I'm not saying anything against Stephanie, per se, I know she's very popular on this forum and its more than my life's worth but I have to admit that I did wince at her overenthusiastic (patronising?) comment about "ooh, I love these" when ALW started to tell a story about when he was her age and auditioning at a record company and then she laughed without even seeming to get the 'joke'.

Don't try too hard, dear.

Did come over as sucking up a little. I can't make my mind up if I like her or not.

She is popular and she is good but hey she's not beyond criticising. I happen to totally agree with you. ALW's stories are not particularly entertaining - nothing that anyone interested in the theatre would not have heard before - there is no need for anyone to suck up. ALW is wise enough to spot a creep when there's one around.

I too find it difficult to make up my mind about Stephanie - but imagine the atmosphere if, at the end of ALW's anecdote, Stephanie had stood there looking bewildered or even worse said "I don't get it."

I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time that ALW got such a response! Of course I get what you say but such fake enthusiasm is a bit gross.

I love Stephanie and she is my second favourite. tbh I think there is a tendency for over-analysis of every single thing what these girls do and say. They are just human, and things are open to many interpretations (Lauren last week is a good example of this). tbh I think many aspiring west end stars would creep up to ALW, he is such a legend in MT, it might be hard to knwo what to say/how to act around him. I find her very funny and endearing actually, and I think she has a Judy Garlandesque sparkle about her.

Stephanie's my favourite, and she's very talented and a lovely girl. I accept that she won't appeal to everyone and that even fans of hers will criticise her sometimes, but I'm not sure I agree on this one

I reckon she was just trying to be polite - sounds like the way I would have reacted to a similar anecdote. I like to show enthusiasm for stories etc that people are telling me - and in such a surreal situation, Stephanie probably wasn't thinking about how funny/interesting ALW's anecdote was. She may just have enjoyed that ALW himself had an anecdote to tell her personally - that, and it came alongside effusive praise of her fabulous performance!

xxxx

I like Stephanie and she has a good voice but I've started to notice her lisp (Jessica has it too) which I find very off-putting.

It's a shame because she does look the part imo and has a bubbly personality.

Well said, I can't imagine how terrifying it must be to go through what the girls are doing, especially when you are trying to impress probably the most important living guy in music theatre history . I know I would be completely tongue tied. Its like standing in front of Leonard Bernstein or Richard Rodgers

I liked Stephanie in the auditions, but something I noticed especially after her line in Get Happy, she always looks so pleased with herself after she sings a line followed by a quick qlance at the judges, its really annoying.

Yes. I get that some people just rub certain people the wrong way, or give off some kind of vibe that turns them off so they don't vote (we're all human here), but what really gets me is the nitpicking on every little facial expression, especially in the "results" section when people are told they are safe or not. Stuff like "oh, she smiled a little there. How smug and unfeeling!" or "she cries so much. It must be fake"--all these being based on a few seconds' reaction. Would the rest of us hold up so well if there were cameras recording our most tense moments?

I find the way all of these girls respond to the comments made by the panel most irritating. In the previous series all of them just stood and listened - maybe they nodded but they never spoke.

Mind you Stephanie and Jessica are the two worst "gurners" when they are singing they have some very weird mouth shapes which have nothing to do with the sound they are producing - and in Stephanies case more noticeable because of the garish red lippy she insists on wearing (and it is her - not makeup as she was wearing it all the way through the auditions too...)

I have a problem with Stephanie's lisp when she sings, I really think she should concentrate on getting rid of it. Becuase apart from that, her voice is very good.

Graham Norton has sometimes looked pretty bewildered by some of ALW's more obscure remarks.

I don't think Stephanie is the sharpest tool in the box, no offence meant at all, and I think she can be forgiven for being a little glazed and naively over-enthusiastic at ALW anecdotes.

Her lisp was worse than Francesca (from last year) on Saturday, shame because it would have been the best performance on the night if she didn't have it. It was still in my top 5 though!

I think Stephanie's quite witty actually, if not academic - she admits herself she's not one for maths and science, but she's very quick in interviews and genmeral conversation

xxxx

But I wasn't overanalysing anyone, I did say I wasn't even criticising her, I just said it made me wince and it did because it was a trifle too 'overdone' which is also what I warned against. Nothing more, nothing less.

Don't overanalyse my comments!

I don't think it's that easy to rid oneself of any speech impediment.

lol

How ridiculous to say its a speech impediment.

So now I'm ridiculous - ah well - long may ridicule reign.

Cmon Ignazio don't try to twist words. I didn't say you were ridiculous.

I'm with DanielleHopeFan, as I like Stephanie and think she's very talented. She could be Dorothy, even if she's not my top favourite.

The lisp is there, but I actually find it quite endearing. No reason why Dorothy couldn't have had a lisp, is there?

And as for 'sucking up' to ALW, what was the girl supposed to do? She was polite, as befits a young girl being told an anecdote by a famous older man. Any other reaction could be interpreted as rude or stupid. It certainly didn't register on my bullshit monitor, which is a finely calibrated piece of machinery, I assure you.

Even if my monitor was faulty and she was in fact quilty of outrageous sycophancy, erm, how precisely does that affect her ability to play Dorothy? Of course we are all free to vote for whichever criteria we choose, but Dorothy House is not the Big Brother House and, for me, how they sing, dance and act are rather more important criteria than their manners.

Yeah, I agree with this. It was a fake response, but it would have been worse if she had actually said she didn't get it.