US financial meltdown hits canine thesps hard

The far-reaching effects of the US financial crisis are starkly demonstrated by the impending ejection onto New York's mean streets of a Chihuahua named Chico - canine star of the theatrical adaptation of Legally Blonde.

The show will close on 19 October after its 595th performance, Bloomberg reports. It's one of three to announce the final curtain in the past three weeks, with [title of show] and Xanadu also hit by a dramtic fall in ticket sales. Both of these will lose money, although the final profit/loss account for Legally Blonde has yet to be tallied.

Quite how the crunch affects the prospects for Spider-Man - The Musical! remains to be seen, although the producers shouldn't have any trouble finding a vacant theatre for the intented 2009 debut of the eight-legged musical. ®