Inside Over The Rainbow's first show
On Wednesday night I went to the recording for this Saturday's studio show of our new BBC One series Over The Rainbow, hosted by Graham Norton and starring Andrew Lloyd Webber.
We're searching for a Dorothy to appear on the West End stage next year. As the BBC's controller of entertainment commissioning I get to attend recordings of all the shows my team and I commission.
It all went extremely well. Graham and Andrew - TV's unlikeliest couple - were on fine form. I've so enjoyed watching their relationship develop over the years and feel proud that it was the BBC who introduced them to each other. They exude mutual respect on screen which is so important in a show of this kind.
Our new panel of highly expert judges - Sheila Hancock, Charlotte Church and John Partridge were great. And, of course, the girls - 20 Dorothys - performed astonishingly well at this early stage of the series.
Sheila, John and Charlotte are already working very well together. Sheila knows everything there is to know about acting and is passionate about bringing on and nurturing new talent. Charlotte, although still young, has been a professional singer for so many years she knows all there is to know about voice and performance.
And John, before he shot to fame as Christian in EastEnders, was a star of musical theatre in the West End, performing in Cats and Starlight Express amongst others.
Each brings something different but vital to the panel and each manages to say something constructive or insightful - watch out for Sheila's comments about pop music!
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The girls performed in groups of four, each group with a mentor - a current West End leading lady - Kelly Ellis (soon to replace Jodie Prenger as Nancy in Oliver!), Ruthie Henshall (currently appearing in Chicago), Sheridan Smith (Legally Blonde), Tamzin Outhwaite (Sweet Charity) and Melanie C (Blood Brothers).
This is an entirely new format for us but I really think we will be seeing more of it as it gave an added dimension to the singing.
It was never going to be easy getting 20 down to 10 aspiring performers for the live studio shows. The standard is extremely high and I was very encouraged, especially as some are so young (ages range from 16-28).
After much heated debate Andrew and the panel managed to agree on seven who would go through. Then with an even more heated exchange they came up with the next three who have made it through to the live shows and the public vote.
Andrew is brilliant in these discussions, very quickly and concisely focusing everyone's minds on what we need our Dorothy to have. Every time you sit in a room with Andrew you learn something new about musical theatre. His enthusiasm for new talent and the performing arts never seems to diminish.
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And revenue from the phone votes on this series will go to the Performing Arts Fund - a small BBC charity, but one which gives students who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it the opportunity to study musical theatre.
In fact it's the biggest funder of musical theatre training - within the charity sector - in the UK and has supported over 100 students to date with awards totalling over £600,000.
So we have our 10 girls for the live shows. There is, however, one place left. It's down to you - our viewers now.
You get to choose in a phone vote which girl gets the wildcard entry place into the live shows. The winner will be announced during the first live show on 3 April.
The confidence and ability amongst our Dorothys is amazing but then that is what the series is all about - unearthing wonderful talent that exists in this country, nurturing it, watching the potential being fulfilled and seeing it blossom into marvellous West End talent.
Make sure you tune in to watch the excitement, the tears and the drama!
Mark Linsey is controller of entertainment commissioning
Comment number 1.
At 12:41 26th Mar 2010, Konnolsky wrote:Ah, Mark, how nostalgics you are make me and assistant Yuri here in my Smolensk butcher’s shop. Yuri is take break from remove best morsels from sheep head and we are remember when we appear in version of “The Wizard of Oz”. It was in high school, early 1980s, and we are study English. So put on show in English called “The Blizzard Kolkhoz” (which is mean collective farm). This excellent Soviet propaganda work in which Yuri is play Scarecrow, who is sort of commissar who frighten away political deviants. I am play Coward Lion. Initially is brilliant satiric portrait of Trotsky, but under intensive re-education lion is become loyal Party member and win Order of Lenin. He then participate in Right Deviationism and is purged. Cousin Dmitri is play Tin Miner, who exceed quota for year and is hero.
I still remember some songs:
Somewhere in Volga Region
There is man
He make magnificent tractors
Compliant with Five Year Plan
And favourite:
We off and see the blizzards
The wonderful blizzards and fog.
Though they freeze the bones of capitalists
We comrades snug as bug.
We snug as bug who warm on log
The blizzards and fog is make us hug
Because, because, because, because, because
Because we are wonderful Communists!
We off to see the blizzards
The wonderful blizzards and fog!
When Dorotya is say at end “There’s no place like the workers’ commune” we are all cry out eyes.
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Comment number 2.
At 18:01 28th Mar 2010, Chester Field wrote:Not to take anything away from the performers and Artists involved with the making of the show, as a "broad generalization" I really must say "TV has gone to pot"! 'REALITY' shows (IMHO) are the 'RAP GENERATION' of TV. When television was B&W, the actors were impressive, because they didn't really on special effects to any large degree. The writers were Uber more talented than what would appear to be today, save for a few odd shows and old standards like Corrie! We need LESS of this type of programing and more of the good "old fashioned" type. I wouldn't ever plop a young tyke down in front of it , alone, nowadays! They should surely come and take Granddad away for Child abuse or neglect. The BBC , that venerable old INSTITUTION, has gone to the (snoop doggy?) dogs!
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Comment number 3.
At 10:07 5th Apr 2010, derek500 wrote:Great HD, better than your TVC productions, but why no 5.1?
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Comment number 4.
At 21:53 15th Apr 2010, RogerL wrote:Could you please give the REAL Amy Diamond a chance?
(found out about this competition when a new person suddenly showed up on my youtube searches)
None of these Dorothy contestants could possibly pass as a 12-year old farmgirl...
The real Amy Diamond can!
Today it is her 18th birthday. Her father is from England, so she talks English with an Brittish accent... And she has even lived in England for some years.
You can find out more
https://www.amydiamond.se/?sid=article&pid=read&id=2376&languageID=1
On the Swedish biography page you can see that she had her first public performance at age eight - singing "Over the Rainbow"...
Other misc info: She has participated twice in Melodifestivalen, and here you can see her biggest weakness. (I think she tries too much when competing.)
Too advanced coerografy, difficult songs, a bit extra tention...
Usually she sings so perfect, and people are used to it, but in competitions...
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Comment number 5.
At 14:13 17th Apr 2010, RogerL wrote:I reread my comment. Last sentence was too harsh.
She is quite good at competitions too, like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6jjjR2lmf0
But I think she sang even better in the general rehearsal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttkd0CRnJ6E
She has played some teater/musical too, like Alice in Wonderland.
From rehersals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36UnMwN_VJ4
[Reviewer, please pass my messages on to someone working with the production.
It is possible that she can not reschedule for the complete show. Guest appearance?]
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Comment number 6.
At 19:55 25th Apr 2010, Jeffrey Scarf wrote:Re tonights show.
The show is excellent overall.
I have to say when the results are announced regarding the telephone vote.
Please, please, please do not do that again to a contestent (Danielle).
Pretending she might be in the sing off, putting doubt into her mind is unfair and not necessary.
We as viewers hate to see unnecessary grief poured out on a contestent.
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