The Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey has hit out at the BBC for it’s reality TV musicals, he believes they put people off going to the theatre and offer an unfair ‘13-week’ promotion. He’s blasted Andrew Lloyd Webber’s How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do and I’d Do Anything and highlighted the fact the BBC are not a commercial operation and should not be crossing the line as they are doing.
Spacey, who currently has a play at The Old Vic Theatre, has complained to Sir Michael Lyons (chairman of the BBC) and quite fairly asked “where’s our 13 week promotion or programme?”. The BBC have replied issuing a statement saying that it doesn’t have any commercial interests in the West End productions or spin-offs relating to How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do and I’d Do Anything, the current offering to cast leads in Cameron Mackintosh’s upcoming revival of Oliver! , adding, “They provide quality Saturday night entertainment and are about finding new talent.”
Furthermore Andrew Lloyd Webber has commented on Spacey’s slur saying these programmes have boosted the West End in terms of visitors and box office sales. Webber states “It has always been my job to get people into the West End” and through these programmes he’s certainly done that, he’s even managed the task of getting young people interested in the West End.
So whether you love them or hate them, I think that reality TV musicals are here to stay - well for a while yet at least!
Firstly, before I get to the nitty gritty of the show, may I just take a moment to appreciate the legend that is Barry Humphries. If you didn’t manage to catch the show ladies and gentlemen, you missed out on some cracking lines delivered at inappropriate moments. For example Humphries uttered these gems when giving feedback on performances - “you have a touch of guttersnipe, I mean that in the nicest possible way”, “Rachel, you have the real quality of a street urchin” and “Samantha makes me want to live on the Isle of Man”. Keep up the good work Humphries - we can’t wait to see what classic comment you come up with next!
Well it’s never easy being the first to go and Amy certainly did it with a touch of class and proved she was worthy of being in this competition even if she did not win it. She gave a cracking rendition of “As Long As He Needs Me” and took the bad news on the chin before performing for the last time. It was kind of obvious that Amy was for the chop as she didn’t receive such a positive review from the judges.
I really cannot believe that Tara wasn’t in the bottom two, her version of “Suddenly I see” was utterly ridiculous, did anyone else notice she kept saying suddenly I see-aaa and throwing her limbs around as if they were on fire. It’s outstanding that she made it through, so perhaps next week we can look forward to Tara singing Duffy’s “Mercy-aaa” or Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music-aaa” - who knows but hopefully she’ll watch last Saturday’s show and head to the vocal coach.
I was quite surprised to see Francesca in the bottom two considering she’s Van Outens mate - but that’s perhaps why she was put into the bottom two, the public might not like the fact she’s already tasted West End stardom. It could also of been done purposely to make us think that her prior experience and connection to the judges will not help her in this competition. Or perhaps she was just crap - lets just see how she gets on next week.
The two front runners that stand out for me are Jessie and Jodie, I definitely think that they catch your eye and certainly give it their all during performances - watch out for them in the next coming weeks.
As for the Olivers, when I watch them I can’t help but think that the majority of those little boys will be so crushed and upset in the next month if they don’t get to the final. This weeks winner Gwion and his chums looked so adorable singing Bright Eyes and it struck me that I really don’t think I can watch when they get told they didn’t make it - who knew reality TV could be so gripping!
Well that’s just about it from this week’s I’d Do Anything, so Pip Pip Cheerio Amy, Consider yourself in with a chance of winning Gwion and we’ll review the situation next week after another action packed show!
The heart of the West End was plunged into darkness last Tuesday after an almighty power cut, the environment took no prisoners when it dimmed the bright lights of theatreland and attempted to ruin the opening night of “God of Carnage”.
Shaftesbury Avenue was hit pretty hard by the power cut and reduced Sir Cameron Mackintosh to beg his audience to stay and attempt to watch the rest of the show at the Gielgud Theatre. However after a ten minute disruption the show did go on, using only emergency stage lights and the front of house spotlight, Ralph Fiennes and the rest of the cast carried on to eventual applause. True to English form the audience got behind it and cheered the show on - I’m sure if Ralph wheeled out a piano and lit a few candles an olden day sing along would of occurred.
God of Carnage was not the only production to be hit by darkness, Les Mis got that bit more miserable as the audience had to leave due to the power cut. I think there is lesson to be learnt from this disaster, there is only one god of carnage - and that’s the environment!
That’s right folks, Rowan Atkinson is making a West End comeback after two decades to play Fagin in Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of Oliver! Good old Mr Bean is meant to be treading the boards with the “I’d Do Anything” winners at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 14th January 2009.
Atkinson commented “In the 1980’s I enjoyed doing a lot of West End theatre and since then have been distracted very much by Mr Bean and film-making. I had been thinking for some time about returning to the stage and the idea of the role of Fagin, which has long intrigued me - some time ago I even played the role in a school production - seemed like too good an opportunity to miss.”
I for one am quite thrilled by the idea of Atkinson starring as Fagin, he has the right attitude and persona to pull off such a character, and if the “I’d Do Anything” winners are a bit shoddy at least Atkinson can carry the show! The brand spanking new Oliver! is set to have a cast and crew of over 100, and the award winning director Rupert Goold will be joined by the original Oliver! creative team, Matthew Bourne and Anthony Ward.
Oliver! is set to be a stage extravaganza so keep checking Show and Stay for regular updates on this exciting musical.
Here is a short clip of Atkinson doing a comedy sketch on acting.
You can’t move at the moment without bumping in to something to do with the Lord of theatre, he’s everywhere! It seems everyone wants a slice of the Webber pie this year, whether covering his 60th birthday celebrations or his latest projects Andrew Lloyd Webber has infiltrated every medium from print to TV to web and in true Show and Stay style we’re bringing you the highlights!
Webber Watch: He’s a chart topper!
In a recent interview with Heat magazine, Lord Webber revealed that he has had chart success writing under a different name and revealed that he produced “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” because it was fun…he’s just that kinda guy! This tit bit of information has left the Show and Stay team wondering just what the chart hit he had “more recently than you might think” could be. Could Lloyd Webber be the true mastermind behind the Crazy Frog phenomenon? Is Leona Lewis actually singing Webber ballads? Or is Mr Webber an aspiring DJ, perhaps the face behind Bass Hunter? Answers on a postcard!
Webber Watch: Mentor to the Idols
Our very own Lord of the West End shall be appearing on American Idol as a mentor to the aspiring Kings and Queens of Pop. Lloyd Webber will be offering helpful hints and tips based on his years in the entertainment industry. His appearance on the popular prime-time American series will be juggled with his busy schedule here in the UK, what with all the Nancys to find, theatres to run and his House of Lords commitments. Phew it’s busy work being a Lord!
Webber Watch: Birthday Surprise!
As part of his 60th birthday celebrations, the Lord was presented with a birthday cake by staff and friends at one of his very own theatres! The group sang happy birthday and Lloyd Webber seemed overwhelmed at the surprise. To see the video take a look at his official site http://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/index.php
Well that’s all from Webber Watch, we’ll keep you updated as and when we hear anymore goss! Check out this video of Sarah Brightman and the Lord himself playing the piano!
The final 12 have been chosen, well 24 if you include the Olivers but who’s counting! Saturday Night’s show rushed us through at break-neck speed from Nancy School, to a live performance at the Theatre Royal to choosing the final 12, interspersed with clips of the Olivers receiving the “surprise” news that they’d made it to the live shows. Just how surprised you can be with the arrival of a film crew I don’t know but i’m sure somebody believed it was all real. Sarcasm aside, the Oliver clips did bring a lump to my throat particularly with the boys that seemed genuinely overwhelmed.
As for the Nancys, well the final 12 do seem to be the best of the bunch but it is difficult to tell exactly how good they are when you’ve only been shown split second clips of them performing. I really wanted to see a bit more from Nancy School and as for the live performance at the Theatre Royal, I think the viewing audience saw more of Barbara Windsor, Connie Fisher and Lee Mead than they did the actual stars of the show! I’ll be keeping a close eye on Samantha (who, again appears to have previous experience having supported both the Sugababes and Matt Willis in concert - OK so it’s not West End experience but still!), Jessie - who has quite a strong online following and Francesca (that’s Denise Van Outen’s Rent co-star to you and I). Talking of professional experience, it seems we are not the only ones to have investigated the abilities of our 12 “lucky” ladies, in fact the national press have been criticising “I’d Do Anything” for a number of reasons.
It seems that not only are people questioning the format of the show, stating that perhaps “I’d Do Anything” is more a professional audition filmed for our viewing pleasure rather than a search for raw talent as it is billed; well it is a little suss that both Fisher and Mead had professional training, with Mead appearing as an understudy in the Phantom of the Opera no less! But, also that the BBC are using the license fee to endorse and advertise West End musicals. This is where I begin to lose patience with the critics, yes, yes shows of this nature particularly when aired at prime-time are a great advertising tool but I really don’t think we need to be up in arms about how the BBC are using their funding! The aim was to entice people to the theatre and let’s face it these reality talent searches are great viewing and bring in the numbers for the channel. Yeah OK so Lloyd Webber makes money for appearing on the show and from ticket sales - but that’s the mans job! As for the professional experience argument, it is unfair that those with experience appear to win out but then isn’t that what going to Drama School or getting a BA in acting is about? Surely the shows prove that, yes you can give it a blimen’ good try and may well succeed but at the same time you can’t beat professional training. I mean for goodness sake, if any ole’ Joe could do it half the theatre industry would be out of a job! Let’s not forget that professional Helen didn’t make it through, she simply wasn’t what Webber wanted for Nancy but Jessie did and she’s had no training whatsoever.
As for “I’d Do Anything” although I have been disappointed with the speed at which we raced through the audition stages, I am still very much looking forward to following the 12 hopefuls and seeing them perform week after week, not to mention seeing the Olivers perform- aww bless ‘em! I mean the programme wasn’t all bad, we did get a self elimination (much to the disgust of Denise Van Outen), crying on being asked to remove make up, pep talks and the inevitable drama surrounding illness and the will it /won’t it affect my chances saga - it didn’t by the way, Francesca made it through to the final 12. Plus I really want to see if these girls really will do anything…although i think that’s a whole different kinda programme.
If you missed the second episode here are some highlights for you….
Jodie Prenger, Katie Rowley-Jones and Francesca Jackson - you’ve been spotted! What once worked for Lee Mead may also work for these ladies, yes I’m talking about experience in the field.
Blackpool lass Jodie had recently starred in another reality TV show on Living called “The Biggest Loser”, she took part in this show to lose some weight and actually won it by shedding an amazing 8 st 7lb in six months. So Jodie knows all the tricks of the trade when it comes to reality TV - lets just she if she can swing the public vote due to her reality TV experience.
Stepping it up a notch is Katie Rowley-Jones who is actually currently starring in West End’s Wicked as Nessarose! As cheeky as Lee Mead, Katie has bundles of experience and already has a part in a West End show - however it is a competition at the end of the day, so if you can stay one step ahead of the game you’re a shoe in for sure.
Perhaps most shocking of them all is Francesca Jackson, our beady eyed researchers have found out that not only did Francesca play Joanne in West End’s RENT but she also starred alongside none other than DENISE VAN OUTEN! For those of you who don’t know RENT, Joanne (Francesca) is Maureen’s (Denise) girlfriend which means they had to portray an intimate relationship on stage and kiss each other 7 nights a week. One has to ask - how the bloody hell can Denise vote fairly on Francesca when only a few months ago she had her tongue down her neck? Well I’d Do Anything fans, as always, we’ll just have to see how this one pans out!
Andrew Lloyd Webber isn’t all about gliz, glam and theatrics - he’s chosen to dumb down his birthday celebrations and opted for a knees up in Majorca!
Reportedly he was to spend £5 million on West End bash for his 60th birthday, however this is complete codswallop made up by The Daily Mail. Poor old Webber and his wife had to issue a statement in order to set the record straight, it states “The couple are hosting a low-key event in Majorca this weekend. Around 35 to 40 close friends and colleagues have been invited to attend a dinner at a restaurant in Deia, near to the Lloyd Webber’s home on the island. A local rock band has been hired to entertain the guests and not the star-studded, musical-themed entertainment some reports have suggested.”
Ok you may be thinking oooh sunny Majorca and a fancy dinner how lavish, BUT if you think about it - it is very normal and low key for someone of his celebrity status. So we say well done Mr Webber for proving that you don’t have to splurge to have a good time and that celebrities are human afterall!
The show we’ve all been waiting for has finally begun, last Saturday the first I’d Do Anything aired on BBC1 and boy did they cover a lot of ground in one episode. We saw all the auditions, the London call backs and the final cut for Nancy School all in on one hour - PLUS we were introduced to some hopeful Olivers as well. Despite the whistle stop tour around the country, the show was jam packed with funny moments, good singers, bad singers and a whole lot of Nancy wannabes uttering the immortal words “this is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life - I am Nancy”
So 42 women were chosen by John Barrowman, Denise Van Outen and David Grindrod at London call backs to go on to compete at Nancy School, some of their choices however were a bit peculiar - all we can say is watch out for Jodie Prenger, wow wee she is a strange one! If you are eager to see all the Nancy School finalists then log on and visit the I’d Do Anything site to see the full list.
This Saturday we get to meet the final twelve Olivers and if last Saturday’s Olivers were anything to go by, expect to see a range of THE cutest young urchins you’ve ever seen in your life singing their hearts out. Here are the highlights of the show just incase you missed them, which many of you may have done being St Partick’s day n’all!
Desperate Housewives are the latest TV show to jump on the old musical bandwagon. Karl MacLachlan (Orson Hodge in Desperate Housewives) spilt the beans in a recent interview saying that Desperate Housewives creator Mark Cherry plans to move into the musical world once he finishes his seven year stint at ABC. Although no plans have been put in place yet, we think that some form of the Desperate Housewives storyline will wind up on stage as it has been so popular on TV. I mean if Jerry Springer can get a musical - I’m pretty sure that Desperate Housewives can make it there too!
So mark seven years from now down in your diaries as you may just see the Wisteria Lane ladies on a stage near you!
