A romantic drama based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein will be the first musical to be streamed live in Second Life when it airs in August. 

Joined at the Heart will be broadcast live in the virtual world on 4 August at 7.30pm British Summer Time. 

Geoff Meads, a brand manager at Arcam, and co-writer of the script, said that the musical is not being acted out in true Second Life fashion using avatars. 

"It is going to be the actual stage show and thus with real people. No avatars," Meads told vnunet.com.

Before its airing on Second Life, the show will receive its world premiere at The Junction in Cambridge before going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Saturday night performance from The Junction will be shown online. 

"Music distribution has changed dramatically in recent years with the advent of MP3s and iPods," said Meads. "It seems highly apt that the world of musicals is going the same way."