Ironically, Barrowman has appeared in at least one Sondheim musical - Company. He played Bobby.

TBH, I do think Barrowman has the credentials to be judging others. What I felt was wrong was the way he seemed to play favourites (e.g. Ben in ADWD and Jodie in IDA) and could get quite nasty with those he didn't like (e.g. Lewis in ADWD and Ashley and Jessie in IDA).

Much as I thought that Lewis wasn't ready to take on a West End leading role at that point, I did think it was unfair that he was told by Barrowman (in the ADWD semi-final) that, with five weeks between the final and opening night there wasn't time to sort out his performance issues, whereas a few minutes later, Ben was told there was time to sort out his!

Barrowman has not only done Sondheim, but has worked with Sondheim himself, in 'Putting it Together' in LA (1998) and Broadway (1999-2000). He then went on to play the role of 'Bobby' in 'Company' in Washington in 2002, (again working with Sondheim) and sung in the Sondheim Celebration Concert in New York later that same year.

In fact Barrowman, has described working closely with Sondheim as one of the 'seminal moments' of his career.

Whether you like Barrowman or not, he has had a vast, and successful, experience of musical theatre.

BTW I don't understand the continuing bitterness by some about IDA. As far as I can see, most of the contestants have had successful careers since the show.

And I am open minded enough to change my opinion on contestants I hadn't necessarily rated before. Like I said, I didn't realize Rachel could be as good, until I saw her in Wicked. I didn't rate Ben much in Hairspray but really liked him in 'Dream Boats and Petticoats', Jessie wasn't a favourite but the reviews of her recent work in the theatrical press have been positive enough for me to consider buying a ticket to see her sometime.

He has indeed sung it..

Not sure they have ever solved the problem of what they need in a judge. They go for the brash expressive males who look exciting on TV, but I think they often look for fellow brash expressive types who can do what they do, and miss what they can't do. When they find someone they like they are overly brash and excited about them. When they tried someone with a lot of real acting experience with Sheila, she added subtlety, but talked endlessly and vaguely about adding colour. Similarly, they tried for massive stage experience with Dame Edna, and before that had massive experience producing on he panel , and it often sounded like Miss World. There's also something artificially negative about judging one person as a winner and ruling out others openly on TV. Often thats too black amd white when several people could perform the role, ALW often doesn't really want what he says he does, and the producer may well happliy eventually employ several people in the role anyway. There's also a problem judging potential - both in the short term with what people will be like by the time the new show opens, and in the longer term.

I agree about the contestants. Its not only that many can do what we didn't see them do, and they can do what people on the show suggested they couldn't . Its also that many fit other roles and genres perfectly, all develop, and people go off on different routes of training, touring, supporting or leading, and have different luck. There's also some who went straight to major roles, and others, who may end up doing as well, who have been building , learning, developing and moving up through the roles - plus a few who are still waiting to get their big role.

That's an interesting point. You may not know that Barrowman didn't automatically get the judging job on the first ALW show (the Maria one). He had to audition for it. The other candidates for the job were Michael Ball and Elaine Paige. So at least at that stage, they weren't necesarily looking for a 'brash male', just someone with an extensive musical theatre star pedigree (and who was also comparatively well known to the public. Ball and Paige were obvious MT 'names' to the general public, and Barrowman was becoming well known for DW at that time and also had the required MT background)

"Fantastic, Fantastic Fantastic" beats " I quite liked that" inTV terms ???

Maria was also meant , in the job description at he start, to be young, different, tomboyish and adventurous and not like Julie .... so perhaps they wanted a younger, less established/ment look to their judges too?

Possibly. Barrowman isn't that much younger than Ball (JB is 44, MB is 49), but he definitely has a more exuberant personality!.

Incidenlty regarding your comment about how contestants can progress after shows like IDA, and how they can 'do what people on the show suggested they couldn't' It is interesting that Barrowman himself, in his book, talks about how he had to build his skills until he was competent enough to do Sondheim. He credits his co stars Elaine Paige and Bernard Cribbins for teaching him the West End ropes, when he unexpectedly landed the lead in the Anything Goes back in 1989, and then Cameron Mackintosh for subsequently pushing and expanding his capabilities. "Early in my career Cameron encouraged, mentored and auditioned me in different [leading] roles in a variety of musicals....until he felt that I was ready to handle the master, Sondheim. For those of us in musical theatre , the pinnacle of the game is to perform in a Stephen Sondheim show, especially one in which Sondheim himself is directly involved''.

Some Sondheim shows (like 'Company', which Barrowman played the lead in) not only have complex music but also a lot of dialogue, so acting is as important as the singing.

I think Jessie is to be congratulated on having had had such a positive response to her performing Sondheim.

Actually re reading Barrowman's book made me wonder if Cameron Mackintosh saw the same potential in Jessie that he saw in the young Barrowman, and that he wanted someone raw he could mentor (Barrowman said Cameron had also mentored a young Ruthie Henshall).

I still don't think Jessie was necessarily right for the role of Nancy (and they were, after all auditioning for a particular role, rather than simply looking for the next musical theatre star), but then I don't see Jodie doing Sondheim either. I now think both Jodie and Jessie are talented but in different ways, and are suited to different roles. and each can have long term careers in the business

BTW out of curiosity, does anyone know if Cameron Mackintosh has taken a pro active role in Jessie's post IDA career?

Nothing known apart from the rumours that she was offered Nancy as alternate/understudy or later. Playing Anne for Trevor Nunn looked a good option to me.

I am not sure what the TV shows actually show us with lots of people. With some, there's an obvious talent and they deveop additional skills as they move through roles. With others ,a few weeks training/rehearsing with top people and what looked like a weakness goes, or even becomes a strength. With others, often because of song choices, you get just a glimpse of what they can, and will be able to, do when they get the right role, or a proper MT setting. Its looking now as if its rarely the case that there could only be one winner if you allow for rehearsal time. ALW's argument keeps on changing, but the last one I saw was that he thought 5 people could have played Maria . I would guess that half a dozen could have played Nancy then, and more now. I have only seen three of the Dorothies live, but the way he's actually decided to direct Dorothy, I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of them could have played her well.

At the time Michael Ball was busy with 'Hairspray' I believe not leaving until July 2009. This would have made being available for all the auditions and then the live shows difficult. He'd have made a very good, fair constructive judge imo.Elaine Paige could have worked too I suppose. Have to confess I find John Barrowman too over powering. Saw him on SYTYCD on Saturday and was reminded of this then.

According to Wiki, Ball was in Hairspray from Oct 2007 - July 2009

HDYSPLM aired July - Sept 2006

Ah yes I've just re-read you post and see you were talking about HDYSAPLM. I was in line with the thread title, of course thinking of IDA.

Only in all the wrong ways. Michael is much more fun without being inappropriate for his audience.

Generally, JB comes across as older than MB in a trying too hard to appear half his age way.

I disagree, but realize that Barrowman is like marmite, people seem to either really like or dislike him.

Anyway I'm aware that this discussion is moving OT, so does anyone know if Jessie is going into another show in the near future?

RADA is a three year degree course. If she stays with it Jessie will graduate presumably in 2013 - same year as Jessica, Bronte Emilie and Sophie (?) should from their courses. RADA do some summer shows but there's no cast lists to tell who might be in them. http://www.rada.ac.uk/productions-an...da-productions All thats appeared so far for Jessie's summer, from her fanblogspot is the Albert Hall cabaret on June 12.

There's a small article on Jessie on The Evening Standard today. She was apparently "talent spotted" by Observer food critic Jay Rayner who booked her alongside Stephen Fry and Jo Brand for a benefit night honoring his mother. It also mentioned that Jessie sang in the Albert Hall last night and that Jo Brand thinks and I quote "as good, if not better than Judy Garland."

Drat missed it and left Standard on the train...

She didn't play the main Albert Hall - she was in a room off it - but that was sold out. She sang two one hour sets with Jessie trademark power and emotion - including a song dedicated to her dad, one to a friend, and a massive Man That Got Away to end. She said RADA is going well and mentioned the Meerkats again (that was her animal for a become an animal task) - she's not doing Meerkat impressions in her set though.

Following up a dudlink on her bebo fanpage (and assuming the RTE page is current) reveals Jessie is performing with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in the National concert Hall Dublin on July 15.

https://www.nch.ie/online/default.as...7-8940061A1FF4

http://www.rte.ie/about/pressrelease...n04042011.html

Beyonce and Celine are new additions?

Which may be being broadcast on - . http://www.rte.ie/radio/listing.html?channel=130 ?
perhaps someone with some Irish radio listings can confirm that nearer the time?

She's impessive with a pianist and a double bass, but on her own with a whole orchestra her American Song Book set may be something very special .

it seems this was on tonight but its not being aired on radio according to tonight's announcement until Friday August 5th, 2000
on RTE Lyric FM

http://www.rte.ie/radio/liveplayer2_....smil,real,200
It looks recordable (at least it is now if you have realplayer and open up the play in standalone player option.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg6ExmaOlRo
Jessie interviewed at her Albert hall cabaret . This may be the one that was linked to on the Jessie fanblog - but that youtube didn't stay up.

Is there anyone here who might be able to record it? I would LOVE to listen to it, but I'm having exams at the time, and besides, I do not live in the UK/Ireland, so it will be too late for me to try to listen to it live anyway. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks!

http://www.rte.ie/radio/miss.html click lyric fm gets you to
http://www.rte.ie/lyricfm/ if you look under the select show pull down list for the lyric concert with eamon lawler you get to

http://www.rte.ie/lyricfm/concerts/ and if you click on this this weeks dates you get to jessie's which is now listed fro the 5th.

http://www.rte.ie/lyricfm/concerts/1322204.html

i am hoping that the listen to the latest show button after Friday or going into the shows from the past week for Friday 5th later will work after the live broadcast . No idea when they will put it up but hoping thats where it will be.

If you have realplayer and play it in realplayer by clicking where it says play clip in realplayer in you have a red button record option available. Not sure what happens in windows media player. You could also set the realplayer to record everything from when you go out but there may be a limit how long your make of real player will record for? If you right click on the blue progress bar it shows a perfect play duration option which defaults to 30 minutes but you can set for up to 12 hours - never used that - but assume thats what it does.

http://www.rte.ie/lyricfm/player_av....icconcert.smil

Worth it just for Somewhere Over The Rainbow, a Nighingale Sang in Barclay Square and a truly massive Don't Rain on My Parade concluding it all in part 2. Jessie starts about 30 minutes in in real time - though this player shows a 2 hour show as taking an hour and thinks thats 8 minutes in. There's 10 songs plus an interview in the interval.

RTE seems to have moved the links above to later week's shows so they don't work anymore for the Jessie concert. Haven't found the Aug 5 show stored on the RTE/RTElyric site anywhere else yet - if anyone has, can they post a link please.

If anyone wants to see Jessie, she seems to be doing her xmas concerts again for Raymond Gubbay. They are called The Sound Of Musicals and you have Jessie plus 2 other females and a couple of males with "a new programme of show-stopping songs from the greatest Broadway and West End musicals, including: Les Misérables, Anything Goes, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, Sweet Charity, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, Grease, Love Never Dies, Cats and Carousel" There's another female to spread the load this year, expect Jessie will sing OTR from the Wizard of Oz (?) but interesting to see what else.

She's at the Barbican London 28 th dec
http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/eve...l.asp?ID=12590

Symphony Hall, Birmingham 29 December 2011
http://www.thsh.co.uk/view/the-sound...als-29-12-2011

Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow 30 December 2011
http://www.glasgowconcerthalls.com/w...f-the-Musicals

The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester 02 January 2012
http://www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk/pe...nce/17599.aspx

,

Some youtubes have appeared of Jessie's xmas Barbican Musicals concert from last year. The recorded sound isn't always great but you get the idea. She's doing something very similar again this year.

Anything You Can Do. From Annie Get Your Gun (wow)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoBgw...eature=related

As If We Never Said Goodbye from Sunset Boulevard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3zB7Gr7TSk

The Trolley song from Meet Me in St. Louis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWn_i...eature=related
...........................
The youtubes of Jessie in Little Night Music vanished. But these two have arrived to replace them.
Every Day a Little Death. Its Jessie from 30 seconds in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J83hUe5he4E&feature=fvsr

A Weekend in the Country - Maureen Lipman to start. Jessie starts at 03-04
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apHkq...el_video_title

http://www.royalalberthall.com/ticke...y/default.aspx

Jessie is involved in Captain Beaky and his band at the Royal Albert Hall 11 dec 1800 - with Sir Roger Moore, Joanna Lumley, Vanessa Redgrave and more.....In aid of UNICEF.

Jessie's also performing at the national concert hall Dublin 22 December in her own Xmas show.

https://www.nch.ie/online/default.as...2-33158EADF9A7

http://www.visitdublin.com/event/A_Christmas_Gala

It looks as if its going out on Lyric FM part of RTE again - no date for transmission yet although its linked to a sunday radio show thats next on on Xmas day which would be appropriate..