Over The Rainbow’s Stephanie Davis lands role in Hollyoaks

Liver Bird Stephanie Davis was the fifth Dorothy to be voted off the hit Andrew Lloyd Webber’s BBC programme  which saw Danielle Hope won the lead in his forthcoming the Wizard of Oz musical which opens at the London Palladium next March.

The 17-year-old from Merseyside has won a contract with Chester-based soap Hollyoaks playing 15-year-old Sinead who is a member of a new family called the O’Connor’s. 

The family arrives with a dramatic storyline at the end of August.

Over the Rainbow’s Steph to star in Smokey Joe’s Cafe

Over the Rainbow semi-finalist Steph Fearon may not be taking Andrew Lloyd Webber's Yellow Brick Road to the Wizard of Oz, but she is to star in the first major production of the musical Smokey Joe's Cafe since its run at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1996.

Smokey Joe’s Café will open at the Landor Theatre in Clapham on Tuesday 13th July and run for five weeks until Sunday 22nd August. Press night is Tuesday 20th July at 7.30pm

The show is a musical revue set in the 1950’s featuring 39 pop standards, including rock and roll, rhythm and blues songs written by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller including On Broadway, Jailhouse Rock, Stand By Me and I’m a Woman..

The cast also includes Marc Akinfolarin, Miguel Angel, Edward Baruwa, Simon Hardwick, Ngo Ngofa and Philippa Stefani,

For more information visit www.landortheatre.co.uk

Wizard of Oz Charity Single available for download

Danielle Hope won Andrew Lloyd Webber’s reality show Over the Rainbow last night and will play the lead of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the Palladium next year.

She is pictured here with Dangerous Dave who won the competition to  play Toto in a special one off gala - date to be announced.

You can hear her sing Over the Rainbow which is the charity single which is available for download today and on general release from 31st May by clicking on the link above.

Right Toto but wrong Dorothy in Over the Rainbow

Having just watched part 1 of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Over The Rainbow castfest on BBC1, I am delighted that Jodie Prenger led Dangerous Dave (him with the eyebrows and jaunty scarf) on to announce that he is the winner of the part of Toto for a charity gala of the show, but how on earth did Lauren Samuels (pictured) get voted off as Dorothy?!

Her rendition of "I Could Have Danced All night" was flawless - maybe she's too good? I would be amazed if the Lord doesn't cast her in one of his West End shows in the pretty near future.

In any event, Andrew Lloyd Webber has plenty of time to knock the winner into shape with The Wizard of Oz not scheduled to open at the London Palladium until next March.

Over the Rainbow Charity Single

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s eight week search for his modern day Dorothy reaches its climax tomorrow on BBC1 with the public voting for their winner.

The first task the winner will have is to release a cover of Judy Garland's Over The Rainbow which is to benefit two charities: Prostate UK (for obvious reasons very close to ALW’s heart) and The BBC Performing Arts Fund. The artist and producers have waived their royalties and The Really Useful Group Ltd and Polydor Ltd will pay their profits from this single to the charities in equal shares.

The charity single will be available to download from midnight Sunday 23rd May and can be purchased from Monday May 31st when it will also have a bonus B side of The Wizard of Oz Medley performed by all three finalists. The medley will comprise some of the tracks sung throughout the competition including: ‘Follow The Yellow Brick Road’, ‘We’re Off To See The Wizard’, ‘It Really Was No Miracle’, ‘Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead’, ‘The Merry Old Land Of Oz’ and ‘If I Only Had A Heart’.

The lucky Dorothy also gets to appear in Lloyd Webber’s brand new production of The Wizard of Oz which is due to open at the London Palladium next March.

Winning Dorothy to appear on Royal Variety Show

Andrew Lloyd Webber has just announced that the winning Dorothy on his BBC casting programme Over the Rainbow will not only appear in the starring role of his Wizard of Oz  at the London Palladium next year, but will also perform at this year’s Royal Variety Show in December.

 I wonder if Simon Cowell knows he’s got competition - as his current series of Britain’s Got Talent is also searching for an act to appear in front the Royal Family.

Booking opens today for The Wizard of Oz

There can’t be many people who don't know that Andrew Lloyd Webber is presenting a new version of the Wizard of Oz with his live casting show Over The Rainbow trying to find a Dorothy on BBC TV every Saturday night. The winner of the show will get to play Dorothy in his production which opens at the London Palladium  in March next year.

Sister Act which is currently playing at the Palladium will close on 30th October.

The 2,300 seater Palladium is owned by Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group and it will be turned into the Emerald City with set design which will include the restoration of the revolving stage which is well remembered for its use at the end of Sunday Night at the London Palladium.

The musical is best known as the 1939 Hollywood film starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, but this show is “totally reconceived” with new songs written by Lord Lloyd Webber to add extra colour to the story as it moves from film to stage.

The creative team will be same as for Lloyd Webber’s The Sound of Music with Jeremy Sams directing, designed by Robert Jones and choreographed by Arlene Phillips.

Charlotte Church exclusive on Over The Rainbow

Charlotte Church will again perform live on next week's Over The Rainbow, but this time it will be a solo performance rather than one with the Dorothy’s.

The singer who is on the judging panel of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s live casting show for The Wizard of Oz will sing an exclusive preview of her new single “The Actors”. It will be the Charlotte’s first UK solo TV performance in four years.

Over The Rainbow continues on Saturday at 18:45 on BBC1.

Over the Rainbow Dream Team

 If Andrew Lloyd Webber’s casting  for The Wizard of Oz (which opens at the London Palladium next March) is anywhere near as good as the dream team of judges he has selected this year for Over The Rainbow then it’s got to be worth going to.

At last he has a team of all three judges who have a wealth of experience which is relevant to the live Dorothy auditions.  Charlotte Church tells it like it is with the vocals and John Partridge is great at gauging performances (although he can be a bit like a cross between John Barrowman and Craig Revell Horwood sometimes!)

And Sheila Hancock, well this lady looks great and is truly fabulous.  I was reminded just how good she was in the South Bank Revisited programme on Stephen Sondheim last Sunday with clips of her playing the original Mrs Lovett in the London production of Sweeney Todd.  And she is great as Mother Superior in Sister Act - but unfortunately due to leave at the end of August (after extending her contract for an additional three months after the cast change at the end of this month when Simon Webbe joins them).

She will be a hard act to follow.

Dorothys' suffering from vocal strain in Over the Rainbow

It is no wonder with the number of songs they are asked to perform during the show Over The Rainbow that Dorothys Jessica Robinson and Stephanie Davis have been struggling with illness all this week.   They are in the final 7 and had to visit a vocal specialist during the week to check that they were able to perform.

Liver bird Stephanie was told to rest her voice but has now been cleared to perform on the live show tonight at 19:10 on BBC1.

Jessica (picurted) had to pull out of rehearsals at the beginning of the week with a croaky voice. Specialists have given her clearance to perform but has not yet been confirmed that she will be able to.  I would be amazed if she wasn’t on tonight as she is singing Cabaret which is one of her favourites that she used to sing on the jukebox when she went to the pub at home.

Danielle Hope celebrated her 18th birthday in the Dorothy House on Monday night with the girls dressing as famous West End characters for the event.

Wizard of Oz Opens at London Palladium next March

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s  revival of The Wizard of Oz with the winner of Over the Rainbow starring as Dorothy opens at the London Palladium in  March 2011 with the current show Sister Act closing  on 1st January. Box office opens on 9th May.

No casting or creative details have yet been announced, but Jeremy Sams (Sound of Music) is hotly tipped to direct The Wizard of Oz with choreography by Arlene Phillips.

There will also be some new songs specially written by Lloyd Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater (who worked with ALW on Love Never Dies).

Cat Lover Lloyd Webber Auditions Potential Totos

Andrew Lloyd Webber is a committed cat lover keeping Turkish van cats which are unusual in that they swim and have a love for water.

But the lord has confessed he “rather enjoyed” choosing the dogs that are competing to play Toto at a one-off West End charity gala performance of The Wizard of Oz.

He reluctantly gave in to the BBC's appeals for him to include a search for Toto in his reality TV show Over The Rainbow where he is searching for a Dorothy to star in his new musical.

He had to choose five dogs after ten hopefuls and their owners visited his home in Hampshire.  The ten were selected after the BBC held open auditions led by Jodie Prenger earlier this month and more than 1,000 pets took part.

Lord Lloyd-Webber said: “It hasn't been an easy decision for me, selecting the final five, but I was particularly drawn to the dogs I have chosen. Each of them could be a Toto in their own way. However, as adorable as they are, I remain a confirmed cat man.

Charlotte Church to sing with Over the Rainbow Dorothy’s

Over the Rainbow is due to open in London’s West End some time next year (one of the rumours is that Sister Act will close and it will take its place at the London Palladium).

There are eight remaining finalists in tonight’s Over The Rainbow on BBC1 competing for the role of Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s version of the Wizard of Oz.

Charlotte Church is one of the judges and she has also been giving performance advice (especially regarding voice control) to the hopefuls.  She is due to sing with them in the results show tomorrow night (Sunday 25th).

I think the competition is still wide open but Emilie Flemming (who was the wild card voted back in by the public) is the bookies' favourite (odds of 6-4) to be eliminated from the show this weekend. Unfortunately she is not as strong vocally as the other girls but certainly looks  the part even down to the gap in her front teeth (see picture).

Stephanie Davis is the bookies' current favourite to win the series.

Over the Rainbow Live Singing Events

The BBC series of Over the Rainbow where Andrew Lloyd Webber and a panel of judges are looking for a Dorothy to appear in the Wizard of Oz are offering a series of free singing events for Over The Rainbow fans. The singalongs are at the beginning of May and will be hosted winner of I'd Do Anything, Jodie Prenger together with  some of the ex-Dorothys .

It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional, amateur or absolute beginner as this is your opportunity to be part of a special musical master class which is open to everyone. You’ll be given the help you need to find your voice and sing along as part of a mass chorus. No previous singing experience is necessary and all ages are welcome. No one will be judged or have to sing on their own.

The dates and locations are as follows:  Saturday 1st May Leeds Town Hall: Sunday 2nd May 2010 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall: Monday 3rd  May & Tuesday 4th May Shaftesbury Theatre, London and Sunday 9 May St David's Hall, Cardiff

Because Over the Rainbow is so popular tickets are being issued via a random draw. To apply for a place go to the BBC events website and complete the registration form.  The closing date for registering is 16:00 on 19th April.

Entering the random draw does not guarantee you tickets and if you are successful you will be sent a confirmation e-ticket after the closing date. You can apply for a maximum of two tickets per household.

Go Over the Rainbow Tomorrow

Over the Rainbow is the latest next live talent show being launched by Andrew Lloyd Webber to find a West End leading lady to play Dorothy for his production of the Wizard of Oz. 

It starts tomorrow with the first two TV shows on Friday and Saturday showing highlights from the auditions when 9,000 hopefuls were scaled down to the final ten. Then starting on Saturday 3rd April for eight weeks a would-be Dorothy will be voted off by the viewers until the final show on May 22nd when the winner is named.

On BBC1 this Friday at 21:00 you can see thousands of girls being auditioned from all over the country until a final 50 were selected. The shortlist then had the dubious honour of attending Dorothy Farm where the panel of Charlotte Church, John Partridge and Sheila Hancock picked the final girls who so long to wear  the gingham dress and ruby slippers.

The second show on Saturday at 18:30 is when host Graham Norton transports the finalists to the magical kingdom of Oz to perform in a singing and dancing extravaganza which marks the final stage of the preliminary audition process.

The final Dorothys then have to convince Lord Lloyd Webber and his panel that they have the essential qualities required to continue along the yellow brick road to West End stardom.

Also on hand to share their expertise are West End leading ladies: Ruthie Henshall (Chicago), Mel C (Blood Brothers), Kerry Ellis (We Will Rock You) Tamzin Outhwaite (Sweet Charity) and Sheridan Smith (Legally Blonde).

Jodie Prenger Searching for Toto

As she prepares to leave the role of Nancy in Oliver! and start thinking about playing the Lady of the Lake in the tour of Spamalot which starts on 29th May,  Jodie Prenger is also preparing to find a Toto for Andrew Lloyd-Webber's latest show Over The Rainbow.

Jodie will lead the search for Toto in April at two open audition days. Viewers will be able to follow the progress of the dogs across the series, but they will have to be good to win over Andrew Lloyd Webber who is well known for preferring cats!

South Bank Show Revisited interview with Lord Lloyd Webber

The South Bank Show Revisited is a new ten part ITV1 series where Melvyn Bragg will re-interview outstanding guests from the South Bank Show.

He will talk to them about their latest projects, while referring to their earlier work and using archive footage from the original shows.

The first programme in the series airs on 28th March and follows Lloyd Webber as he prepares for the opening of  Love Never Dies. The South Bank Show has interviewed Andrew Lloyd Webber four times: including a show in 1986 about The Phantom of the Opera and another in 2000 on The Beautiful Game.

Melvyn Bragg will be asking Andrew Lloyd Webber about Love Never Dies which is his new musical due to open at the Adelphi Theatre on 9th March, as well as his work on BBC talent shows, including his latest  “Over the Rainbow” where he is trying to find a Dorothy for his new production of “The Wizard of Oz”.

Bragg said: “I hope that by looking at past work over 30 years and talking about where they are today, the artists will give us a unique perspective on their process and progress over several decades.”

New Judges Announced for Lloyd Webber’s Over the Rainbow

Following the news yesterday that Denise Van Outen and John Barrowman will not be judges on the new reality show to find Dorothy in a new production of the Wizard of Oz, it has now been announced that Charlotte. Church, Sheila Hancock and John Partridge will be helping him in his search. Graham Norton will return as host of the Saturday night show, which is scheduled for the Spring on BBC1

Actor John Partridge is best known for playing gay Christian Clarke in EastEnders, but also appeared in Cats in the West End.

Charlotte Church began her career as a classical singer when she was still at school, and released a recording of Pie Jesu which was written by Andrew.

Sheila Hancock brings a wealth of experience to the judging panel having appeared in many stage and TV shows.  She is currently playing Mother Superior in Sister Act at the London Palladium.

Lord Lloyd-Webber said he thought that "each member of the panel brings something new and exciting which will take Over the Rainbow even further than the previous shows".

The search for Dorothy has already begun as auditions are taking place in cities across the UK.