cabaret) as Vivienne, Nikki Snelson (Off-Broadway's How to Save the World…) as Brooke and Tony Award winner Michael Rupert (Sweet Charity, The Happy Time, Ragtime) as Professor Callahan.
Legally Blonde has music and lyrics by both Laurence O'Keefe (Bat Boy: The Musical, Cam Jansen and the Curse of the Emerald Elephant, Sarah, Plain and Tall) and Nell Benjamin (Cam Jansen, Sarah, Plain and Tall, The Mice) and a book by Heather Hach (the film "Freaky Friday"). James Sampliner serves as music director. Orchestrations are by Christopher Jahnke.
The production features scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Paul Miller and sound design by ACME Sound Partners.
The show is produced on Broadway by Hal Luftig, Fox Theatricals and Dori Berinstein, in association with MGM Onstage, Darcie Denkert and Dean Stolber.
For more information visit www.legallyblondethemusical.com.
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