Like, omigod, MTV show seeks new Elle Woods

"I did want to get the unknowns — girls who had never been on a plane before or who had never seen a Broadway show," she says. "But I also wanted to see girls who had been on Broadway. I wanted it to be open to everybody."

In each city, a voice, acting and dance specialist from the Broadway company was on hand to view the talent and eliminate contenders. Episode 1 started with 50 girls, who were quickly cut to 15. Soon, only 10 were left.

Viewers voted to choose the leads in "Grease"; "Legally Blonde" did something different: It has three judges, all connected with the show: Telsey, Hach and Paul Canaan, a member of the musical's ensemble. And Mitchell comes in for the already taped last episode — to be broadcast July 21 — to help with the final decision.

One reason for judges to choose the winner, according to Luftig, was "comfort level. Who the audience would vote for may not have been great for the show. That was a big fear. I just didn't want to be in the position that America voted on somebody that had a heartbreaking story rather than someone who was best for the show.

"And I don't think Jerry Mitchell would have bought into it. He wanted to know that we had some modicum of control over the process."

Telsey, a veteran casting director of such hit musicals as "Rent," "Hairspray" and "Wicked," initially had a few qualms about the television format.

"I love helping actors more than I love judging them," he says. "It's a given that as a casting director we have to eventually make a judgment by rejecting someone and hiring someone else. But I didn't want to overemphasize that aspect of what we do every day in the audition room."

He also wanted the reality show to demonstrate what it takes to audition for a Broadway musical.

Lipitz concurs.

"I don't think America understands what actors go through to be on Broadway, what it means to do eight shows a week and how talented these people are. ... They can do anything — can learn harmony in five minutes or pick up a 48-count dance step in five minutes. Teach it to them once and they can do it. That's what we wanted to capture in this show," she says.

And create a new star at the same time.

Audience invested in ‘Grease’ casting
Consider "Grease." Max Crumm as Danny and Laura Osnes as Sandy won their roles last summer on the NBC series, telecasts that helped boost the revival's advance before opening to $15 million.

"Max and Laura definitely have fans from the TV show, it's pretty clear," says Nick Scandalios, executive vice president of the Nederlander Organization, one of the producers of "Grease."

"They get entrance applause (at the beginning of each performance). People invested in Max and Laura because they voted for them. They felt like they contributed somehow to making 'Grease' happen. Here were two kids, first time in New York, and it wasn't part of their deal to have a car but we had to get them a car service from the theater because of the crowds at the stage door, and people would follow them."

When Crumm and Osnes leave the show in late July — Crumm to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film; Osnes to stay in New York to audition for more theater — who will replace them? Derek Keeling and Ashley Spencer, who were the runners-up in the TV competition.

"Many people voted for them, too," Scandalios explains. "And because the long process they went through, we knew they were capable of playing the parts." And it's helped the box office, too, with the show only a whisper away from recouping its $9 million-plus production costs.

For "Legally Blonde," box-office grosses have risen steadily in the last month, climbing to more than $786,000 last week, up from nearly $448,000 for the last week of May. Whether the increase is due to summer (and more tourists and kids in town), the MTV show or a combination of both, Luftig, for one, isn't sure.

"But we have seen an increase in our ticket sales, especially our cast album sales (now over 100,000), our Web traffic and our merchandise like hats, sweatshirts and pants," Lipitz adds. "Plus you can feel the energy coming out of the Palace Theatre (audience). And that's the best news of all — when the cast says, 'Oh, my god, they're screaming' (their approval)."

Bundy's last performance is Sunday July 20. Her replacement is announced the next evening on the TV show. And on Wednesday July 22, a new Elle Woods will take center stage at the Palace Theatre.

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