The Last Laugh

Last week on “I’d Do Anything”: The girls continued to perform and the judges got harsher. And then they had a fight mission with John Barrowman. The Oliver’s were sent to school—Victorian style. While Laurence was put through to the finals, Ashley and Niamh fell into the bottom two. In the end, Andrew finally sent Ashley packing. Who won’t be making the semi-finals? Find out tonight!

Graham suit watch: Red suit and green shirt. He welcomes the panel, the band, the fans and Andrew to the (not-so) live show. The remaining Nancy’s open with “Consider Yourself” with the Oliver’s. Graham welcomes the audience and says some familiar faces are back to perform with the Nancy’s—some of the Josephs are back! (Keith, Rob, Ben, Daniel and Lewis). Graham introduces the judges: John Barrowman, Denise van Outen and Barry Humphries. And, of course, Andrew Lloyd Webber—now even the Oliver’s bow before him. Graham introduces a package that is pretty much summed up this way: “(Insert Candidate) will be Nancy.” Andrew says he’s worried as he can’t see a front-runner and highlights each girl’s positives and negatives.

Our first Nancy tonight is Jodie. Andrew wants to see Jodie choreographed. So she gets a dance. We see a news segment about Blackpool’s show of support for Jodie, complete with the drag queens! Jodie sings “Holding Out for a Hero.” Since you can’t buy Jennifer Saunders’ version from “Shrek 2” off iTunes, Jodie’s was the version on my iPod. And this is what they call choreography? I found some old clips from Grease: You’re the One That I Want and those contestants were choreographed. I mean, I guess it didn’t hurt that one of the judges was Kathleen Marshall, a well-known choreographer, but those contestants could dance. I can’t see Jodie holding her own against Broadway choreography.

Jodie says she wants to go to the Blackpool Tower and shout her thank you’s. Graham comments that it’s a lot of stairs. John thinks that Jodie could be in the semi-finals. Barry calls her performance “warm and mature.” Barry says she’s been around the block a bit, like Nancy and John. Denise liked her performance as well. Andrew didn’t particularly care for her choreography while John declares his love for big girls. That…wasn’t what Andrew said, John. Or did you stop listening after the meatloaf comment?

Coming Up: Rachel doesn’t impress.

Next up is Rachel. She wasn’t too thrilled to be called an understudy and wants to prove she can be a leading lady. She said it’s up to the public. So they sent a camera crew out to interview some theatergoers and Rachel gets to watch all the positive ones. And she’s touched. She sings “I Will Always Love You”—Whitney Houston version. Poor Dolly Parton, she wrote and originally sang the song, you know. There seems to be a lot of top notes she can’t reach, though she nails the famous section of the song. Her eyes are partially closed, blocking any emotions from shining forth. That last close up was best, eyes slightly tearing.

Barry says Rachel was almost a leading lady but was still unmoved as one man boos. John disagrees and calls her a leading lady. Denise wants Rachel to be in the semi-final but calls her guarded. But she knows Rachel will correct it. Andrew gives Dolly Parton credit and says Rachel communicated the emotion behind the lyrics. He tells her to just be Rachel.

Coming up: Samantha defies gravity.

The third Nancy is Samantha. She was happy with her comments. And since she’s singing  a song from Wicked, she gets to meet Idina Menzel—the original Elphaba. She sings for Idina and cries about meeting her. Idina gives her some notes before hugging her. Samantha sings “Defying Gravity.” I like how they had to get her color on her, so they make her wear this random blue bracelet that makes it look like she had to tape up her wrist due to an injury. Is Andrew spazzing out over there? Aside from that, it was an awesome performance.

Graham notes that the Oliver’s gave her a standing ovation. John says that Samantha proved she could be a leading lady, praising her confidence. Barry asks for some more. He praises her singing. Denise says Samantha does attitude with warmth and suggest Rachel take a page from Samantha’s book. Andrew praises Samantha’s choices and voice. He also calls her the best mover.

Coming Up: Oliver’s!

Graham reminds us that former Josephs are back to perform with the Nancy’s. The girls are: “BOYS!” Graham says that next week, the three winning Oliver’s will be crowned. But one more boy will be put into the running. For this week’s mission, the boys will perform the scene where Oliver meets the Artful Dodger as Denise watches them. They bring in one of the Gavroches of the West End production of “Les Miserables” to play the Dodger. He praises all the Oliver’s. Cameron and Denise now have to pick the last boy through. Jonny is put through. Graham holds on to his cap. And he asks who Jonny thinks will win. Jonny says Jessie. Graham focuses on Sam, Joseph, Gareth and Jordan—the Oliver’s who weren’t put through. They get a bow before all the Oliver’s perform S Club 7’s “Reach”. Hey, was that Keisha and Sarah in the audience?

Looks like I could finally use the strikethrough option with the Oliver’s.

Could Be Oliver:

Gareth

Jordan

Harry

Joseph

Sam

Chester

Arthur

Gwion

Kwayedza

Alexander

Jonny

Laurence

Coming Up: Jessie is told to be Jessie.

Going back to the Nancy’s, Jessie is up next. Jessie says the last show wasn’t so good. Jessie says she’s dedicating her song to her baby sister Lily and missed her birthday. And she wasn’t kidding about baby sister—Lily’s a toddler! Jessie’s mom says one parent goes to London for the show while the other stays with the baby. Jessie sings “How Will I Live.” It’s a great version of the song and I can understand every word of it. Good job with the diction, Jessie! Looks like this week’s was mom’s turn to come down!

Graham goes to the panel. John says he didn’t hear the lilt and likes his vocal, but explains her performance as vanilla. He calls her inconsistent. Denise disagrees with John but says her movements aren’t feminine. But Denise isn’t concerned—Nancy could’ve been a tomboy. Barry tells her not to crumble when she gets negative comments and to just trust in herself. Andrew compares Jessie to Judy Garland and her daughter Liza Minnelli. He thinks “As Long As He Needs Me” is in Jessie’s comfort zone.

Coming Up: Niamh has an awesome surprised face.

Our last Nancy is Niamh. Niamh is upset with hearing the word “fragile.” Niamh is grateful she’s been saved twice. To prove she’s not fragile, she goes to practice with a rugby team. She tries to take someone down, and ends up just getting a piggyback ride. Niamh sings “Don’t Speak.” Is it the lighting or is Niamh’s hair darker this week? Oh, it was the lighting. While it’s a good vocal…I’m not entirely sure what emotion she’s aiming for? Sad? Angry? Something?

Denise doesn’t think Niamh wasn’t feisty, she was more of a teenager having a tantrum. She thinks Niamh might be better for Bet, Nancy’s friend. John didn’t like Niamh’s performance and didn’t think it would register in the back of the house. Barry thinks Niamh was gritty but thinks the boys will be like giants next to the petite and lithe Niamh. Andrew agrees with the panel and says he’s not sure if Niamh is ready right now to do eight shows a week.

Coming Up: Bring on the men!

Graham introduces a package where the girls explain their week. We start on Saturday with the (not-so) live show and the result show (which is taped after midnight, when the phones close). Sunday—They practice their songs. Monday—Sex and the City premiere. Tuesday—Practice…And then the Josephs enter. Wednesday—Nancy Mission day. Thursday—Practice with the Oliver’s. Friday—Wardrobe! And back to Saturday—Rehearsal. And there are the Josephs. They perform “Dancing in the Streets.” The pairs are: Niamh and Keith, Ben and Samantha, Daniel and Rachel, Lewis and Jodie, and Jessie and Rob. I miss these guys…and their voices.

Coming Up: Choir of Adorable.

We’re at the results show! Graham is wearing a mint green suit with a brown shirt. The Nancy’s sing “Consider Yourself” again. Graham says it’s down to “Young” Nancy’s vs “Older” Nancy’s. He then goes into a recap of the performances. We come back to Graham sitting with the Nancy’s. He asks Niamh and Jessie about their strength comments. Niamh says they are actresses and they have the strength, which Jessie agrees. Niamh also apologizes to Barry as she can’t grow any taller. They remind us of the final Oliver’s. And wouldn’t you know it? They all really, really want to be Oliver. And this leads to us learning more about Jonny. He’s 13, plays the drums and wants to be Oliver.

The Choir of Adorable is now just eight and they sing “I Have a Dream” by ABBA.

Coming Up: Rachel is joke killer.

Graham says that Nancy is a girl who likes a laugh. So this week’s Nancy Mission meets two comedians. The Nancy’s will be telling jokes. Niamh says her motto is “When all else fails pull up your dress”. Rachel gets the wrong Jaws mood. Next, the girls had to perform a scene from “Lifecoach.” They liked Jodie’s ability to be the character while they loved Rachel’s naturalness and confusion. We come back to the girls performing “Gonna Wash That Man Outta My Hair” from “South Pacific.” Barry says Jessie stood out for him. Denise picks Samantha. John picks Jodie. Andrew says he was hoping the girls would really wash their hair—Mary Martin did! Andrew says he won’t single out one…and then singles out Jodie.

The Nancy’s then pick who they think should leave:

Niamh: Jessie

Jessie: Niamh

Jodie: Niamh

Rachel: Samantha

Samantha: Rachel

Now it’s the panel’s turn. John: Jessie. Denise: Niamh. Barry: Niamh.

Coming Up: The results!

We come back to Graham, who reveals who is safe and who isn’t. Samantha could still be Nancy. She leaves the stage. Jodie is also safe and leaves the stage. Niamh is in the sing off and joins Graham. That leaves Rachel and Jessie, who step down. Jessie could still be Nancy and takes a moment to realize that. She runs off the stage as Rachel joins Niamh in the sing off. If it were down to the viewers alone, Niamh would be eliminated right then and there. But Andrew could save her again. The two must now sing “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” from “Evita.” He calls the lyrics “Tim Rice’s best” and wants to hear them.

Denise gives the girls a standing ovation. Both performed the song well. This is a difficult decision—my favorite Nancy’s facing off. Good luck, Andrew. He chooses to save Rachel. Niamh hugs her before Rachel joins the others. Graham tries to comfort Niamh and asks her what she’ll walk away with it. Niamh thanks everyone and says she’s a changed person. Andrew says Niamh still needs a few years to mature and thinks she’ll be up for a major role when she’s older. Like one in your own production, Andrew?

The final four Nancy’s sing “Be Back Soon” before Niamh sings “As Long As He Needs Me.” After Rachel takes off her locket, we see a close up of Niamh’s sister before she finishes the song. Niamh’s family cries as we fade out.

Next week: Rachel delivers, Jessie has to suffer through A Chorus Line’s 11 o’clock number, Samantha gets another Stephen Schwartz song and Jodie makes Denise want to give her a hug.

Could Still Be Nancy:

Amy

Keisha

Cleo

Sarah

Rachel

Jodie

Samantha

Ashley

Jessie

Francesca

Niamh

Tara

Sorry to see Niamh go. I loved her look and voice. Fortunately, I got the Love Never Dies CD for Christmas, which features Niamh as Fleck. Semi-finals next week! Do you like the final four?

Quote of the Episode:

“It’s telly. We can do what we like.” –Graham