Andrew Lloyd Webber should cast more of his own musicals via reality television, and preferably ones with male leads, according to our recent Big Debate poll. Following the conclusion of the Lloyd Webber and the BBC’s latest programme Over the Rainbow, which found Danielle Hope to star as Dorothy in next year’s West End revival of The Wizard of Oz, more than 1,000 theatregoers took part in this month’s survey.
Over half said that Lee Mead has been the most successful star discovered to date via the format. Since being crowned victor of Any Dream Will Do in 2007, Mead proved a critical and popular hit in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, made his dramatic debut on tour in Oscar Wilde’s Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, and has now returned to the West End to star in Wicked.
Any Dream Will Do is the only one of the four Lloyd Webber/BBC programmes so far to cast a male lead, and there seems to be a strong desire for another one, with Jesus Christ Superstar, Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s 1970 follow-up to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the clear favourite as the musical that voters would most like to see cast via television next.
West Side Story, with its star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria, is the second most popular choice for the TV treatment, followed by My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Annie and another Lloyd Webber musical, Evita. Other theatregoers suggested the format should be used to find new leads for current or upcoming West End productions such as Wicked, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Les Miserables, Legally Blonde, Shrek (due to transfer post-Broadway in 2011) and Bridget Jones (still being developed, with a score by Lily Allen).
Not over the hill
Some 57% of voters avidly watched Over the Rainbow and of those, 62% said it not only made for great television entertainment but also made them want to see the resulting stage show, reinforcing recent Society of London Theatre (SOLT) research on the benefits of the “Saturday night TV effect”.
There was a cautionary note, however. Nearly one in four theatregoers said that while the first one or two series were okay, the format is now “looking tired”.
In addition to Lee Mead, the other top five most successful musical theatre stars discovered via reality TV, according to theatregoers, are, in order of popularity:
Jodie Prenger – winner of I’d Do Anything (2008), who has followed her stint in Oliver! with the current tour of Monty Python’s Spamalot
Daniel Boys – finalist on Any Dream Will Do, who had a long run in Avenue Q and has just opened in new musical Wolf Boy at Trafalgar Studios
Rachel Tucker – finalist on I’d Do Anything, now starring as Elphaba in Wicked opposite Mead
Connie Fisher – winner of the first series, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? (2006), who is currently reprising her role as Maria on tour in The Sound of Music
Lee Mead should play Judas in JCS. He's got all the right traits for it. - Blongo
06 Sep 10
i am a big fan of Wicked and I've seen it lots of times. Lee has really ruined fiyero. I can't wit till he goes. - Chrissi
01 Sep 10
Lee Mead is struggling in Wicked. He can't do the dancing and can't play the part as it is meant to be. - desperatedvo
13 Aug 10
Nicky
You have lost the plot if you think everyone should agree with you. Lee is good looking and you might think he's talented. He had already been noticed but only got the parts in the ensemble and as an understudy. He must have been desperate when he went on the TV talent contest. He always looked it. - lucy
31 Jul 10
Lucy you have really lost the plot.
Lee Mead is extremely good looking, but
to have the success Lee has achieved you have to be extremely talented, which of course Lee is, you also have to work very hard, which Lee certainly
does. - Nicky
19 Jul 10
Lee Mead is vastly over-rated and has got where he is because of his good looks. - lucy
19 Jul 10
Lee Mead has worked so hard and achieved so much, always giving 100%
in everything he does, he is an amazing talent and brilliant in Wicked.
Well done Lee. - Gladys
11 Jul 10
Linda
Lee Mead is nice looking but couldn't get a lead part. So he did a TV talent show. Got lots of support mainly for his looks and won. So now he does other actors put of lead parts. He did not even have to audition for Wicked and he's crap. - Carina D
10 Jul 10
I agree that all the shows were good TV and have found some genuinely talented people.
However, for every one of these TV recruits getting a job, there is a really talented actor that doesn't get the job because they aren't a "recognisable face"!
Casting directors......please give everyone an equal chance during auditions!
- Linda Wallis
03 Jul 10
Eric - So having a fan society whose members vote more than once so that Lee wins makes him successful?
That's cheating. He should be disqualified. - cm
02 Jul 10
JHUK - you mention that Lee's win was purely down to his 'fan society'. Surely that whole statement is indicative of Lee's success? The fact that he has dedicated fans who have formed a society and is still going strong is merely another success marker! - Eric
02 Jul 10
Interesting results! I think the poll has produced the 'right' top 5 most successful contestants. Jodie Prenger, Daniel Boys, Rachel Tucker, Connie Fisher and, of course, Lee Mead have all done very well out of the casting programmes. I saw Lee and Rachel in Wicked earlier this week and both were fantastic - particularly in their beautifully sung duet.
I would agree that, if the BBC plan to continue with casting shows, the next role cast must be male though I think a break of two or three years before the next one would be a good idea to prevent viewer fatigue! - Irene Mac
01 Jul 10
Well done Lee . He really deserves it.
- Chantale
01 Jul 10
I hope Lee despises this sort of behaviour by his 'fans'. - jhuk
30 Jun 10
Why congratulate Lee on a win which was orchestated by his fan society? They admitted they each posted lots and lots of times. This poll was fixed b - jhuk
30 Jun 10
Whilst the casting via TV obviously gets bums on seats, why can't we have a show that actually sees new musicals chosen instead of the same old, same old being trundled out year after year? Whilst I'm a fan of Joseph, and Lee Mead, it would be nice to have Lee to start with, and find the role that he's going to be singing. - Richard Voyce
30 Jun 10
Congratulations Lee.
But somehow I just can't see Graham Norton saying to somone - You Could Be Jesus.
Just give Lee the part. - Margaret
30 Jun 10
Well done Lee . Your wonderful talent is at last being given the recognition it desireves - Maggie Ball
30 Jun 10
Fantastic news, congratulations Lee. - steve
30 Jun 10
Well done Lee, truly deserved. - nicky
30 Jun 10
The right result!!
Although I love the other finalists, the poll was about success and there could be only one winner. Well done Lee!!! - Margaret
30 Jun 10
Well done Lee! He has been very successful what with Joseph, the albums, a tour in a play and now Wicked and his own concert tour. - Crystal
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