1. Danielle
I was getting a little worried for her, not because I don't like her 'subtle' acting (thanks, Sheila!) but because I feared the general public didn't, or rather were bored with it. She didn't knock Cry Me A River out of the park last week as well as I would have hoped. Still, this was FANTASTIC - and I really, really disagree with whoever said that any of the Dorothys would have done as good a job. No way. Steph, probably. Possibly Lauren. I don't think the others could hold a candle to this though. She has real, real personality, charisma, and holds the stage. Magic stuff.
2. Steph
I don't get how this is a bottom two performance. Fair enough, in week 1 I wasn't overly convinced, although giving her a Michael Jackson song hardly helped her. This was fun, lively, and as John said, it looked effortless. Maybe not her most flawless performance to date, but there was a lot of work involved in this number, and she carried it off with aplomb. Bit worried about the public and what they're looking for at this stage.
3. Lauren
It was good, but - I always find a 'but' when talking about Lauren - I thought it was a bit samey. She seemed to let the emotion overwhelm the performance, which I know most people think is what you're meant to do, but it left little possibility of light and shade there. I knew she was distraught, but there could have been more subtlety there, an indication as to what the trigger was. Plus I kept remembering Jessie's performance - the best performance throughout the whole series of I'd Do Anything - and comparing them. I still think Lauren's more than worth her place though.
4. Jessica
Finally, Jessica delivers in spades. I have to say, I didn't think she'd have much of a problem when I heard what song she had. She definitely has the bones of a good Sally Bowles. I saw Siobhan Dillon (third in the Maria show) in the role last year - there's no reason why Jess couldn't follow in her footsteps. I just don't think she's a Dorothy.
5. Stephanie
She was my absolute favourite from Day 1 - I'm gutted that she's gone. It was a very difficult song to sing, not vocally (she has few problems there) but from an acting point of view. I actually didn't think she was as bad as John made out. I didn't really get the sense of any story until the end, but I did get it then. Despite the disappointing performance, I still think she was more of a Dorothy than Jessica, and consistently better than Jenny or Sophie. She wasn't meant to go out until at least the semi-final, in my book - what's going on
6. Jenny
It wasn't a bad performance, and she sang it very well - her voice tends to annoy me more than any of the others, it has a weird American twang to it a lot of the time, almost cloying, but she did well here. I just didn't believe the performance. Fabulous song, but I think she got carried away by the band and the melody and lost the sense of it. Maybe she captured the sense of the song more than Stephanie - but she lacks that stage presence that Stephanie has. You want to believe Stephanie, regardless of how bad her performance may be - I just don't get compelled by Jenny. I thought she might make bottom two with Sophie, and I would have saved her in that scenario - but I have a feeling she's Andrew's least favourite.
7. Sophie
She seems lovely. I'm sure she is lovely. She looks gorgeous, and has a wonderful voice. But enough is enough. Out of all the Dorothys, she is the one who most looks like falling apart in every performance (except the group ones, where, to be fair, she's been more impressive). Her VTs have been consistently ridiculous - she's a small-town girl and all the village are behind her, she's proud to be Welsh and likes rugby too! - but this week took the biscuit, when her grandfather admonished all of Wales for 'letting her down'. I'm sorry, what?! This isn't judged on the basis of where you're from! Credit to Jenny, she has never once called on the Scottish vote, to my memory anyway. I hoped she could finally deliver this week, after being saved - but I've lost my patience at this stage. Stephanie had a lot more potential in the role, and she's gone. Time to vote for the right reasons, public.
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