Reality television has long been taking over the television schedules, but now it’s invading the theatrical landscape as never before. Darius Danesh, a Pop Idol finalist, has just taken over in Chicago, a production that itself became a reality TV show when Channel 4’s Musicality trained a bunch of performers to go into it, initially for one night only. But schoolteacher-turned-Billy Flynn recently returned to the show for five nights earlier this year in his now-professional debut; while fellow Musicality ‘stars’ Rebecca Dent and Caroline Graham are now both on the road together in the tour of Saturday Night Fever (which Dent has also headlined in the West End).
Meanwhile, producer Sonia Friedman is working with Channel 4 to find and produce a brand-new play by a previously undiscovered writer under the gaze of the television cameras; and now it has been reported that Andrew Lloyd Webber will climb ev’ry television mountain to find a new star to play Maria in his forthcoming revival of The Sound of Music. Co-producer David Ian has commented, “We think this could be an interesting way of casting someone who is not known yet but who has enormous talent and we hope it will break new ground.”
Though it could indeed make compelling television, and will no doubt guarantee the production lots of valuable publicity, too, existing West End talent might well feel “insulted”, as a leading West End actress told me yesterday. The fact is that appearing in the West End is a privilege, not a right, and it usually takes years of dedicated training to get there: not a cattle call staged for the benefit of television cameras. Even if it allows the public a glimpse of the kind of process that goes into putting on a show, as Musicality did, the West End isn’t a democracy, and access isn’t available to perform there for anyone and everyone…. though if you’re really keen and ready to pay around £250, you could sign up for the Master Classes that are regularly held for several major West End musicals, and over a three day period, a group is taught a 15-minute compilation from the show that they then get to perform on the actual set of it.
It might make good television, but will it make good theatre? That's the only thing that counts -- that the best person for the job gets it. Everyone has to start somewhere....
Does David Ian need an award winning Amateur Mother Abess ? why not open up other parts to open auditions?
The "insulted" actress assumes that the people attending and qualifying these auditions aren't trained... where in fact most have undergone extensive training and have suffered heartbreak trying to break into the industry. Hardly undeserving.
Yes I understand that people have worked hard to get on the west end. Ive worked hard too such as at university but I live in the north of England and so this show could be my only real chance as moving to london is too expensive. We all get forgotten in the north so think yourself lucky.
Don't you think Andrew Lloyd webber is lowering himself a bit by taking part in this project?
I am torn about the decision to televise the audtions for The Sound of Music and to make it an open audition. I agree that appearing on the West End is not necesarily a right, but there are people out there who have not had the chance to train at drama school but are good enough to be given the chance to work as a professional. It will be however at times cringeworthy to watch as we have memories of the x factor and pop idol rejects reborn into no marks who 'know that they can do this' and it is 'their dream' to be on stage when they have the talent of a gnat. This makes me see red as the opportuninty to televise the audtions will make a mockery of the theatre world. Al respect my be lost. It could crash and burn or it could bring a new undiscovered talent to the forefront and maybe become the Will Young of the theatre world and in time rid themselves of the 'reality tv' tag.