The new TV programme will be hosted by Graham Norton and will be simply called The Wizard of Oz. Following a similar format to Any Dream Will Do, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? and I'd Do Anything, the show will see Lloyd Webber search for a new star to play Dorothy and a dog to play Toto.
With Dorothy being a young girl, there is a ready-made audience, and when you factor in that cute animals will also be involved, this has the potential to be the biggest show yet. Which other London shows would benefit from a TV casting competition?
Wicked
With a particularly vocal and vociferous fanbase, Wicked would become an immediate cult smash. Also, as one of the more sophisticated London musicals there is more chance of attracting a sophisticated audience, people who are more likely to watch the show and then decide to book a theatre break.
Furthermore, the musical has a wonderful score, and the songs deserve to be better known – a casting show would easily help achieve this and put the music of Wicked in the same bracket as Grease, Phantom of the Opera and other mass-appeal musicals.
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice
The lead actress in Little Voice needs to be able to imitate (and to a high level) a wide range of singers, including Marilyn Monroe, Shirley Bassey and Judy Garland. At the moment, the lead is being played by X Factor contestant Diana Vickers who isn’t able to pull off the different vocal styles required. A nationwide talent-search would surely be able to unearth someone perfect for the role, and more like Jane Horrocks who the part was written for and who played the shy singer on stage and screen.
La Cage aux Folles
London shows don’t come much more camp than this, and that is why La Cage is perfect for a TV talent search. Just picture the audition process: squealing men performing and endless succession of I Am What I Am before a panel made up of John Barrowman, Graham Norton, James Dreyfuss and Geri Halliwell. TV gold!
Love Never Dies
The sequel to Phantom of the Opera is destined to be one of the biggest London shows of all time, so why not maximise its potential by promoting it using this tried and tested formula.
Ramin Karimloo, the man chosen to play the Phantom, is hardly a household name. Not that he has to be, of course, but by using a TV talent show to turn the lead into a Lee Mead-esque household name would mean paydirt for Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Calendar Girls
It’s a show famous for being full of naked women, including the likes of Gemma Atkinson, Kelly Brook and, er, Dot Cotton from EastEnders. Using a TV show to find the cast will bring in a variety of viewers: admirers of the female form; theatre fans; and people who like the idea of chuckling at middle-aged women covering themselves up with pot plants.
With Dorothy being a young girl, there is a ready-made audience, and when you factor in that cute animals will also be involved, this has the potential to be the biggest show yet. Which other London shows would benefit from a TV casting competition?
Wicked
With a particularly vocal and vociferous fanbase, Wicked would become an immediate cult smash. Also, as one of the more sophisticated London musicals there is more chance of attracting a sophisticated audience, people who are more likely to watch the show and then decide to book a theatre break.
Furthermore, the musical has a wonderful score, and the songs deserve to be better known – a casting show would easily help achieve this and put the music of Wicked in the same bracket as Grease, Phantom of the Opera and other mass-appeal musicals.
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice
The lead actress in Little Voice needs to be able to imitate (and to a high level) a wide range of singers, including Marilyn Monroe, Shirley Bassey and Judy Garland. At the moment, the lead is being played by X Factor contestant Diana Vickers who isn’t able to pull off the different vocal styles required. A nationwide talent-search would surely be able to unearth someone perfect for the role, and more like Jane Horrocks who the part was written for and who played the shy singer on stage and screen.
La Cage aux Folles
London shows don’t come much more camp than this, and that is why La Cage is perfect for a TV talent search. Just picture the audition process: squealing men performing and endless succession of I Am What I Am before a panel made up of John Barrowman, Graham Norton, James Dreyfuss and Geri Halliwell. TV gold!
Love Never Dies
The sequel to Phantom of the Opera is destined to be one of the biggest London shows of all time, so why not maximise its potential by promoting it using this tried and tested formula.
Ramin Karimloo, the man chosen to play the Phantom, is hardly a household name. Not that he has to be, of course, but by using a TV talent show to turn the lead into a Lee Mead-esque household name would mean paydirt for Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Calendar Girls
It’s a show famous for being full of naked women, including the likes of Gemma Atkinson, Kelly Brook and, er, Dot Cotton from EastEnders. Using a TV show to find the cast will bring in a variety of viewers: admirers of the female form; theatre fans; and people who like the idea of chuckling at middle-aged women covering themselves up with pot plants.
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