On March 31st, 2007, we all sat down to watch the very first episode of a new TV Casting Show - 'Any Dream Will Do'! Once again, ALW (aka 'The Lord') was casting a lead role in a musical, but this time it was one of his own, 'Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat'. He wanted "...a 'poppy' Joseph, a mix of Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson (in the old days)!" Would the public give him what he wanted, or would they give him an experienced musical theatre performer with 'Period Drama' good looks? Hmmmm, I wonder?
The first ep covered the audition stages, with a variety of people trying their luck, including a mysterious and rather intense young man, who seemed to have forgotten the 'technicolour' bit of the role he was auditioning for, and turned up dressed in black, with a 'dark' audition song! It didn't affect his chances, though, as he sailed through to the call-backs, despite failing to recognise Sir Tim Rice!
We saw a few faces who would become familiar, including Seamus (and his pitch pipe), Keith (who was first up at the call-backs) and Lewis (who apparently resembled David Beckham? Not sure about that). We also saw a few who were given lots of screen time and VTs, yet disappeared pretty quickly. I wonder what happened to the lad from Plymouth who had a sick mum, or the Irish lad who lived with his grandparents? Did they follow their performing dreams?
A couple of lads who realised their performing dreams later on, despite not making the ADWD live shows, were Rhydian Roberts (who went on to become X-Factor runner-up later that year, and is now a successful singer and musical theatre performer) and Alister Brammer (who ended up becoming a successful musical theatre performer, and also briefly appeared in 'Casualty', where he ended up spray-tanning the bottom of the eventual ADWD winner - talk about a small world! ).
According to Graham Norton's commentary (he was the perfect host for the Casting Shows - funny but never nasty, and he knew how to deal with 'The Lord'), 10,000 young men auditioned for ADWD. For the call-backs, the 10,000 were whittled down to around 100, then at the call-backs, the 100 were whittled down to 50, who moved onto the next stage (and episode), 'Joseph School'.
Yes, and Alister is now playing Chris in Miss Saigon on Broadway.
Yes. Though Lee did treat us to a rendition of 'Why, God?' at his very first ADWD audition:-
LINKY THING
This audition (along with those of the other 11 boys who made the live shows) was uploaded to the ADWD website. What stuck in my mind (apart from how amazing Lee's audition clip was) was that Lee was the only one of the 12 who got to sing his whole (2mins+) audition song - all the others sang parts of their songs, with someone (presumably a production bod) saying "Stop!" or the clip stopping after a verse or two. Anyone would think he was the 'Chosen One'?
Good memories there! I got a bit anno*** with the Irish lad when he was leaping around and saying 'OOh yes' in a silly deep voice. Nice to think that some of the auditionees like Rhydian and Alister (Have I been spelling that Alistair all this time when it was the wrong spelling?) Brammer have done well. And I still feel cheated that the lad with the pushy girlfriend never got to sing the main part of 'Martin Guerre'. Putting it a little basically, he was cut off before the real tune started!
Alistair Brammer. That is how he spells it on his twitter account x
OH has a cousin who spells his name Alister, so I spell them all that way automatically, sorry Alistair B!
On April 7th, 2007, it was the second week of ADWD, where the remaining 50 auditonees were put through Joseph School. At the beginning of the ep, two extra auditionees were shown asking ALW to be put through to Joseph School. They just happened to have a camera crew with them at the time!
At Joseph School, they were put through their singing, acting and dancing paces. We had a few sightings of the curly haired Adonis (aka Lee Mead), but the edit seemed more aimed at showing the ones who were struggling. The boys were visited by 'The Lord' and former West End Joseph Jason Donovan, whose vocals sounded a bit strained when he led a sing-along of ADWD.
Then, ALW, Judges and Jason listened as the boys tried to perform the scene where Joseph accuses Benjamin of stealing, with varying degrees of success. Following that, ALW delivered the news that the first cull was to take place (complete with dramatic/sad music!). Then he disappeared!
The boys were given a last chance to impress, by performing a song for the judges. One of the boys had a meltdown in Zoe's rehearsal, and decided he wasn't a Joseph! Once again, the 'final chance to impress' seemed more focussed on people messing up. I'd like to have seen Lee's attempt, but it wasn't shown, which was a bit frustrating.
John Barrowman delivered the decision on who sta*** and who went by tapping on the shoulders of the unlucky ones, as they all sang 'Close Every Door'. The epic theme from 'Gladiator' was pla*** over this sequence, just to add to the drama (though whenever I've watched it back since, it's made me imagine Lee as a Gladiator! ). This was an interesting sequence, because Lee seemed to be absent, which spawned a conspiracy theory that he was the 'Chosen One', lined up for the role by ALW and kept away from the elimination bits, since he was already through anyway! Totally bonkers, especially as Lee was present (there are screencaps to prove it, and you clearly hear Lee's voice holding on to the note at the end!), but it was the start of the whole 'Lee is the Chosen One' thing!
By now, the 52 boys had been whittled down to 28, with one more day at Joseph School (and a final cull, from 28 to 20) to come. The boys performed in groups for the judges, then it was time for the final cull. The boys were made to sit in a 'group therapy' style circle, then they were told one by one whether they were through or not.
The Surviving 20 were flown to Ireland to perform in a concert at ALW's castle. Another 8 were to be culled. The decision was to be made by ALW and the judges, but the audience were also invited to vote for their favourite boys. The voting forms were placed in a ballot box and were apparently counted by ALW/the judges, and the results factored into their decisions. I'd love to know who the most po****r boys were in that audience vote!
The boys were split into groups of four. The clips of the concert we saw looked interesting, though once again, we saw only the briefest glimpse of Lee. Interestingly, three of Lee's group subsequently made it through to the live shows, so they obviously did something right!
The morning after the concert, the boys learned their fate, as they were summoned to ALW's study/office, which looked as if it belonged at Hogwarts! Poor Lee looked absolutely stunned when ALW told him that he could be Joseph!
I felt there were a few odd decisions. A couple of the final 12 seemed weaker than people who didn't make it through. I'd love to know the reasoning behind the decisions.
So...we had our final 12 - Lee, Keith, Lewis, Ben, Craig, Daniel, Rob, Chris B, Seamus, Antony, Johndeep and Chris C.
Thanks for this, jo - I've often wondered that myself. Some of those early boys were . . . um . . . not the best.
Don't forget to check out the ADWD 10th Anniversary page of the website. We're loving all the experiences we are receiving and sharing each week - and we'd love to have more! *hint*
LEE!!!Link
Johndeep had a wonderful voice but I was surprised at how little research he'd done for his West Side Story song.
Yes. You'd think Johndeep would have either watched the scene from the film in which the song features, or watched the whole film. Odd that he didn't.
On April 14th, we sat down to watch the first live show of ADWD. The 'final 12' started the show, singing (of course!) ADWD.
After the judge introductions, ALW said that he was looking for a Joseph who was a cross between Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson and Jude Law!
First up were Rob 'The Builder' McVeigh and 'Mr Intriguing' Lee Mead! Rob got proceedings off to a lively start with 'Summer Of 69', then Lee took to the stage to sing 'Mack The Knife'. He was slick, polished and brimming with confidence - his tap-dance down the stairs to the rhythm of the music was a memorable moment, as was the way he ended the song with a fold of the arms and a nod of his head. It was this performance which made some people believe that Lee was arrogant, though he was anything but, and it was astonishing to see the contrast between Lee the performer and Lee the nervous young man.
Next up were Lewis Bradley and Ben Ellis - two teenagers who were at stage school together before auditioning for ADWD. Lewis sang 'Faith', doing a good job overall. Ben sang 'Johnny B Goode', giving an energetic performance, however his vocals were patchy (something which was to become a recurring theme throughout the series).
Next up were Craig Chalmers and Johndeep Moore. Craig sang 'Try A Little Tenderness'. He had a pleasant (if rather nasally) voice, but he had a tendency to slip into 'Cabaret' mode. Johndeep sang 'If There's Any Justice' - a nice performance, but could have done with a bit less intensity. Incidentally, I found it hard to believe that this was the first time Johndeep's parents had ever seen him perform. Had they never seen any of his college performances? Were they not aware that he was studying Performing Arts at college? Odd!
There was a brief message from last year's HYDSAPLM winner, Connie Fisher, wishing this year's batch of contestants well.
Next up were Seamus Cullen and Antony Hansen - the eldest and youngest contestants in the competition. Seamus sang 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'. It was a strong, confident performance, but his VT had sown the seed of him being arrogant/not a team player in the viewers' minds. Antony sang 'Don't Wanna Miss A Thing'. It was a bit pitchy in places, but he had a nice tone in his voice, and the song was performed from the heart (to his sobbing girlfriend).
Next were Daniel Boys and Chris C. Chris C sang 'This Love'. A difficult song to sing, and he did an OK job, though I was distracted by the fact that he seemed to be dressed as Doctor Who (David Tennant version)! Daniel, despite being a more experienced MT performer than Lee was portra*** as a 'Cement Company Administrator'! Which perhaps wasn't that beneficial in the long run. He sang 'You Do Something' - a nice, confident performance!
Next were Chris B and Keith Jack. Chris B sang 'Walking In Memphis'. It was a good performance, and he was another with a lovely tone to his voice. Keith sang 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', and showed what a strong voice he had. Confident and effortless vocals.
After a brief recap of the performances, the voting lines were opened, and the tense wait for the results show began (thank goodness we weren't subjected to the torture of a Sunday results show!).
The results show started with a recap, followed by a brief chat with former Joseph Jason Donovan. ALW pointed out that he was looking for a Joseph who could really act!
A group performance followed, of 'Luck Be A Lady' from 'Guys & Dolls'. There were a few mic issues, but pretty much everyone performed it well. Lee's talent and charisma shone through!
With the phonelines closed, a VT was shown of the Josephs being asked "Who's not Joseph?" Lots of "I don't think so-and-so is Joseph!" and Seamus wanted Lee to leave first because he was his biggest rival!
The panel were asked who they didn't think was Joseph (based on tonight's performances):-
Zoe - Antony
Bill K - Chris C
Denise - Craig
John B - Craig
This was followed by the announcement of the results, which was very tense! Lee was kept to very near the end to hear his fate! Thankfully, he was safe!
The bottom two were Chris C and Ben. Chris C had the least number of votes.
The bottom two sang 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'. Personally, I preferred Chris C's voice in this performance, but ALW clearly preferred Ben, hence his decision to save him.
Finally, we had the farewell song, which became legendary, thanks to the stripping of the coat from the leaving Joseph as he sang 'Close Every Door'! Chris C did a really good job, and his CED ended up being one of the best!
So now we knew how the show 'worked' and we'd seen our first elimination. Saturday nights were suddenly exciting!
On April 21st, we all gathered in front of our TVs to watch the second live show. We were down to 11 Josephs, and I suspect it was finally dawning on them that this was a real competition, and anyone could leave.
"I was prepared to rip someone's head off!" Blimey, Johndeep was a bit scary there!
The Josephs gave a group performance of 'Jacob & Sons'. Lots of smiling, flapping coats about in a confined space - that stage was really small!
This week's challenge was acting. This was going to be tough for some!
First up were Daniel and Craig. Daniel sang 'Since You've Been Gone'. An odd song choice, which doesn't really show off vocals. He did an OK job, though. Craig sang 'Home'. The vocal was pleasant enough, but the acting was pretty much non-existent.
Next up were Keith and Seamus. Keith sang 'Who Am I?'. A strong vocal performance, but acting could have been better. Seamus (who was still getting the 'arrogant' edit) sang 'Being Alive'. Another decent vocal performance and a good stab at acting it.
Next was Ben (who was in the Bottom Two last week). He sang 'All By Myself'. His vocals were pitchy in places, but his acting was better.
Next were Johndeep and Chris B. Johndeep sang 'Something's Coming' (from 'West Side Story'). The vocal was good (it's a difficult song to sing), but the acting was off, presumably because he'd never seen WSS, so didn't have a clue about the context of the song (his excuse for not watching the film, or even a clip of the relevant song, was a bit odd). Chris B sang 'I'll Be There'. It ended up a bit shouty in places, and the vibe he gave off in his performance was a bit stalkerish!
Next were Rob and Antony. Rob sang Piano Man. OK vocal performance, but I understood ALW's comment about how there were supposed to be two characters in the song, and that didn't come through in Rob's performance. Antony sang 'Light My Fire'. It's a song that requires real stage presence, and whilst the vocal was OK, Antony struggled to give a believable performance.
Last were Lewis and Lee (who got a 'He's a working class boy' edit). Lewis sang 'Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word'. His vocal was good, but I think his acting needed more depth. Lee sang 'Bad Day'. An excellent performance - spot on vocally, and he nailed what was a difficult acting job. He even got to kiss his 'co-star' in the performance!
After a reminder of all the performances, the phonelines were opened, and Graham advised us to use our votes wisely!
After a break for something or other, we were back with the results show at 9.50pm - I'd forgotten how late the results shows were on!
20,000 schools have performed Joseph in the UK (by 2007)! Blimey, that's a lot of schools, though I'm guessing some schools have done it more than once.
John Barrowman pla*** Joseph as a teenager. Loving the coat made of ties!
Group song was 'Pinball Wizard' - Lee's bit was fab in this. I'd love to hear him sing the whole song!
Graham announced that the phone lines were now CLOSED!
McFly were in the studio, discussing the Josephs. This was to do with the first Joseph Mission - where the boys performed with McFly! Predictably, Lewis, Ben and Antony were big favourites with the McFly fans at the concert.
Then the judges were asked who (based on that evening's performances) wasn't Joseph.
Zoe - Ben
Bill - Johndeep
Denise - Ben
John - Johndeep
Then it was time for the results. Unusually, the first person called out (Chris B) was in the sing-off. Lee was given the news that he was through fairly early on, so thankfully, the wait wasn't too agonising.
The two in the sing-off were Chris B and Johndeep. The person with the lowest votes was Chris B.
The sing-off song was 'Let It Be'. Both sounded good, but Chris was much smoother and more confident as a performer. Therefore I agreed with ALW's decision to save Chris.
Graham announced that next week, two Josephs would be leaving. I remember thinking "Oh, blimey!" It certainly made the following week a nail biter!
Onto the farewell song. Johndeep made a decent job of it.
Now we were down to 10 Josephs!
What a great recap, johartuk! How fun to remember those heady days . . . *ahem*
I hope everyone had a chance to read JaneW's Bad Day experience on the website - (Lewis????? Really????? )
We are needing more for the coming weeks. As you can see from the 10th Anniversary page, they can be long or short - funny or sentimental - they just need to be YOUR experience in YOUR words.
Please consider sharing. Email us: theteamlmas@gmail.com
Meanwhile, enjoy:
Week4
April 28th was a Double Elimination! They did this the previous year in HDYSAPLM, where there were TWO Double Eliminations in consecutive eps (the Quarter and Semi-finals)! Thankfully, there was only one DE in ADWD, as TPTB decided they wanted an extra episode, so the second DE was scrapped!
The remaining 10 Josephs started proceedings with a rousing rendition of 'Go, Go, Go Joseph'.
'Angry Lloyd Webber'!
This week's theme was 'Great Pop Songs By Male Artists' - not vague at all, then!
First up were Seamus and Lewis. Seamus sang 'Start Me Up'. Good performance, though not much scope for really acting it. A good start to the show, though. Lewis sang 'I Saw Her Standing There'. Another odd one from an acting perspective. Vocal was OK, though. Unfortunately, Lewis' mum was a bit embarrassing. Calm down, dear!
Next up were Rob and Anthony. Rob sang 'Pretty Woman'. OK vocal and lots of enthusiasm. Antony sang 'Patience'. He sounded OK in the 'normal' bits, but that falsetto...Oh dear! I felt it was unfair to expect someone who had never done falsetto before to learn how do to it from scratch in a week! Especially as Joseph doesn't use falsetto at all in the musical!
Next up were Chris B and Ben. Chris B sang 'Tell Her About It'. Vocal was OK, but sounded rushed, and the constant hand-clapping was annoying, in part because you could really hear the noise every time he did it! Ben sang 'Life Is A Rollercoster. Better vocals than previous weeks, probably helped by the fact that he had to stand in front of a mic stand and sing, so movement was minimal.
There was a brief clip of this week's Mission - Loincloths!
Next up were Daniel and Lee. There was an attempt to engineer a 'rivalry' between them (complete with D v L VT), but they're both such nice guys, that it thankfully, never became a 'thing'.
Daniel sang 'Lady Is A Tramp' (a pop song?). A great performance from him - slick and confident. Lee sang 'I Don't Wanna Talk About It', which was the moment I first thought "Wow, this young man is special!" It was a beautifully understated and moving performance, the acting was spot-on, and the voice sounded lovely.
The final pairing was Keith and Craig. Keith sang 'Crocodile Rock'. Vocals were good, but his movement around the stage (and interaction with his Josephine) was awkward. Craig sang 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered'. Pleasant enough vocal (though he had a tendency to sound a bit nasal), but a bit bland and 'cabaret', especially after Daniel, Lee and Keith.
After a recap, we got another clip of the VT for the Loincloth Mission.
Lines were then frozen, and Graham asked the judges who they thought WAS Joseph based on tonight's performances.
Zoe - Keith
Bill - Lee
Denise - Daniel
John - Daniel
The phonelines were then frozen, and the first results were announced. The bottom two were Craig and Antony. The Joseph with the lowest votes was Craig.
The sing-off song was 'Everything I Do'. Antony's voice had much more depth than Craig's and sounded much more MT. Craig's voice sounded a bit thin by comparison.
ALW chose to save Craig. I'd have saved Antony.
The phonelines were then unfrozen.
Then we came to the farewell song. Antony did a decent job. You could hear Lee in the 'chorus' bits!
The results show was another late one (9.45pm).
After a recap of tonight's performances, there was a clip of Zoe singing in 'Opportunity Knocks'!
Then, a VT of the boys going to see 'We Will Rock You'. Antony wanted to be in WWRY!
Then we had a group performance of 'One Vision'. As with 'Pinball Wizard' last week, Seamus and Lee were the first two vocalists. Lee sounded fab!
Graham announced that the lines were now closed!
Then came the 'Loincloth Mission' VT. I thought ALW was a bit harsh in his criticism, given that it really was an odd situation to be placed in (walking out onstage in a loincloth to find their mums standing there). Lee aced the task, though, looking and sounding mighty fine!
The judges were asked who (based on tonight's performances) WASN'T Joseph.
Zoe - Craig
Bill - Rob
Denise - Chris B
John - Rob
Then we had the results. The bottom two were Ben and Seamus. The Joseph with the lowest votes was Seamus.
The sing-off song was 'He Aint Heavy, He's My Brother'. Personally, I preferred Seamus. Ben's vocal sounded a bit too forced.
ALW chose to save Ben. I think that ALW would have saved anyone who was up against Seamus, because he didn't want Seamus as Joseph. Ben was very lucky, I think.
I felt a bit sorry for Seamus, because he was given a negative edit from the first live show, being portra*** as arrogant/not a team player. Having said that, he didn't help himself with the comment about a conspiracy or with changing the lyric at the end of the farewell song (though I recall reading that the Josephs had dared/bet each other to change the line of the song if they were the leaving Joseph, and none of the three previous leavers had dared to do it, so Seamus took up the challenge when he got his marching orders).
Changed lyrics notwithstanding, Seamus did an OK job of the farewell song.
So...now we were down to 8 Josephs!
On May 5th 2007, it was time to watch the final 8 Josephs strut their stuff. There had been rumours all week that Lee was ill. Would he be able to perform?
The show started with a rousing version of 'Pharoah's Dream' from 'Joseph'. Lee's experience of actually playing Pharoah (on tour) showed through in this performance.
Graham reminded us that our votes were crucial, then introduced us to 'Phantom Lloyd Webber'!
ALW (or PLW), reminded us that this wasn't a singing competition (so why were they singing every week, then? ), and we had to choose a Joseph we'd be prepared to 'live with for two hours in the theatre'!
The first two performers were Ben and Craig. Ben sang 'Addicted To Love'. His vocal was pitchy and he sounded a bit strained. I wonder if ALW's "It's not a singing competition..." was a response to seeing Ben perform in rehearsals? Craig sang 'Oh, What A Night!'. As with previous performances, his voice sounded OK, but he was a bit bland.
Next up were Lee and Keith. Lee sang 'Alright Now'. His vocal clearly suffered a bit due to his illness, but he gave it his all. Keith sang 'Love Is All Around'. As usual, his vocal performance was strong, but he wasn't as convincing when it came to the acting. I also couldn't help but think that the song was easy for him, compared to Lee's song and the songs of some of the others. Ben's song was certainly a challenge!
Zoe's now infamous 'bit rubbish' comment seemed (and still seems, when rewatching) incredibly harsh. It was made worse by Lee's reaction, because unlike some others during the series (*cough* Ben and Seamus *cough*), he didn't answer back, instead just looking sad. One thing I noticed on rewatching was that, during Zoe's critique, Casey looked like he was about to jump down from the audience and give her a few choice words of his own...probably of the 4 letter variety!
Then there was a clip of this week's Mission...climbing the Les Mis Barricades! Poor Lee, probably the worst thing he could have been asked to do during the week when he was practically coughing up a lung!
Next up were Lewis and Rob. Lewis performed 'Dancing In The Moonlight'. A bit pitchy from him, but it was otherwise a light and fun performance. Rob performed 'Back For Good'. Decent performance overall.
Finally we had Chris B and Daniel. Chris B sang 'All Night Long'. An odd song choice, which did his voice no favours. The annoying clapping didn't help matters. Daniel sang 'All About You'. A very good performance both vocally and acting.
Following a recap, the show ended.
Onto the results show...at 9.45pm (blimey, the results shows were on late!).
There was another recap. Aww, Lee's sad little face, and his comment backstage - "I'll see if I can not be rubbish if I'm still here next week"!
There was a brief chat with Meatloaf. He may be as mad as a box of frogs, but he knows what he's talking about!
Then, the final eight performed Meatloaf's 'Dead Ringer For Love'. Lee sounded fab!
A clip of Bill Kenwright in 'The Liver Birds' (circa 1972)!
This week's Mission VT. I'm still no wiser as to what "I was knackered watching him" means, after numerous rewatches. I wonder who the two were who (in the opinion of the Les Mis cast bods) could cut it on a WE stage.
Graham announced that the phonelines were CLOSED.
Meatloaf performed while the votes were counted and verified. A nice performance from him.
Graham then asked the judges who (in their opinion) wasn't Joseph based on tonight's performances.
Zoe - Lee
Bill - Rob
Denise - Rob
John - Lewis
The results were announced. There was a bit of a wait to hear that Lee was safe!
The bottom two were Chris and Craig. The one with the lowest votes was Chris.
The sing-off song was 'The Long And Winding Road'. I much preferred Chris' voice in this. There was more texture and feeling when he was singing than there was with Craig, who still sounded nasal and a bit bland.
ALW chose to save Craig (I'd have gone with Chris).
Then it was on to the farewell song. Chris did a nice job. Lee's voice could be heard in the chorus bits.
So, then there were seven!
I still have my su****ions that ALW had a quick word with the judges before the show and said "That Lee Mead's doing far too well, people will get su****ious, somebody give him a handicap this week." They drew lots for it and Zoe had to play the villain!
On May 12th 2007, we sat down to watch the 5th live show, which was shorter than usual (performances and results in one show, thanks to Eurovision).
After last week's trauma, it was onwards and (hopefully) upwards, and the ep began with a lively rendition of 'One More Angel In Heaven' from 'Joseph', by the remaining 7.
All the Josephs were singing songs that took them out of their comfort zone. (Slightly worrying then, that Musical Theatre was considered outside Craig's comfort zone!)
First up was Rob with 'Born To Run'. OK performance, but I find it hard to take that song seriously since Peter Kay used it in his TV talent show spoof 'Britain's Got The Pop Factor...'
Then it was Daniel's turn with 'Maggie May'. He seemed to be going OTT with the aggressiveness and anger - I had no idea that 'Maggie May' was about a psychopathic stalker!
Next were Lee and Lewis. Poor Lee talked in his VT about being stressed! Though we did get a nice topless shot!
Lewis' mum! Stage Mother alert!
Lewis sang 'I'm A Believer'. It was OK, but a bit...bland. Though his mum did her best to liven things up by behaving like a teenybopper in the audience...which, considering that the person performing on-stage was her son, seemed a bit creepy! I think the camera spent more time on her than on Lewis!
Lee sang 'Leave Right Now'. He looked and sounded divine - that boy was born to wear a waistcoat! His performance was sublime, and, quite frankly, in a different league to everyone else!
Nice to see Zoe being asked to explain last week's comment about Lee! Pity she didn't just say that in the first place!
Craig was the next to perform, singing 'This Is The Moment'. He performed it competently, but it lacked real passion. Craig had a pleasant enough voice, but he lacked depth in his performances.
I'd love to have seen what Lee could have done with 'This Is The Moment'!
The final two performers were Ben and Keith.
Ben sang 'Help Yourself'. Probably his best performance to date, but he still sounded like he was straining.
Keith sang 'Always On My Mind'. Beautifully sung, but the acting side was lacking. It seemed to be all belted at full volume, with no attempt at subtlety.
The boys then sang 'You've Got Me' as a group number. Lee stood out as usual!
This week's mission was Acting (a real challenge for some of the boys!).
Lewis - "Do you like hospital food?"
Ben (to Lee, who stared unblinkingly at him with those enormous dark eyes) - "What I don't like is the fact that you think you've won!"
I would love to know what Lee said to Ben in response! Perhaps it was something along the lines of "I have won...I am the Chosen One!"
"GUARDS! SEIZE HIM!" Ooh, I love angry Lee! Though the other lads looked frightened to death!
The panel were asked "Who isn't Joseph?"
Zoe - Daniel
Bill - Rob
Denise - Rob
John - Rob
Then the results were announced. Lee was safely through! Though Graham did leave it right to the end to tell him!
The bottom two were Lewis and Rob.
They had to sing 'Tell Me It's Not True' from 'Blood Brothers'.
ALW saved Lewis.
I thought Rob had a much better voice than Lewis - there was a real warmth to it and it suited this song perfectly. Lewis was OK, but his voice was thin
and he fluffed a couple of words. I'd have saved Rob.
What's interesting is that this was one of the few ADWD eps my mum watched (she was watching the 'Grease' show on ITV...well someone had to, I suppose! ), so she was watching without bias. Her verdict on the sing-off? "I think Rob should have sta*** - I thought his voice was better!"
I get the impression that ALW didn't want Rob as his leading man, so no matter what he did, he was always going to be criticised and booted off as soon as he ended up in the bottom two.
Rob behaved with dignity and showed what a decent bloke he was by thanking ALW/the panel, before heading off to sing the farewell song.
As with previous performances of the farewell song, Rob did well.
On 19th May 2007, it was live show 6 of ADWD. We were down to 6 would-be Josephs.
The show started with a spirited group performance of 'Go Go Go Joseph'.
This week's theme was songs with colours in the title.
ALW reckoned 4 of the 6 boys left could be Joseph (I'm guessing that Daniel and Keith were the two he didn't think could be Joseph, but who knows?)
Keith was up first. He used to keep double scanning things because he was too busy talking to his girlfriend on the next till. I'm sure the customers appreciated that...NOT!
'Any Mum Will Do' - was ALW aiming that comment at Lewis' mum? She definitely seemed very 'stage mother' to me, and was the only parent who was being visibly annoying on-screen. Most of the others seemed to be behaving themselves.
Keith sang 'Brown E*** Girl'. Keith has a great voice, but his vocal was too mannered. It needed to be more laid-back.
Keith as a Liza Minelli look-alike!
Next up was Lewis, performing 'The Rose'. A pretty good vocal, but as with Keith, too mannered. The song is raw and powerful and isn't supposed to be sung in such a bland way.
The clip of Lewis as a little boy dancing. Why doesn't it surprise me that he was dancing when he was tiny?
Third up was Ben, singing 'Blue Suede Shoes'. It was an energetic performance, but he still sounded a bit strained.
After these three performances, it was time for the first trio performance of the night. These were good because (as Graham said), they allowed us to compare and contrast the boys' performing ability.
Keith, Lewis and Ben sang 'That's Life'. It was a bit of an odd song for three teenagers to sing, but they all did well. Keith had the best vocal, Ben, the best movement and stage presence, and Lewis was fairly good at both.
Then it was back to the solos, with Craig next up, singing 'Black Or White'. I wonder if Lee helped him with the performance side of this because there were a few Lee-esque gestures and mannerisms. The vocal was good, but he didn't have the naturalness in his movement or in his acting. He was still learning how to be a musical theatre performer, which was worrying, considering there were only three weeks until the final, and only another three weeks until the first preview of Joseph!
Daniel was the penultimate performer. His VT was really odd - the whole 'going back to his old job to do the filing' was strange (and didn't do the company any favours - had they really left the filing lying around for a couple of months?).
Daniel performed 'Evergreen'. I thought this was a really good performance, the second best of the night, IMO. ALW's comment about people not wanting to watch Daniel on stage for 2 hours was bizarre!
The final performer of the evening was Lee. His VT was hilarious, and everyone came out of it well. I suspect it was designed to show that a) Lee was human and b) he had a sense of humour!
Lee performed 'Paint It Black'. Everything about the performance was on point. He looked stunning (the tight black t-shirt, jeans and metal studded belt combo was a real 'Rock God' look!) and, from the moment he stared into the camera lens with those enormous dark eyes, it was clear that he was in a totally different league to the others. He was mesmeric!
Phew! After that, Craig, Daniel and Lee performed 'Don't Rain On My Parade'. I think this showed how much more experienced and polished both Lee and Daniel were. It was just a shame that the judges then spent the whole time praising Craig!
Then it was onto the results show.
The clip of ALW with Suzie Quattro!
This week's mission involved seducing DVO. As with the loincloth mission a few weeks ago, it was complete nonsense! Mrs Potiphar attempted to seduce Joseph, not the other way round! It would have made much more sense for them to have acted out the Mrs Potiphar scene - which requires comic timing, acting ability and movement! Instead, they were lumbered with this daft mission, which didn't really tell us anything useful about which of the final 6 would be right for the role of Joseph.
Then there was a group song by the Josephs - 'She Loves Me' by the Beatles. Lee and Ben worked well together in this! Lee looked sharp in his black suit!
Next, while the votes were being counted and verified, came a lovely performance from Leon Cooke, performing 'Electricity' from 'Billy Elliot'.
Then, the results were announced. The two in the sing-off were Daniel and Lewis!
Daniel and Lewis had to sing 'Bring Him Home' as their sing-off song. Daniel completely outsang Lewis, who was really too young to 'get' the song, but it was Lewis who ALW chose to save!
Finally, it was the farewell song. As expected, Daniel gave a great performance!
I think that, as with last week, ALW didn't want Daniel as his Joseph, so no matter what Daniel did in the sing-off, he was going to be ditched!
I really don't get what ALW saw in Lewis (beyond him having the blonde Joseph look, which I never liked anyway - Joseph would have been dark haired and olive or dark skinned, not blonde haired and orange skinned! If anything, Lee was closer to how Joseph probably looked!). He just seemed very mannered in his performances, and his voice lacked depth and texture. He was a classic case of someone with potential, but who needed to spend a few years learning his craft in the ensemble and as an understudy, as Lee and Daniel had.
Incidentally, a couple of things I read on message boards, which made me laugh:-
Someone posted that Lee was a 'control freak', because he had stuck name stickers on his packs of steak! Which overlooks the fact that, in shared accommodation, people do tend to label their food items, particularly the more expensive ones!
Someone posted that someone had told them that the Joseph cast were already rehearsing with one of the Josephs (no name was given)! Which is hilarious, given how full-on the ADWD schedule was! The most likely explanation for this rumour would be that the Joseph cast were already rehearsing, with one or both of the understudies playing Joseph!
So...now we were down to 5 would-be Josephs, and it was getting very tense!
On May 26th 2007, it was week 7 (aka the Quarter Final) of ADWD! With just 5 would-be Josephs left, it was all to play for.
The show started with a rendition of 'Pharoah's Story' by the 5 would-be Joes. Lee's voice really stood out!
Tonight's theme was aspects of Joseph's character.
First up was Lee with DREAMING. In his VT, he spoke about his nan, who died earlier in the year.
Lee sang 'Daydream Believer'. It was a complete contrast to last week's intense performance of PIB. Well performed, energetic (the run up the stairs and straight into the chorus was amazing - if I tried that, I'd end up an exhausted heap half way up the stairs! ) and proof, if any were needed, that Lee could do light, fun, happy and cheerful as well as dark, brooding and intense!
Next up was Ben with VULNERABILITY. In his VT, he swam with sharks in the London Aquarium. If I remember correctly (from my trip to the LA), the sharks are gentle and harmless Nurse sharks. Let's face it, he wouldn't have been allowed in the tank if they were Great Whites!
Ben sang 'Crying'. It was a really tough song, and he tried his best, but he didn't have Roy Orbison's vocal range (very few people do, to be fair), so he kept moving between octaves, which sounded odd.
Next was Craig with BETRAYAL. Some nice clip of Lee in his VT!
Craig sang 'Su****ious Minds'. It was probably his best vocal performance to date, but while it was nicely sung, I didn't get the sense of someone who'd experienced betrayal. Once again, though, I sensed a few Lee-isms in his mannerisms. Had Lee been helping him again?
Next was Lewis with COURAGE.
Lewis sang 'Hero'. Not a song I particularly like - it screams 'cheesy ballad' to me. The situation wasn't helped by the white suit and t-shirt - he looked like a giant cotton bud! His vocal performance was good, but a bit bland.
Josh Groban VT. Who would he choose to sing with him? Oh dear, I don't think "I LOVE YOU! I HAVE ALL YOUR ALBUMS!" was the right approach when being introduced to Josh!
Finally, we had Keith, with ARROGANCE. Blimey, that VT didn't do him any favours!
Keith sang 'Let Me Entertain You'. Again, a strong vocal performance, but lacking in stage presence and performance. ALW's face when he removed the jacket ---> That makes me laugh every time I see it!
'Hard Work' VT - Lee in his tiny underpants! Incidentally, he sounded really posh! Mr Darcy!
Group song - 'Do You Love Me'. Great stuff! My favourite group song - lots of fun and Lee 'doing the twist' was truly a sight to behold!
Then, it was onto the results show!
The Curse Of The Coat! That was a bit weird! It also left me thinking "For God's sake, Lee, don't touch that coat!"
This weeks mission was 'Heights'! Lee in a vest! Lewis shouting - "Naaannnnnaaaaaaaaa!"
Group song 'Born To Be Wild'. Once again, Lee stood out!
Then, we found out who Josh Groban chose to sing with him! This VT was priceless! It was like an exercise in positive/negative editing! What made it worse (for the others) was how gracious and thankful Lee was! ALW didn't help matters when he announced that the other boys would be backing singers!
Josh & Lee sang 'You Raise Me Up'. It was an exquisite performance - Josh chose well and Lee rose to the challenge beautifully!
Graham had a brief chat with Lee's parents, who were lovely.
Then came the results. Lee was safely through. The bottom two were Ben and Craig.
The sing-off song was 'I Made It Through The Rain'.
Craig's vocal was less forced and sweeter, so I think I would have saved him over Ben.
ALW saved Ben. Presumably because he knew that Ben was cannon fodder and didn't want to risk Craig getting anywhere near winning the role of Joseph!
Then, Craig performed the farewell song. Lee's voice rang out above the other 'still could-be Joes'.
So, now we were left with four boys who could still be Joseph, and the competition was going to get even more tense!
I love reading this thread and reminiscing.
How our lives have changed in the last 10yrs but we sill have our favourite ADWD performance.
If anyone has a memory of our daydream believer wearing baby blue and a huge smile or his duet with Josh Groban we would love to hear from you.
Sorry I don't thank everybody concerned for this thread enough! It really is a treat.
Yes I would like to thank everyone for this thread great reading I do appreciate it.
acer
On June 2nd, we all sat down to watch the ADWD Semi-final. There were just four would-be Josephs left in the competition - Lee, Keith, Lewis and Ben.
The show got off to a resounding start with an energetic rendition of 'Joseph's Coat'.
Lee's jeans were a very snug fit!
ALW said he'd be 'just about' happy with any of the final 4 as Joseph. Hmmm!
First up was Keith, with 'Could It Be Magic'. As always, good vocally, but lacking in other areas of his performance.
Next up was Ben with 'Ease On Down The Road'. Not a great vocal performance - pitchy in places. However, it was full of energy.
Ben's attitude left a bit to be desired. I honestly think that his gobbing off to the judges was his undoing. There's only so much of that kind of thing that the public will put up with.
900 school choirs entered the choir competition - I didn't think there were that many schools in the country!
Next, Keith and Ben sang their duet - 'Only You' from 'Starlight Express'
Ben still sounded a bit strained and shouted a bit, but they both did a decent job.
Lewis was next up with 'Sweet Caroline'. It was a really bizarre song choice for him, but quite a good performance.
JB's question - "Are you here for the role of Joseph or the fame?" was interesting. Though it was also rather pointless, because I doubt Lewis (or anyone else) would be daft enough to say "I'm here for the fame!"
JB was also a bit hypocritical - on the one hand he said that Ben would be OK because he had 5 weeks to rehe****, but on the other, he said that Lewis didn't have time to prepare to be Joseph!
Last up was Lee. He looked divine in his VT, and we saw, for the first time, some emotion from him. You could tell how much he wanted the role.
Lee sang 'Livin On A Prayer'. A really hard song - he was basically narrating a story about two people. He did well, his performance was good, and he covered the mistake he made (which I didn't realise until Zoe mentioned it!).
Next we had Lewis and Lee singing 'Oh What A Circus!' Lee was phenomenal - he looked the part and he sang and acted it perfectly. I found Lewis' performance very stiff and mannered. It also seemed rather camp!
Onto the Results Show.
Denise aged 13 - cute!
Graham then had a Q & A with the boys. Lee in that t-shirt! Mmmmmm!
Next was a a group song - 'Under Pressure'. I think this song sums up how all the boys were feeling at that point.
A visit to 'Lord Of The Rings'. Interesting response from the actor playing Sauraman to the question about how he'd feel about a TV talent show winner coming into the show.
Results. Lee was safely through. Though he looked emotional. Bless!
The bottom two were Lewis and Ben.
They sang 'I Dreamed A Dream' from 'Les Mis', and it was a pretty strong sing-off.
ALW saved Lewis. I'd agree with this. Ben's vocals were patchy throughout the series and he did seem to struggle taking criticism. It was also his fourth time in the sing-off, so he'd been in the sing-off more times than anyone else!
Then it was time for the farewell song. You could really hear Lee in the 'group' bits! Ben's vocal was patchy again.
At the end, Lewis and Keith took the coat. So Lee had managed to avoid touching any of the coats! I wonder how the coat removers were chosen each week? I know one was the saved person from that week's bottom two, but how did they choose the other...and how did Lee manage to avoid being chosen?
So now there were just three Josephs left, and seven days until the final!
Interesting, "Are you here for the fame?" The number of times X Factor contestants say, "I really want to be famous!" and then mention some vacuous idiot who is famous for being famous always amazes me. Hardly any of them say it's about the music!
I think X Factor attracts fame seekers, whereas the TV casting shows have been more realistic about their aims (i.e. launching careers in musical theatre/acting) and have emphasised just how tough being a musical theatre performer is - ALW and the panel were constantly reminding the contestants and us that the winner would have to be capable of doing 8 performances a week.
I think it's a credit to the casting show contestants that they've pretty much all avoided going down the z-list 'famous for selling every wind-breakage to the media' route! I can only think of one (Stephanie Davis from 'Over The Rainbow') who has gone down that route.
After 9 weeks of watching,voting and shouting at our TVs, there were just three would-be Josephs left standing - Lee, Keith and Lewis.
On June 9th, we all sat down to watch the ADWD final, with phones at the ready! We were about to cast a new West End Star!
Graham was dressed in a gold suit and red shirt, which appeared to be made of Quality Street wrappers!
The show started with a rousing rendition of 'Go Go Go Joseph', with the three finalists and the 9 'Non-Joes'. Nice to see them all again!
Graham collecting the coats was hilarious!
The choir - "They're like people, only smaller!"
Lee got the biggest cheer when Graham announced their names.
ALW appeared to be dressed as a stick of rock!
The Finalists in James Bond mode - Lee suits a tux!
God, Lewis' laugh is annoying!
Lee looks so beautiful perched on a rock! *THUD*
The first performer of the night was Lewis. Lots of crying (and Nana Jean) in his VT! He was singing 'Kiss'. Good performance, and his movement seemed much more natural.
Bill K - "You've become a man...good boy!"
Next up was Keith. He worked in a supermarket...which had never been mentioned before...! Keith sang 'For Once In My Life'. His voice wasn't 100% (due to illness), which showed up other deficiencies in his overall performance, which normally wouldn't have stood out so much.
ALW - "Keith could go from Tesco to Tosca!" Wasn't Tosca a woman?
Finally, it was Lee's turn. Lots of lovely moments in his VT! Lee sang 'Devil In Disguise'. Bouncy and sexy! He really knew how to work that camera!
Blimey, lots of cheering for Lee - lots of stampy fans!
Zoe - "You're stunning!"
Interesting that ALW asked Lee why he made a slight mistake - I suspect that he wanted to see if Lee knew why, and he did!
VT of the Josephs visiting ALW in his house in Mallorca!
Ooh, brief shot of topless Lee!
Wise advice for all three boys.
Lewis' tiny birthday cake!
The finalists then all sang big band songs.
First up was Lewis with 'Beyond The Sea'. An OK performance.
Next was Keith with 'Moondance'. Strong and slick vocal performance.
Finally, Lee performed 'New York, New York'. Blimey, that was awesome! It was all there - the voice, the movement and the swagger! Though I had no idea that shoes could melt!
GRAHAM: Someone sitting at home, why should they dial 03?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Because he's gorgeous!
I'm still waiting to hear 'Torquay, Torquay'!
The three finalists then sang 'Maria' from 'West Side Story'. Lee really stood out - he'd make a fabulous Tony!
The Phone Lines were then frozen!
While the votes were counted, verified and whatever else they did with them, there was a lovely performance of 'The Sound Of Music' by Connie Fisher.
Then, the results were announced. Lee was safely though (though he nearly did himself a damage leaping from the stairs!)
The third placed Joseph was Lewis.
After a little farewell speech, he sang 'Close Every Door' with the remaining two Josephs and the choir.
Lee finally touched the coat! But he gently folded it. Did he just break the curse?
Then we all went off for a break (and to send the phone lines into melt-down!), before returning for the results show!
Lee and Keith reprised their favourite songs from the series.
Keith sang 'Always On My Mind'. Well sung, but lacking in the acting side of things.
Lee sang 'Paint It Black'. He managed to do it as well as he did the first time around! Dark, intense, mesmerising!
Then Graham had a chat with the mums. Lee's mum was lovely!
The Non-Joes did a group song - 'The Boys Are Back In Town'. Great fun and lovely to see them all again!
Then, Keith and Lee sang 'Jesus Christ, Superstar'. This really was a classic case of 'compare and contrast'. Lee was just mesmeric! Even when he was just moving to the music while Keith sang! Also, I loved the high note at the end!
Finally, it was onto the results. It was all very tense, not helped by the 21 second pause before Graham announced that Lee was Joseph! Yay!
Aww, Lee's mum and dad embracing...and Casey going "YEEEEESSSSSSSSS!"!
Keith was a real star at the end - taking it well and supporting Lee!
After a few words from Lee, Graham sent him off to get the Winner's coat. Then it was time for the West End's new Joseph to sing us out with a rousing rendition of ADWD! I loved this! Everyone was singing along and it was a lovely way to end the show!
The moment at the end, when the Non-Joes stormed the stage and hoisted Lee onto their shoulders (with cries of "Meady! Meady!") was fab! You could tell how well-liked Lee was!
Thanks Jo for all your posts on this, you were spot on. Like many of you, even though it's 10 years ago, I still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when Lee won but I still had tears in my eyes when I read your last post on the final recalling it all again. Thanks again.
On 17th July 2007, it was Joseph press night!
BBC Breakfast had a report the day before Press Night, complete with an interview with Zoe Tyler.
LINKY THING
Aaahhh, Lee in his (very small) loincloth!
The morning after Press Night, BBC Breakfast had a brief report.
LINKY THING
I must admit, I loved the fact that Lee wasn't a bland, blonde, poppy Joseph.