One more week to go until we find out who will be the latest West End star for the new production of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. At Discount Theatre towers, we are all in a flurry wondering which girl will win the crown and the role of Dorothy.

Last weekend, the final four sang their hearts out, and I have to say that Danielle, Sophie, Lauren and Steph all performed tremendously. I honestly could not pick my favourite and neither could the panel it seemed. Lord Lloyd Webber also remained coy, not wanting to influence the viewers, but who listens to him anyways?

It was, regrettably, Steph’s turn to ride on the moon, which was a shame as she definitely had the most natural stage presence of the girls. Hopefully she may get an audition for Elphaba in Wicked; she would be perfect.

Danielle didn’t wow me, but I think she impresses everyone else and seems to be the favourite for the role. Sophie really improved this week, I think singing a ballad is the thing for her. She’s actually emerged as my favourite, which is really surprising as I think she’s had some terrible performances in the competition. Lauren should be the first to go next week though. She’s a very good singer, and I’m sure she is a very nice girl, but has really come across as too arrogant and assertive for the role of a Kansas teenager.

So, I can finally say that I have a favourite. Sophie should win, but if I was placing a bet I think it will be Danielle.

And if you don’t care and just want to see the show, tickets are on sale now so buy them before the raid on ticket websites begins on Sunday night. Discount Theatre has tickets for The Wizard Of Oz from the 25th April 2011 and the show is booking until the 17th September 2011 (and has Sunday matinees!).

Buy your Wizard Of Oz tickets here. 

Ok, the public got it right this week….

What’s been so fascinating about this version of the reality show is that no clear favourite has emerged. On Sunday night two different girls were in the sing off again; Emilie and Sophie sang ‘I Know Him So Well’ from Chess, made famous by the great Elaine Page and Barbara Dickson.

I think from the moment Emilie’s name was announced as one of the bottom two, everyone knew she had no chance. The judges thought her Saturday night performance of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ was better than the week before, but personally I think they were just being nice because they didn’t want her to cry again. Emilie’s performance was simply AWFUL. I’m not trying to be mean, but she looked like a cartoon character flouncing about on stage.

I had a feeling Sophie would be in the bottom two, I’m a great fan of hers, but her styling is all wrong and I think Andrew Lloyd Webber is right, she needs to look a bit more wholesome rather than like someone playing dress up.

Jessica was really good this week and she managed to perform without pulling all of the dramatic faces. And Steph was superb, not sure if she’s Dorothy, but we were thinking that she would make an excellent Elphaba in Wicked.

I think I’m going to need another week to fully make up my mind about the potential Over The Rainbow favourites. Any ideas?

Over The Rainbow contunues next Saturday.

Another week, and yet another completely different pair of girls in the bottom two on Over The Rainbow. With no clear front runner yet, it’s been rather hard to predict who might go next.

Dani and Danielle faced off to sing ‘Maybe This Time’ from Cabaret. I think from the moment they both started singing, we all knew Danielle would be saved, but fair play to Dani as she certainly went out with gusto. Once again, I don’t think either girl deserved to be in the bottom two.

Dani was much better than last week, but I don’t think she was ever going to win the show. Danielle was good, but didn’t really stand out with her performance of ‘Could It Be Magic’

My pick of the week was Sophie who finally seemed to find her comfort zone and thankfully wasn’t wearing a pair of hotpants this week.

My question is: What on earth is Emilie still doing there? She sang ‘Moon River’, which was a little better than last week’s shaking and dancing disaster, but she just does not have the voice. And Jessica’s over the top facial expressions started to get on my nerves. I still like her but she needs to tone it down because it’s starting to look ridiculous.

I’m not even going to predict which way this is going to go next week, but if Emilie’s public support wavers, she may find herself taking a trip to the moon.

Over The Rainbow is back next Saturday night on BBC One at 7.15pm

Saturday night was the first live show for the prospective Dorothy’s, and the wild card winner was revealed. Emilie claimed the prize (although Claire Hillier was my favourite) and was brought back to complete as part of the final 11.

So…each of the girls came out an did their thing…it’s always amazing to see how polished reality contestants are, considering most of them have no experience with television. Poor Amy and Steph found themselves in the bottom two and in a sing off for their survival. Each belted out Whistle Down the Wind and in a moment of pure decisiveness and without hesitation, the Lord gave Amy the boot.

Then things got really good….you have to love British TV. In a moment of kitsch that could compete with any variety show of the 1970’s, Amy had to give her gemstone shoes to Lord Lloyd Webber and sing Over the Rainbow while she was hoisted away in a moon. Yes, a moon (lunar variety). She floated away off the set while the other girls with tear stained cheeks waved her goodbye.

At this point I was on the floor with tear stained cheeks as well - due to a bout of hysterical laughter. The producers of this show must have a fantastic sense of humour.

Who will fly away into the moonset next week? I’m thinking that Emilie really should have been bottom two last week. It could have been nerves though.

Over The Rainbow continues next Saturday night!

The search for Dorothy has commenced! BBC One premiered Over The Rainbow this weekend and as of Saturday night, 10 finalists were chosen and the public are currently voting for a wildcard slot to make it a total of 11 contestants in next week’s sing off.

The Lord has a new throne (he’s ditched that horrible red velvet wannabe Elizabethan thing) and seems to be a little more integrated with the judging panel. Shelia Hancock came out as the most abrasive, questioning the contestants’ motivations in a Mother Superior kind of way, which was superb. Performing in Sister Act has obviously rubbed off.

As for Charlotte Church and John Partridge, they had their modest but non committal opinions, probably because they know it’s still quite early in the game.

The contestants sang two songs (in groups of 4), and a nice surprise was that each sang a number from a current West End show . Chicago, Sweet Charity, We Will Rock You, Legally Blonde and Blood Brothers featured in Saturday night’s broadcast (Blood Brothers was a nice surprise, it is one of the best West End shows and often largely ignored). It was definitely a good way for some current shows to obtain some prime advertising space!

If watching Andrew Lloyd Webber on Friday and Saturday night wasn’t enough, there was also a South Bank program on ITV last night, featuring interviews past and present with Lloyd Webber.  It showed fantastic clips from his new work Love Never Dies, but also incorporated old footage of The Phantom Of The Opera as well as Evita, Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar. It served as a reminder that his shows really revolutionised musical theatre.

Anyways, we’ve been informed that The Wizard of Oz will start booking in about 4 weeks, so there is the opportunity to buy tickets before the winner is announced. As we’ve seen with The Sound Of Music, Joseph and Oliver! the mad dash begins when the winner is crowned and the show sells out within hours. If you know that you want to see this show, regardless of who wins, buy tickets as soon as possible.

In the meantime, I’m looking forward to following more of the rainbow next Saturday.

BBC One’s Over the Rainbow broadcasts on Saturday nights. Discount Theatre has tickets from £40.50 for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies, currently booking until the 23rd October.

It was bound to cause controversy, especially amongst diehard Phantom Phans.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies officially opened last week, and the popular press finally had their say. There seems to be a bit of a love it or hate it consensus. The good reviews were positively glowing, with many 5 star ratings, something not seen for a new musical in many years.

The not so favourable reviews picked apart the story, the music and pretty much the motivation for doing a sequel at all.

However, I have yet to come across a mediocre review. And I think that is a good thing, I certainly don’t like walking out of a show indifferent. I want to feel passionate about what I saw and have critique or praise depending on my feeling. That’s what good art should do.

Asking some of my colleagues what they thought, I pretty much got the same result. Some loved it and some hated it. I also asked them about The Phantom Of The Opera, once again some loved it and some hated it.

I haven’t seen Love Never Dies yet, but I am due to go in a few weeks. I wonder which camp I will fall into?

Love Never Dies is now booking until the 23rd October. Book your Love Never Dies Tickets here.

If you are home tonight, check out Jonathan Ross – Andrew Lloyd Webber is set to appear as a guest and Sierra Boggess will perform the title song from new musical Love Never Dies. I wonder if the BBC will roll out the throne from the props department or if the Lord will sit on the sofa like the rest of the guests?

Lloyd Webber is going to be a pretty busy guy in the next couple of months. First off, Love Never Dies has started previewing at the Adelphi Theatre and will have its press night on the 9th March. Even though the composer has asserted that Love Never Dies is not a sequel to The Phantom Of the Opera and is a standalone piece, most theatregoers are still referring to the new musical as Phantom 2. There’s no doubt that the show is going to sell out, but will it be any good? The popular press will express their views in a few weeks’ time.

In addition to launching a brand new show, the classic story, The Wizard Of Oz is about to be resurrected, thanks to the Lord and BBC reality TV. Over The Rainbow is set to start in a few weeks time; the aim is to choose a feisty unknown actress to play the role of Dorothy. This will be the fourth incarnation of the BBC reality show, having previously broadcast the competition to cast leads in The Sound Of Music, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, and Oliver!

The sing off format for Over The Rainbow will be the same, but I was shocked to hear that the judges panel will look very different. Denise Van Outen will not be back, having gone off and married Lee Mead (a previous contestant and eventual winner, soon to star in Wicked) and is soon to give birth to their first child. More shocking is the absence of John Barrowman. What will we do without his constant shouting of ‘fantastic, fantastic, fantastic!’ whilst jumping up out of his seat?

Instead, the judges panel will consist of Sheila Hancock, currently starring as Mother Superior in Sister Act, Charlotte Church, who will probably provide some boisterous comedic moments, and John Partridge (Christian from Eastenders) who has starred in many West End productions over the last 20 years.

My money is on John Partridge to steal the show.

If history repeats, The Wizard of Oz will follow in the success of earlier shows promoted by the reality contest and become the highest grossing musical of 2010. Keep a close eye out for when the production goes on sale; I can guarantee that the first booking period will sell out instantaneously.

Love Never Dies is now previewing and is booking until 23rd October 2010. Over The Rainbow will soon be shown on Saturday nights on BBC1.

After many months of speculation, gossip and rumours, Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to his iconic The Phantom Of The Opera has gone on sale at the Adelphi Theatre in London.

We’re told that the story picks up 10 years after the mysterious disappearance of the Phantom from the Paris Opera House; famous opera singer Christine Daae and her husband Raoul have travelled to New York’s Coney Island, where Christine has accepted an offer to perform. Consequently Christine finds out that the anonymous person who has lured her to New York is someone she is well acquainted with!

Ramin Karimloo will create the role of the Phantom in Love Never Dies, having already performed the role in The Phantom of the Opera in London. American Sierra Boggess (who created the role of Ariel in Broadway’s The Little Mermaid) will play Christine, and home grown talent Summer Stallen (The Sound Of Music, The Drowsy Chaperone) will play Meg Giry. Tony award winning Jack O’Brien (Hairspray) directs.

Love Never Dies will preview from the 20th February 2010, officially opening on the 9th March 2010. The initial run is booking until the 23rd October 2010. If you are a Phantom Phan, buy your tickets asap. This show will sell out.

And if you haven’t seen the original Phantom Of the Opera and need to catch up on the story, it’s still playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London; it’s Phantastic 23 year run is a testament to the popularity of the original show.

Ok, I’m probably annoying you now with the Phantom puns. Book your Love Never Dies tickets here.