Last Saturday, Arlene said to one of the couples: "I've been trying to teach this waltz to the cast of The Sound of Music for six weeks, and they aren’t as good as your performance” Now, if the pro can get the celeb to a higher standard in a week, than Phillips can given six weeks, she’s hardly in a position to criticize is she?

Also, last year, do you remember Len saying that he could give Fiona confidence in her dancing ability and get her dancing for the Christmas special? Didn’t seem to come to much did it?

My entire family noticed Arlene's comment on the cast of The Sound of Music, says more than it should to me i.e don't expect too much from the SOM on the stage coming soon, despite Loyd Webber and Graham Norton's promotional tv show.

In defence it might be worthwhile pointing out the cast of SOM have to learn more than one dance AND they haven't got to get it right in a week. Yes it was a nice compliment, but it doesn't inspire confidence in SOM.

i was more surprised as i thought it was craig working on the SOM

bear in mind she probably has a two-hour weekly lesson or something along those lines, they are also learning songs, lines, acting scool, etc etc.

Going back to Len and the dreaded FP.
He did give her lessons and I think she was making some progress, the problem was we didn't see any of this because Brendan instead of dancing with her on the final show just picked her up and danced carrying her.
I have the same fears for the SOM we have tickets for it and I too thought CRH was going to be working on SOM because he helped the wanna be Marias with their acts on the tv show.

I saw SOM last night, the waltz did not look spectacular and it could have done, they all looked a bit squashed and one bloke tripped!!

But in her defence Arlene is presumably teaching a group of people. The celebs are getting intensive one-on-one training. That would make all the difference

I remember it being shown on ITT. Fiona was still moaning. She was also a bit rude about Len, remarking how "flaccid" he felt compared to Brendan! Got the impression Len lost patience in the end, as did Brendan. Probably was carried around during the waltz due to her refusal to do any training at all.

Fiona was still moaning on ITT THIS YEAR.

Grow up woman, and realise this telly lark isn't that easy when your hubby isn't running the show.

Oh What did you think of the show and how did Connie do?

Show was good, the set was very impressive. Leslie Garrett was fantastic hard to judge Connie she was the one I least wanted to win and she did not win me over,

I thought her voice sounded tired and I personally think she will suffer from Martine Mutcheon (sp) type problems with stamina

When Arlene said this I thought it was a bit rude ~ talk about knocking the confidence of the SOM cast!

Yes, I agree, they started of dancing, but Fiona panicked as usual and started clinging on so Brendan just lifted her up.

The press previews of the SOM have been good, the main criticism being the guy who plays Von Trapp, they all seem to say Connie is great and the production as a whole is fab so anyone who has tickets should be in for a treat.

Arlene was just "mouthing off" (no change there, then) letting every one knows "she was in charge" of the "dancing" on SOM as if we cared.
Still she's another Von Trapp to teach now Simon Shepherd has gone. Perhaps with the extra work she'll now shut hers too.

The SOM production isn't having much luck. Naff talent show, half the main cast departing and now they've got to suffer being choreographed by Arlene!

She was just name-dropping to let people know she was working on it, I expect!

Simon Shepherd didnt last long did he !

Bit off topic, but why did Simon Shepherd leave? And who has he been replaced by?

I'm curious too, I didn't know this bit of info (the show opens this week if I'm right..)

He has been replaced by Alexander Hanson - he did not do the show last night assume it was a understudy.

I read the show opens on 15th November

Apparently by mutual agreement because it was felt his performance wasn't fitting in with the show....Translation: he was a bit rubbish so he's been chucked. Same thing happened with Richard Dreyfus and being in The Producers a couple of years back.

Hmm..

No one in their right mind would have thought the “lovely doctor” from Peak Practice and so many other similar roles would have been able to achieve this in a month of Sundays.

Maybe Mr Webber spent too much time “Lording” it on his “gold throne" like “Jabba the Hutt” on the BBC’s programme to give proper attention to the rest of the casting?
Still the £1/4 million pounds it is said it will cost him is just a drop in the ocean compared to £13 million the show's production staff say they have received in advance bookings and we’re nowhere near yet the official “opening night.”

I’m sure ALW will be extremely grateful for all the free publicity and advance promotion the BBC have given him for his show week after week, after week.
You can rest assured that the viewers who effectively have paid for all this will never see as much as a five second snippet of this West End show on their screens.

Let’s hope the BBC are never foolish enough to do such a thing again.

I bought my tickets for the show before I even knew there was going to be a TV show, had I seen the show first I would never have bought the tickets

I'll have them then.

(If you're giving them away that is...)

Sorry I used them last night to watch the show!

Err...

Help me out here.

Why would anyone think they'd see it on TV before or during the run of the show?

The point I was making was: For those viewers who spent their money voting for the ultimate winner or any of the losers for that matter, many of whom wouldn't be able to afford to pay the fifty quid and travelling expenses or whatever it would cost to get there, it would have been nice for them to have seen a few seconds of "her" in action on the West-end stage.
But it won't happen.