RTÉ and Shinawil are currently airing a talent search for this autumn’s touring production of Fame, The Musical (which opens on August 19th in the Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin). The aim of the show is to cast the two leads (Nick & Serena) who will tour the country, in a similar format to that of the BBC/Andrew Lloyd Webber talent searches which have been running since 2006, and have cast leads in The Sound of Music, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Oliver!, and is currently looking for Dorothy. Over the past months, hundreds of competitors have been whittled down by the judging panel to 53 hopefuls who then attended Fame School, resulting in 12 finalists who were revealed to the public during a pre-recorded show which aired on April 18th.
The first 6 finalists on stage in the Helix
The first of 8 live shows took place last night in the Helix, during which 6 of the finalists (Stuart Pollock, Ben Morris, Jessica Cervi, Róisín Magee, Drew Millar & Sarah O’Connor) took to the stage, singing individually. The standard of performance on the show was incredible, with performances ranging from a demanding song and dance routine for ‘Ladies’ Choice’ (the Hairspray number, Stuart) to a spine-tingling rendition of ‘Maybe This Time’ (Róisín, who was given a second lease of life on the show after Susan Hall pulled out, choosing a fitting song from Cabaret). Ben was certainly sure of Who He’d Be when he took on the challenging emotions and vocals (not to mention fancy footwork, when a steadycam nearly ensnared him in its cables) of the song from the relatively unknown (in Ireland, at least) Shrek: The Musical. Jessica could Hear The Bells during her rendition of the popular Hairspray number, while the public defied Sarah’s command not to Rain On Her Parade (from Funny Girl).
The lines were then opened to the public for voting, and an hour later, four of the contestants were put through to the next round. The two with the fewest votes (Drew and Sarah) then sang ‘Let’s Play a Love Scene’ from Fame, and the judges saved Sarah.
For an Irish talent search/reality tv show, the production is of a very high standard, with a great house band, impressive set, and a professional feel to the whole affair.
The presenter, Derek Mooney, a familiar face on Irish screens, falls short of the mark for a show of this nature. Used to the excitement and positivity of his earlier work (Echo Island & Winning Streak), he is clearly uncomfortable with the sadness and devastation felt at times during this process, suggesting to the two competitors in the sing off (after a long, awkward pause) that ‘that’s just the way it goes’.
The professionalism of the panel unfortunately raises a couple of questions. Mooney asked them (while the voting lines were still open) who they felt should be concerned about leaving the show this week, and unanimously they pointed at Stuart Pollock, who had been very charismatic and clearly enjoyed what he was doing. They also told Drew that he was being eliminated just because Robert C. Kelly had concerns that he could never win over an Irish audience (even after a comparatively wooden performance of ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’ (from Les Miserables), which the panel lauded) when in truth, Sarah had most definitely outsung him in their duet.
Here’s hoping that, over the next few weeks, some of the issues with the way this programme has started are ironed out. There’s no doubt in my mind that the young performers being put through their paces are all capable of carrying the show this autumn, the question is, which of them will be given the chance by the public to do that?
Tune in to RTÉ 1 next Sunday at 6:30 to watch the dramatics unfold, or follow it on the RTÉ site or twitter!
