32 replies to this topic

[Jessie]

The performance of the series for me is probably Sarah and Rachel's singoff rendition of 'As If We Never Said Goodbye'. That was a real goosebumps moment! It just showed why those two girls were in the competition- Musical Theatre is there element.

Solo-wise, Sarah's 'Midnight Train to Georgia'.

Completely agree.

[M George]

Rachels 'Cabaret' and Sarah and Rachel's 'As if we Never Said Goodbye' were brilliant.  

[Haz]

rachel/sarah sing off
rachel/sam sing off
(surprising given i don't like rachel!)

sam's 'when you believe'
sarah's 'midnight train to georgia'

they were the only ones that came close to giving me a little shiver but i didn't have a single truly WOW moment all series. disappointing.

[stitcher]

Isn't it 'ironic' that so many of us picked out Sarah and Rachel as having the stand out moments? I loved them both and whilst I didn't think that Sarah was necessarily right for Nancy, I do think she was one of the best talents on the show. I'm sure she'll go far. Rachel was my choice for Nancy but with her gone, I'd rather have Jodie than Jessie, who might have something possibly but needs an awful lot of training before she's unleashed on a paying theatre public as most of her performances were cringe making in some way. In the course of the regular audition process she'd be out in the first round.

Do you think that this is because most board posters are regular theatre goers, and to some extent our opinions of a stand out moment are formed by the stage performances we have seen? As we are used to seeing trained performers, does this influence our opinion of a good performance, which translated onto a TV screen may come across as overblown and mannered?  A performer such as Jessie, for example, has generated very polarized opinions - is she a casualty of using TV to cast a theatre show?  Indeed, how useful is stunt casting in a reality show, apart from generating interest for that production's box office - if it brings in new audiences, are the really likely to want to see anything else?

[Thatguyp]

That's probably why, despite performing since the age of 7, Jessie has been turned down by drama schools--are her fans going to strart claiming that was JB's fault or that the drama schools are staffed by idiots--I wait excitedly---

I'd hate to disappoint you, George, so i'll repond.  I've had the very great pleasure to work with many fine professionals who were turned down by drama schools, and others who only got accepted to schools at the third or fourth time of asking. Furthermore, I have worked with many professionals who WERE accepted by drama schools but had little to show for it. No matter how much you may exhalt them, drama schools are just like any other schools... the evidence shows that they don't always make the right decisions.
I would venture to suggest that when they eventually see Jessie performing in the West End, they might realise that they did make a mistake.

Returning to the title of this thread, I believe that the two outstanding performances of the series were Rachel's "Cabaret" and Jessie's "As Long as He Needs Me!"

[Matthew Winn]

Do you think that this is because most board posters are regular theatre goers, and to some extent our opinions of a stand out moment are formed by the stage performances we have seen? As we are used to seeing trained performers, does this influence our opinion of a good performance, which translated onto a TV screen may come across as overblown and mannered?

How can it not affect our opinions? Experience matters just as much when watching something as it does when doing it, and if you've been to the theatre a thousand times you're going to notice aspects of a performance that someone who's been to the theatre twice will never see. I know that I'm far more discerning now than I was when I'd been to the theatre only a handful of times, and things that I loved then would probably fall flat if I could go back and watch them again. I don't think it's that good performances come across as overblown, but more that people with plenty of theatre experience will be more perceptive.

A performer such as Jessie, for example, has generated very polarized opinions - is she a casualty of using TV to cast a theatre show? Indeed, how useful is stunt casting in a reality show, apart from generating interest for that production's box office - if it brings in new audiences, are the really likely to want to see anything else?

I'd say that Jessie is a beneficiary of TV casting, given that she'd managed to get absolutely nowhere on her own merits but now has the TV exposure that will allow her to find work for no other reason than because she's been on TV. In a situation like this I don't think any of the final twelve can be described as casualties, even if they lasted only a week or two. They'll all do well out of it for a few months and if they work hard they may be able to turn it into more enduring success.