Last week on “I’d Do Anything”: The final eleven Nancy’s performed, trying to portray different sides of Nancy. They also had an acting lesson, complete with rats. The Oliver’s were sent to Billy Elliot to learn about acting as well. Chester became the second Oliver put through to the semi-finals while Keisha and Cleo fell into the bottom two. In the end, Andrew saved Keisha and Cleo had to turn in her locket. Who will do so tonight? Find out!
Graham suit watch: Mint green and dark red. He welcomes us to this week’s (not-so) live show. It’s the musical episode! The girls open the show with “It’s a Fine Life.” Some of the last words get garbled by the audience’s cheers. Though I like the shot of Graham eating a biscuit and drinking tea at the corresponding lyrics. The girls finish and leave the stage. Graham talks about how the girls got to go to a movie premiere and they show George Clooney while the Olivers went to a football (read: soccer) league. But first our panel: John Barrowman, Denise van Outen and Dame Edna/Barry Humphries. And, of course, Andrew Lloyd Webber. Cue the Phantom music! Andrew admonishes the voting public after last week’s final two. He calls it a marathon, not a sprint. They have to think of the long-term.
First up, Rachel and Sarah. Rachel says she can’t get complacent. She goes to the West End production of “Jersey Boys.” Sarah talks about how Denise doesn’t see her as Nancy. So Sarah goes to Modesty Blaze, who I guess does Burlesque? Rachel sings “December 1963 (Oh What a Night!)” from The Four Seasons/Jersey Boys. Rachel does a great job with a song and owns the stage. She also shows off some impressive dancing skills, even if her ending pose is a bit awkward. Sarah sings “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret. Sarah tries not to smile, but the moments she does are well-timed to the song. It is a wistful wish for a better future. She portrays the pain yet hope that Sally has.
Rachel says that the house dynamics have changed since two Nancy’s left. Graham mentions Sarah’s dancing before cutting to a childhood video of Sarah, much to her mortification. Denise says that Rachel delivers every week and that she can do it eight days a week. She says Sarah showed a difference but she can’t see Nancy. Barry says Rachel had great energy. He compares her to Georgia Brown, the original Nancy. Barry says her voice is Nancy but still can’t see it. John is last. He calls her a leading lady. As for Sarah, he thinks the panel is insane. Denise and John have a little argument before John suggests Sarah dye her hair a darker color. Andrew tries to make a Frankie Valli joke, but just praises Rachel instead. And says Sarah surprised him.
Coming up: Keisha and Francesca aren’t so great.
Next is Keisha and Francesca. Francesca says being in the bottom two made her nervous during the show last week. But she was safe and she’s grateful for her hometown support. She says she has her confidence back. Keisha didn’t impress the panelists last week and Keisha agrees. She talks about the sing-off, saying she just decided to go out fighting. She called a kick. Francesca sings “Time of my Life” from Dirty Dancing. Sing along, everyone. You know you know the words. By the way, vote for Jennifer Grey to win Dancing with the Stars! Her vocal is good but I think she could have a bit more connection with the dancers. Okay, she can’t hit the high notes. She was doing well until the end. Keisha sings “The Lady is a Tramp.” Keisha seems to do well with jazz standards. She should release a CD just singing those. Or look into a Cole Porter or Gershwin Brothers musical. I could hear her singing “I’ve Got Rhythm” or “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
The girls go before the panel. Let’s see who makes the first “Don’t put Baby in a corner joke.” Keisha has a very long name. You should save the naming until after the drugs wear off. Denise thinks Francesca is right for Nancy. Denise says she can’t see Keisha being a victim. Barry calls her performance the best so far. She is told to be a bit more raw. He reminds them they have to take the audience on a journey. John calls Francesca “superb, superb, superb.” He says Keisha is Nancy but her performance screamed “cruise ship” and tells her to tone it down. Andrew doesn’t have confidence in Francesca’s pitching. He says Keisha did a good job.
Could be Oliver:
Gareth
Jordan
Harry
Joseph
Sam
Chester
Arthur
Gwion
Kwayedza
Alexander
Jonny
Laurence
Coming up: Little boys and football (soccer).
Time for some adorableness! Bring on the Oliver Mission! The boys go to a football club, Tottenham Hotspurs, to learn about teamwork and stamina. They meet the team captain, Robert Keane. And get their own shirts. They practice before they start doing the Can-Can. Cameron and Andrew watch the games and talking about what they learned. And Arthur gets put through to the semi-finals. Graham gives him his hat and Arthur says his Nancy is Samantha, because of her voice and stage presence. Samantha looks touched. The Oliver’s sing “Teamwork” from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Coming up: Jodie is called a barmaid.
Jodie and Ashley are next. Oh, Ashley’s bad dress. She goes to visit “Mamma Mia” to get pointers. Jodie talks about Blackpool and Cabaret. Jodie’s brother looks like he could play David Tennant’s little brother. She promises no more cabaret. Ashley sings “Winner Takes it All” from Abba/Mamma Mia. Better choice, wardrobe. I’m not being blown away by her performance and I’m not entirely sure why. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t necessarily like her last time I watched this or because the performance is just bland. Her ending is good, though. Jodie sings “Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music. This is one of my favorite Sondheim songs. Jodie gives a raw, touching performance. It’s hauntingly beautiful.
Jodie and Ashley regroup by Graham. Jodie pulled a prank on Ashley, giving her a fake lottery ticket. John loved both performances. He thinks Ashley could be a Nancy and tells Jodie the cabaret was gone. He says he’s a bit speechless. Barry says Ashley changed his opinion about her potential. He says Jodie often came across as jolly, like a barmaid, but was poignant tonight. Denise says Ashley delivered the heart of a Nancy and Jodie give a West End leading lady performance. Andrew worries about Ashley’s voice, that it may get boring. Jodie’s song was chosen on purpose and she rose to the challenge.
Coming up: Good critiques!
Niamh and Jessie are next to perform. Niamh talks about Denise’s “fragile” comment. She says she’s a bit homesick and her mother gives her care packages. The last one included sausages. Jessie watches herself during the Nancy challenge. She goes to see a dialect coach to work on her acting. Niamh sings “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Have I mentioned yet how much I love Niamh’s voice? It really suits the song as well. I liked the way she remained understated, just letting the words wash over us. Jessie sings “One Night Only” from Dreamgirls. Okay, that one I could not look away from. I liked how they merged the ballad version that Effie sings with the disco version the Dreamgirls sing. And for the girl whose posture Denise worried about week one, she really moved well.
They show some childhood pictures of Niamh (with a fiddle) and Jessie (with a harp twice her size). Denise says Niamh’s fragility could redefine the role of Nancy. She thinks Jessie could win the whole thing. John agrees with Denise and calls Jessie flawless. Barry praises Niamh for making the lyrics of the song have sense. He calls Jessie strong. Andrew says it’s a grand night for the Irish. He calls Niamh fantastic and a young Audrey Hepburn. He thinks Jessie could do 8 shows a week.
Coming up: Andrew disagrees with Denise and John.
Tara and Samantha are the last Nancy’s. Tara says she got a confidence knock when a judge said she wasn’t their Nancy last week. And her performance last week wasn’t great. Tara gets a pep talk from her friends via tape. John didn’t think Samantha was Nancy. But then she goes to the red carpet with the other Nancy’s and sees George Clooney. He can cheer anyone up. Tara sings “Let’s Hear it For the Boy” from Footloose. Tara starts off strong. She’s a really good actress but her voice starts to show some strain in the last chorus. Samantha sings “Somewhere” from West Side Story. She starts off very beautiful and simple and then gets angry, it seems. It’s an odd choice, given the context of the song.
The girls gush over meeting George Clooney. John notes Tara cracked like I did and he still thinks Samantha didn’t have the emotion again. Barry calls Tara “polished” and he didn’t find it. Tara says the song didn’t suit her and that she had bronchitis, much to John’s displeasure. Barry thinks Samantha could be Nancy. Denise says Tara squeaks on the top notes while she agrees with John about Samantha. Andrew says he can’t really judge Tara from her performance and thinks Samantha did a wonderful job. Take that, Denise and John.
Coming up: Ben’s back!
Graham reminds us that no one wants to go home. And then we get a recap. We come back to Andrew, Graham and the Nancy’s. He says the girls are ready. Jodie says they are always under pressure because he’s watching. Ashley says they just have to rise to the challenges. Graham says they sent the Nancy’s to the West End production of Hairspray to perform the musical’s kissing scene with former Joseph Ben James-Ellis. Hi, Ben! But what the girls don’t know is that they will be doing the kissing scene in front of their dads. Ben notes that Jessie forgot a line but liked Keisha and Sam. Her dad calls cut. Jodie really enjoys the kiss. Ashley is surprised to see her dad. Ben liked Rachel coming out in character, kissing him…and she goes back for another. Ben’s a little nervous when Tara comes out as El Bandito is sitting right there.
Coming Up: The Choir of Adorable performs.
The Nancy’s perform “Good Morning, Baltimore” from Hairspray. This number also highlights the dancers—like Samantha and Sarah. Besides my usual group standouts—Keisha and Niamh—I think Jessie does really well in this number as well. Oh, we’re at the results show. Graham is now in dark dred and dark blue. Andrew highlights Samantha and Jodie. John also picks Samantha. Barry says Jessie and Niamh. Denise picks Niamh and calls Sarah “sassy.”
After, we get to meet Arthur—our third Oliver. He does martial arts and plays the saxophone. He also loves fashion and the color purple. The Oliver’s sing “A Whole New World” from Aladdin.
Coming up: Elimination time!
Graham asks the panel who is not Nancy. John says Tara. Denise says Keisha. Barry says Tara. Two against Tara, one against Keisha. Keisha is in the sing-off. She goes to stand with Graham. Samantha could still be Nancy. Sarah and Jodie could both be Nancy and go join Samantha. Francesca is safe. Rachel and Jessie are safe as well. Niamh could still be Nancy as well. It is between Tara and Ashley. Tara is in the sing off while Ashley is safe. Keisha and Tara take their spots for the sing-off as Graham reveals that if it were just up to viewers, Keisha would be out of the competition.
Coming Up: Keisha or Tara?
The sing-off song this week is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” This one is a bit difficult because Tara’s voice is better suited for this song. But Keisha overpowers her when they sing together. Andrew’s decision will be between this: Keisha has the better voice while Tara is the better actress. Andrew talks about how difficult his job is. He saves Keisha. She goes to join the others while Andrew says that he was unsure about her being able to perform 8 shows a week. Tara says the girls are all fantastic and that she learned so much. She gives a message in what I think is Welsh. Graham sends her to say good-bye.
The other girls start with “Be Back Soon” before Tara sings “As Long as He Needs Me.” Keisha takes off her locket as she ascends the stairs. It’s one of her best performances. Too bad it’s her last.
Could Still Be Nancy:
Amy
Keisha
Cleo
Sarah
Rachel
Jodie
Samantha
Ashley
Jessie
Francesca
Niamh
Tara
Next week: “Wind Beneath My Wings,” people. Oh, and Andrew will not be in the studio.
And so Tara goes. The voting public really doesn’t like Keisha, do they? Francesca’s bounced back, but not Keisha. Who do you think deserved to go home this week?
Also, for the “musical” episode, they sure did a lot of jukebox numbers, didn’t they?
Quote of the Episode:
“You can get the boy out of the theater, but you can’t take the theatre out of the boy.”—Graham, about the Oliver Mission.
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