The Stage newspaper is buzzing with “I’d do Anything” information this week and quite aptly the Oliver winners (Gwion, Harry and Laurence) grace the front cover with their cheeky smiles and urchin uniform. All this build up is only making the Show and Stay team wish the days away until the final show, it’s seriously nail biting stuff.

Zoe Tyler is placing her bets on Jodie to win, although she was mortified that Rachel was booted out last week as she had her bets on her. The one thing I find amusing about Tyler is that she hated Jodie in the beginning and slated her in each of her columns. Now that the weeks have passed and Jodie has stuck in there, Tyler’s changed her tune and is singing her praises. Dare we say Show and Stay are better than Zoe Tyler when it comes to picking talent? It’s kind of a good thing that she’s not on the panel - as Jodie would have been given her marching orders week one!

Tyler isn’t so keen on Samantha anymore, she comments “I don’t hear a warm voice with depth, as she’s so young, it’s not there yet and I think we need to hear that from Nancy”. Sam is undeniably beautiful and would look wonderful on stage, but we agree with Tyler and think Sam needs time to mature and get better with age - like cheese!

Jessie is Jodie’s main competition and it seems she has a huge fan base, Tyler agrees saying “she is very good and has an unforgettable face and way about her”. We feel that she isn’t ready for the West End, she has been rusty throughout the competition and it is her fan base that’s kept her in.

One night of stopping performances stand in-between the girls and their dream of West End stardom, but who will win?

Cameron Mackintosh joined the panel last week and will again in the final, but I think he may be a bit preoccupied with thinking about his dodger. His Artful Dodger auditions that is, he’s recently put out an add in The Stage newspaper looking for an Artful Dodger, Fagin’s Gang and Workhouse Boys. They are due to be auditioning on June 14th at Mary Ward House London and have asked for all the boys to sing Consider Yourself - they are going to be so sick of that song in the end! If you want to know more information, log on to www.oliverthe musical.com/auditionsforlyricsandmusic

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The Dominion has become the first West End Theatre to build an in-house gym, yep that’s right, the We Will Rock You cast will be rocking out on stage and in the gym!
The £12,000 pound “Gym Jam” was officially launched on the sixth anniversary of the show by the Queen guitarist Brian May and production writer/director Ben Elton.

Tony Dolan, the WWRY chief of crew, commented on the project saying “the idea was to create an in-house space where we could maintain a level of fitness for cast, crew and staff”, he wanted to “get rid of that old West End mentality of being in the pub before and in between shows…those old drunk days are a thing of the past”. So instead of going down the pub after a long gruelling show, the cast and crew will be pumping iron in their very own gym - rather you than me!

The Dominion has not only had a gym installed, but has had a facelift as well! The two month refurbishment of a derelict area of the venue has been transformed into a rehearsal space. The modernised room with full lighting, sound equipment and sprung floor has already been booked by the likes of Les Mis, Spamalot and Cameron Mackintosh.

I wonder if this will be the new biggest trend in the West End, gyms and facelifts - watch this space.

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The actors and puppets from the hilarious Avenue Q took a stroll down to the BBC studios to take part in the programme Eggheads. For those of you who don’t know, Eggheads is an intelligent quiz show on BBC2 - The Eggheads (a team of five British quiz champions) compete against a new panel of challengers each episode.

So Chris, Daniel, Delroy, Mark and Rebecca from Avenue Q thought they’d try their luck and give the Eggheads a run for their money. It turns out that they are not just pretty faces and comic geniuses - they are quite intelligent as well!
Delroy won the first round pushing Egghead C.J de Mooi out of the final quiz-off, Chris missed out on winning by a whisker, Daniel lost out to Egghead Kevin in the sudden death round and Rebecca took a stab at geography but was overpowered by Egghead Chris. Unfortunately, after an excellent battle of brains, the Eggheads won leaving the Avenue Q crew empty handed and hitching a lift back the West End.

Don’t give up your day jobs guys!

Here is a snippet from the show.

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Poor Rachel fell at the last hurdle of the Nancy race and you can see she knew it was coming. Devastation was written all over her face when she finished the sing off song - she knew she was going to go and was choking back the tears. Besides did anyone else notice that Sam had more lines in the song, it was hardly a fair sing off and I feel Rachel was a bit cheated to be honest.
Nevertheless Rachel took it on the chin and was extremely positive about the whole experience calling it a “crash course” in musical theatre. I don’t think this will be the end for Rachel, she is a talented woman - West End producers would be stupid not to snap her up. Isn’t it funny how things turn around so quickly on these programmes, Rachel was predicted to be the winner in the beginning and over a matter of two weeks she lost the lead title and was booted out!

So the semi-final is over and it’s the big show down next week, who will scoop the prize and hit the big time in the West End?

• Samantha: I was a bit disappointed with Samantha this week, she lacked a certain spark and didn’t give it her all in her rendition of “When You Believe”. I’m not sure if she’s ready for the West End, I think you need some life experience before you play Nancy, and that is certainly lacking from Sam’s performances.
• Jessie: what an improvement on last week, she really pulled her finger out. Her voice was strong, her performance was full of emotion and her connection with the camera was mesmerising. A strong competitor.
• Jodie: the girl can do no wrong, another stunning performance. If I was Jessie and Samantha I’d be quaking in my Nancy boots! Sensational voice and an excellent performance - if she isn’t in the final two, I’ll eat my hat!
• Rachel: I enjoyed Rachel’s performance, she really had fun with it and her voice was better than ever. She will go far in the musical world (but not as Nancy).

And the Olivers?

It was a big day for the little guys as the winners were chosen. Gwion, Harry and Laurence were the lucky ones who stood out and scooped the dream role of Oliver in the West End. Show and Stay can’t wait to see the guys in action, so get practising boys!
Many congrats to the winning Olivers and all the best to the other finalists who didn’t get through.

So it’s down to the wire - Jessie, Jodie and Samantha can almost taste success and feel the heat from the West End stage lamps. But who will win? I don’t think I can wait five days to find out!

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Well as much as I hate to say it, I was right. The curse of the dreaded sing off caught up with Niamh this week and she took her turn on the “As Long As He Needs Me” steps. It was really sad to say good bye to Niamh as she was one of our favourites from the start, but we can only hope to see her improve with age and hit the West End in a few years time. I was surprised to see Rachel in the sing off, she is no longer the apple of the judges’ eyes. I have a feeling that she will go down the same path at Niamh, I predict that next week she will be in the bottom two and most probably get booted off because she hasn’t got as big a fan base as the other girls.

Well it’s semi-final time and the girls have everything to play for, but how did they perform last week I hear you ask?

• Sam: I was actually impressed with Sam and I have to say that this was her best performance. “Defying Gravity” is certainly a tough song and loved by many, but I think she did it justice.
• Rachel: if I had been handed “I Will Always Love You” for my song that week, I’d of packed up my suitcase and caught the bus home. That song is like the kiss of death, anyone who attempts it will receive bad criticism. Anybody who’s anybody will compare it to Whitney Houston or Dolly Parton - it just means failure. Saying that though, Rachel gave it her all and it was an ok performance.
• Jodie: week after week Jodie is outstanding and last week was no exception. She’d been given the challenge of dancing whilst singing by Webber and I think she excelled. Owning the stage and both dancers, Jodie took it all in her stride. Webber on the other hand thought differently, he thought it looked like “Meatloaf dancing” - how utterly rude.
• Jessie: I actually keep forgetting about Jessie which isn’t such a good thing. I thought she looked confused throughout her performance and felt it was a little bland really. Jessie needs to up her game or she’ll be in the bottom two next week.
• Niamh: “Don’t Speak” was a brilliant choice of song for her voice and it was a pleasant performance, it’s a shame she had to go.

And the Olivers?

The last space for the semi-final was given to another of our favourite Olivers, thirteen year old Jonny from Warwickshire. I was so pleased that Jonny was chosen and think that he did an excellent job of leading the boys in their rendition of “I Have A Dream”.

Congratulations to Gareth, Jordan, Joseph and Sam for doing so well over the course of the series and the Show and Stay team wish you the best of luck in your futures.

So next week is the semi-final, it’s crunch time! Who will be booted out at this final stage? Who will pull off an outstanding performance? And which Olivers will be chosen? It’s going to be an amazing show, we can’t wait!

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I wonder whether John Barrowman had anything to do with this? His fellow Torchwood star Burn Gorman has been lined up to play Bill Sikes in Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of Oliver! After Danny Dyer (the other possible Bill Sikes) blasted the show and the Nancys in his ever so tactful manner, Gorman is in with a strong chance of getting the role and terrorising the successful Nancy and Oliver on stage.
Gorman’s Torchwood character Owen Harper is actually quite similar Bill Sikes, Harper fans will know that he is seductive, narcissistic, a womaniser and quite a dark character. So playing mean old Bill Sikes should be a walk in the park for old Gorman.

No official announcement has been made or castings called, but we say watch this space and keep your eye on Burn Gorman!

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Now, this may come as a little bit of a surprise but it seems that The BeeGees are toying with the idea of turning their back catalogue into a new West End musical. I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking “What about Saturday Night Fever? I thought that was the BeeGees’ musical?” Well, we thought the very same thing. As it turns out though, Robin, whilst unveiling a green plaque in London to celebrate the band’s achievements, announced that he was working on a new stage show last week. He was even bold enough to declare that he thought it’d be ready to roll out on Broadway or in the West End within 12-16 months.
After hearing this, we at Show and Stay^® decided to do a little digging; and it only turns out that ole RG has announced BeeGee musicals in the past. Three years ago he revealed that the boys were working on a new stage show called You Win Again. Whether or not that was all an elaborate ruse is yet to be confirmed. Maybe, three years later, we’ll find out it is the same show it’s just that Messrs Gibb have a very methodical approach to doing their work. Whatever the truth, if this musical is to show up next year one might question just which songs they’re going to have in it? With Staying Alive, Night Fever and Jive Talkin’ all being snapped up by their previous effort, have they got enough gems left to carry off a top class musical? Well, of course they have, they’re the BeeGees for crying out loud! But it’ll be interesting to see what shape the musical takes. If Abba’s Mamma Mia is anything to go by, then a little sojourn into the eclectic world of the ‘jukebox’ musical may prove to be a real smash!
We’ll keep our ear to the ground anyway and let you know what’s going on in the world of the Brothers Gibb. Speaking of which, I wonder what Barry has to say about it; I always thought he was in charge…

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Things are getting tense in Nancy camp, it was down to the final six on Saturday night and cut to five on Sunday. The feisty Ashley from Glasgow was given the boot by old Lord Webber and Niamh was saved once again. I was actually quite sad to see Ashley go, I thought she had real potential and would of brought some excellent qualities to the role of Nancy. Her performance on Saturday night was simply stunning and she did not deserve the brutal comments dished out by the judges. I bet we’ll be seeing her on a West End stage some time this year - with her powerful voice and acting skills, they’ll be mad not to snap her up. Oh yes for those of you that don’t know “Slàn leibh” is goodbye in Scottish Gaelic!

So how did the girls perform this week then?

• Jessie: the song didn’t really suit her voice but her movement is getting better each week. I feel that she really should have upped her game in this half of the competition, she just isn’t standing out or improving fast enough to warrant her winning.
• Ashley: lovely voice and moves across the stage seamlessly, I don’t think she was the right person to go.
• Sam: the favouritism is really getting on my nerves now. I can’t quite see what everyone is raving on about. I can see she has a strong voice when she actually sings (in between the shouting and the talking), however this week’s acting task once again proves she can’t cut it as an actress. They need to look beyond the cute face and revealing outfits to see if there is leading lady potential - and I don’t think there is, not yet anyway.
• Jodie: Jodie has the power to keep your attention throughout the song, her distinctive voice and emotional performances are always a pleasure to watch.
• Niamh: last week was the first time I actually noticed how young Niamh’s voice sounds, I wonder if that will be her downfall in the end. It was a solid performance, I don’t think she deserved to be in the sing off - but since she now has the curse of being in the bottom two, she should get used to singing for her place in the competition.
• Rachel: Rachel’s leading lady crown is starting to slip - placed in the bottom three, who’d of thought it! Barry Humphries really has it in for her and her reations suggest she doesn’t care for him much either. She earned some brownie points during the acting task and her previous experience shone through.

So it’s all change on the show and it seems like it’s anyone’s game at the moment. It’ll be tough next week as it’s down to five ladies and I have a terrible feeling that Niamh will be the one to go. But we can never tell what’s going on in Webber noggin so watch this space!

What’s happening with the Olivers?

I was lucky enough to have a week off last week so I didn’t get to blog about the show, but I was so overjoyed that Harry got a place in the final and wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate to him.

The seventh Oliver to secure a place was 11 year old Laurence from Cheshire, he will join Gwion, Chester, Arthur, Kwayedza and Harry in the semi-final. The boys sung Give A Little Love from Bugsy Malone on Saturday night and I have to say it was one of my favourite performances, they really gave it their all. So just one place remains, tune in next week to see a very tense show with some heartbroken Olivers.

So that’s the I’d Do Anything low down from last week, what a show! I can safely say that next week is sure to be a nail biter and am looking forward to some shock revelations and anxious looking contestants. Stay tuned Nancy and Oliver fans.

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Has anyone else noticed that there seems to be somewhat of a gulf opening up between what the judges say on I’d Do Anything and who the public vote for? Let’s look at the evidence:
Exhibit A: First of all, old ‘Lordy’ chops got into a bit of a funk the other week over having to chose between Niamh and Keisha. Then…
Exhibit B: Despite Rachel being the darling of a good portion of the panel, she found herself with the fewest votes on Saturday. As Graham quite rightly pointed out, if it had been down to the public alone, she would have been booted out of the competition there and then.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, does this mean that the public have a different idea of what makes a good leading lady to the experts? And, if so, is it more or less valid?
In the past it has to be said that the public have chosen their West End stars with considerable adeptness. The perennially popular Connie Fisher was chosen by the wider collective to lead in The Sound of Music and Lee Mead is still packing them in at The Adelphi after his victory on Any Dream Will Do (which is to say nothing of the countless awards, nominations and trinkets that they have amassed along the way).
However, looking at talent shows in general, Joe Public and his contemporaries have a far less commendable record. One only has to whisper the words ‘Michelle McManus’ or ‘Alex Parks’ and people start to feel altogether rather faint.
So, jury members, you’ve heard the evidence, whose cause do you think we should get behind? On one side we have the cool hand of democracy; let the people, by the people, choose the people, for the people, to be in a show performed by the people, unto the people, by the people etc. On the other we have stone cold experience; Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the most successful theatrical composers in existence: ipso facto he knows what he’s talking about.
There we have it ladies and gentlemen, if you would like to retire to discuss your verdict now we would love to hear what you think on the matter. Court adjourned!

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Popular lyricist Don Black has recently defended Andrew Lloyd Webber’s BBC talent shows, he claims their good points “out-weigh the bad”. Webber’s chum Black is most probably responding to Kevin Spacey’s accusation of the BBC giving unfair promotions to certain productions. Spacey caused quite a stir when he made these comments in March and the debate has been raging ever since. Director Peter Hall jumped on the bandwagon recently and suggested that the corporation had been ‘conned’ by Webber and Cameron Macintosh into giving them “the greatest advertising campaign the theatre has ever experienced”.

Black, who’s catalogue of work includes Webber’s Tell Me on a Sunday (which was recently featured as a sing-off song in I’d Do Anything) has defended is working partner to the high hills. He states “It is like songwriters moaning about the Eurovision Song Contest, saying it is not about songs. Well no it isn’t -it is about entertainment.” and the shows have “brought a lot of people into the theatre who would not go into the theatre.” Both very valid points, he takes his argument one step further by saying there is a serious lack of new young musical theatre writers in the business due to “temperament” and “fear of rejection”. Hmm I wonder if there will be a new talent show for musical theatre writers - quite a possibility, watch this space!

So the debate continues, pick a side and join in the fight. Webber verses Spacey - round three, who will be then next person to air their views?

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