I think Steph is very capable but I don't think she's there with Aoife or Rachel. Rachel suggests that may be wrong because she's a lot better actress than they showed on the show and steph may be even better too , but I don't think Steph can belt like Rachel or stick with and sing with her really big belters like Aoife in Chicago or sing like Maria and Brooke. I think Aoife's acting range is bigger too - from Maria to Roxie to Brooke has everything from nun to psychopath via comedy and romance. She's almost becoming bionic Maria as well.

I think Niamh is one to watch - there's a lovely line in her big interview in her thread that she hasn't had to audition yet.......I think Anthony Hansen may be another - though bizarrely they have not promoted him in Les Mis this time. There's also Helena and Abi who keep on getting really good reviews and may just need one right job coming to them at the right time.

Looking at the Dorothies I wouldn't be at all surprised to see quite a few people getting the types of jobs that Sam, Siobhan Jessie, Tara and Niamh picked up - indeed they may end up being picked up by the same people.

its a bit closer than that though. Sam has done very well . Eponine is big role with a lot of difficult acting, a big song, some difficult vocals and a big death scene. If she can pull that off or get near to Nancy Sullivan's acting she will be doing brilliantly. Poor Eponine doesn't last long though - she comes on in the last third of Act One and dies in the first third of act 2. Niamh's role in LND is pretty big (its on youtube so I looked) and its a character role and starts early when the show needs a good impression. Jessie's role in ALNM was pretty central, it was a big acting role with a couple of big songs and she's on from start to (almost) finish.

I know Jessie and Niamh have big roles in ALNM and LND, but it not the big central role. Whereas Sally Bowles is the big central role. I'm not explaining what I mean very well.

When I went to see Cabaret I expected Sam's Mein Herr and Cabaret to be good, but she blew me away with her Maybe This Time and the big emotional scenes with Clifford.

Cabaret's not touring anymore is it? If it was I'd have Jess as a stick on for Sally Bowles.

Jenny would be great in Grease or Mamma Mia. Stephanie would be good in Grease too.

For Jessie's role in ALNM I think your looking at Steph or Danielle.

The Narrator in Joseph possibly Steph or Sophie.

I wonder what it is Stephanie has been offered because Flashdance looked like the perfect musical for her.

I can't comment on Jessie's role, but as stated, Eponine is big but doesn't really last very long in the show. Niamh's part is relatively minor, she isn't on very much at all (compared to what was expected!) but as it's LND it will be regarded very highly should she move on to something else.

I think a lot of the Dorothies should be considering training as an option. I find it rather sad that people seem to be expecting them to hit the West End five minutes after leaving OTR. There's nothing wrong with taking time out to actually train! And there's nothing wrong with taking supporting/understudy/ensemble roles.

Daniel, Lee and Rachel didn't magically become strong Leading Performers. They trained, then worked their way through the ranks, understudying and learning their craft before entering their respective Casting Shows. Sadly, the TV Casting Shows don't really emphasise the importance of training (in fact, contestants are often criticised for being trained/experienced) and often give the impression that being on one of these shows is all that's needed to become a West End Leading Man/Lady.

I remember wanting to strangle ALW when he told Lauren on the final show to forget her training, if their being told by him training doesn't matter maybe they think it's not necessary.

During IDA I remember Rachel in particular being told often she was very professional, but it came over as more of an insult than a compliment.

I think what he meant was try and do a truthful performance, rather than an OTT "Stage school" performance she regularly did. I don't think he was saying training isn't important.

I think that is right. A lot of the "trained" performers seem to be "on" all of the time as if they had been told to behave in a certain way to depict particular emotions. It reminds me of the John Thaw quote Sheila mentioned "don't demonstrate, be" and I think that is all that ALW was saying.

I am a big fan of Lauren her singing is fantastic, her dancing excellent but her acting was demonstration almost every time - not to say it was bad just that she acted the role rather than becoming it

It just came across as a criticism of training, and sadly, a lot of people probably saw it that way.

I'm starting to get a bit impatient waiting for someone to release the news already!

I think they would need to take an awful lot of good advice on that. Its too early to tell what works for a long career from a few years experience with people on these shows. Training obviously has advantages and you have more options and second careers open up. On the one hand you have 4 of the top 5 Marias, Daniel, Lee, Rachel, Francesca, Ashley, Sarah...on the other there's very successful people who fitted niches and then moved on without doing the training like Sam, Niamh, several Josephs, Siobhan and Katie Hall from bootcamp Nancyland. Can Sam handle a really difficult acting role like Eponine without training and does it matter anyway to her producer if she still gets loud applause for belting OMO? On the other hand do the young singing leads prepare you on their own for the roles you need to act as you get older?

Yeah, I completely agree with that. It's like the difference between a good performance and an amazing performance.

The further complication is that what I might see as a brilliantly acted in character piece of work will probably put off some of the audience who expected to see something simpler or different and to hear what they heard on their CD. Personally I would love a stranger Elphaba, a darker psycho Roxie or a Nancy who really looked like a street survivor.

Yeah, I agree with this too. I have so much respect for people, in any profession, who push the boundaries, because it's such a huge risk. I think it's kinda like Stephanie with Bojangles, I thought that she performed quite a unique version of the song, but obviously the judges didn't agree.

It's TV guys.. I wonder what though!

haha yes! I eluded to television at the very beginning of this thread but no one even noticed lol

please don't be hollyoaks hahaha I doubt it would be though

how did you discover it was telly? x

oh i see on the other thread that you got a letter, WICKED!!!

wish I had bothered sending one now oh well too late

Go on, tell the truth, you knew


http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s1...ew-family.html




Raven

I knew it was telly, but Stephanie has kept me in the dark about what it is and she is meant to tell me today

but now i know thanks to DS!!!!!!!

I'm not even lying I said to my sister and friend that I would put money on it being hollyoaks!!!!!

so when i said before please don't be hollyoaks, i didnt actually know it was going to be but I thought it might, and hoped it wouldn't lmao! oh well I'll watch it now and then make a judgement

Dang! Everyone I've told has been joking with me that she'd end up in Hollyoaks... I didn't expect it to be true though!

Have never watched it myself, not a big fan of soaps but with her and Alex Fletcher appearing in it I will give it a go.

If the show allows Steph to find here acting feet then its as good a place as any to start while picking up a weekly paycheck but I hope she doesn't end up just another soap actor, she has much more promise than that.



Raven

Hmmmm, not convinced a part in Hollyoaks is worth giving up a role in the westend (Flashdance - if that's true) or future training for. It might give a bit of profile and security - but it's a distraction from a career in musical theatre and Hollyoaks is not exactly a well known platform for great actors. I agree with someone on a recent thread that those Dorothy's in their late teens would benefit from professional training and getting good MT experience if they want long and decent careers.

I fear 'end up' is the appropriate word....