Superstar....anyone watching?

[Princeton Returns]

Didn't plan to but ended up watching as family are.

No one has stood out yet, some havent come across very well at all

[ClapYo'Hands]

I watched it, quite entertaining - some pretty good voices!

So shocked that Jon Williams was introduced as being a "bartender" when thousands of people have seen him as the lead in the biggest musical in the West End.

[bob8rich]

A little tacky in places but overall quite enjoyable to watch. Some fantastic voices amidst some seriously mediocre voices.

Really great to see (and hear) two star members of the Studio Cast recording of Christopher Orton and my musical My Land's Shore featuring on the programme - the incredible Jonathan Williams and Gareth Richards. Ok, I'm more than a little biased lol - but I thought they should BOTH have gone through.

[Princeton Returns]

I wondered if that was *the* Jonathan williams, Im surprised his audition was so underwhelming, didn't really blow me away. But then none of them did.

I didn't like Nathan James attitude, and Jonathan Ansell was a complete t**t!

Tim Potney Jones was good

Notice Oliver thompsett and Alex gAumond in the previews for next week

[bob8rich]

Unfortunately they often show such small clips of auditions, you don't get to see enough to get a full impression of contestants' talent. I'm fortunate as I've worked so much with Jon Williams (in the recording studio and in live concerts/cabarets) so I know how incredible he is first hand.

The ITV website has footage of Jon's full first audition, which blew me away. But then, he always does.


ITV Superstar: JONATHAN WILLIAMS - the Unseen Audition

[The Scorpion]

So shocked that Jon Williams was introduced as being a "bartender" when thousands of people have seen him as the lead in the biggest musical in the West End.


I didn't watch the show, but I've seen several people mention this and it only makes me think even less of these reality TV shows. ALW's defence of them saying they couldn't have found the people who go on it any other way is obviously untrue when so many of them have West End experience. It all comes across as a big money-making con.

[devonian.t]

Nope. Won't watch. Won't see the tour.

[bob8rich]

For ALW and the producers, yes - it's obviously all about making as much money as possible and using the vehicle of a TV reality show to "milk" it as much as possible. That's the reality of showbusiness. But for the contestants it's a lifeline to career success.

The theatre business - especially for performers - is unbelievably tough and work is VERY hard to come by, even for people who have already played West End leading roles. And the role of Jesus in JCS is pretty much an iconic role. Even guys who have played West End leads will still see it as a major career advancement and some of them will even be desperately looking for work just as much as an "unknown" performer. (Playing a lead in the West End does not guarantee someone work when they finish their contract in that role. Most West End actors are out of work for longer periods than they are in work.)

And, as the Superstar TV show is the ONLY means to audition for that role, it is not surprising that many former or current West End principal actors would enter those auditions.

I just hope that the guy who wins the role IS an experienced and trained actor/singer. They are the ones who've put in the hard work for years to get where they are and are also the ones who are most lilely to be able to deliver a quality performance 8 shows a week.

[ClapYo'Hands]

Don't forget Bob, that the winner of this competition WON'T have to perform this role 8 times a week, they'll have to perform an 11 date arena tour!

[bob8rich]

Ok, Clapyohands - it's okay to cast someone inferior then lol

But, jokes aside - winning this role will not be about just playing the 11 date arena tour - it will be opening doors to future stardom and future leading West End roles. ALW and the ITV show producers claim they are looking for a major SUPERSTAR after all (and they wouldn't lie about that, would they? lol)

[ClapYo'Hands]

Oh no I agree completely but the TV show feels like they just want someone nice looking who'll do the eleven dates. What happened to REAL stardom?

[Princeton Returns]

I think it's been proven by now that these shows don't find true stars, talented people to fill a role but a true star can't be made by a reality show

[bob8rich]

True, you can't make someone talented just by putting them on a reality show but the show allows real talent to be recognized and creates a high profile for those talented performers, enabling them to find work in the future because the TV show has made them Box Office attractions (that's the reality of the business and how producers perceive things when casting).

And I don't agree that the previous shows have not found any "true stars" - quite the opposite, in fact. Some of the most awesomely talented star performers in the West End in recent years have been people who got their break purely by being on one of these shows - and despite their awesome talent would likely not have made it without the shows. (e.g. Lauren Samuels, Rachel Tucker, Lee Mead, Siobhan Dillon and Samantha Barks - who is about to become a major movie star when the Les Mis movie comes out.)

And I know some people on here do not seem to like her, but Connie Fisher certainly became a true star after winning the Maria show. Not only did she star in TSOM but went on to launch a career on TV (she just had her own TV series as well as playing roles in major drama series etc) - and is now touring in Wonderful Town (which I saw on Thursday btw - and Connie was fantastic!).

[Princeton Returns]

I'm not knocking their talent or not saying they haven't got great careers but they are not "stars" with name regonition to the wider world like Michael Ball, John Barrowman, Elaine Paige, Sarah brightman etc which was ALWs goal at the start. As great as Connie maybe, she is not selling Wondeful Town.

The only possible exception could be Samantha Barks if he becomes the breakout star of Les Mis

[abitoftap]

I'm not knocking the talent which has been helped by these shows, but I hate the by numbers production. They're all just interchangeable, and equally annoying.

[Princeton Returns]

Good to see John Addison and Alex gaumond

Nathan James is very annoying, his smug arrogant attitude clearly wasn't a one off on the voice

[Spotlight61]

Good to see that ALW made it back from Broadway after closing the show!

[ClapYo'Hands]

I'm kind of enjoying this programme but does every story on the BWW West End page have to be about it? Other things are happening...

[The Scorpion]

You can't manufacture stardom. Star quality comes by giving a sensational performance that knocks critics off their feet (see, for example, how widely acclaimed Elaine Paige was when 'Evita' opened in 1978 ), by possessing something no-one else has (everyone seems so interchangeable on these reality TV shows), by performing all over the world, by showing true versatility and range, by achieving household recognition and by longevity. In the case of the last three factors (range, recognition and longevity), none of the reality TV shows have yet demonstrated this (indeed it is too early to say so since the whole thing is new and we can't assess things like longevity yet). If, for example, Lee Mead does more than just play the romantic lead, is as well-known a commodity as Michael Ball and is still around getting top billing in 10 years' time, then maybe he'll be considered a star. But I think to call any of the winners of these shows "stars" yet is jumping the gun massively.

[Princeton Returns]

Article on Jonathan Ansell getting loads of abuse on Twitter (he did act like a complete t**t but doesnt deserve abuse like that) and also the low viewing figures of 3.3 million for the first show

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/4418257/Internet-trolls-target-Superstar-wannabe-Jonathan-Ansell.html

[bob8rich]

I honestly didn't see such a big deal in the Tale Of Two Cities clash - it was only a 4 week run and would not have clashed with the TV show had he gone through that far - it was just a matter of him missing a few days (and the producers of ATOTC brought in another "name" - former "Joseph", Anthony Hanson - as an alternate for the role for the shows Ansell missed).

What I did think reflected on Ansell badly in the Supertar show was the unfortunately arrogant way he had an excuse for everything when he was being critiqued. But even so, he did not deserve the abuse he received on twitter. To those who wrote the abusive comments, I suggest they reflect on some words of the Biblical Jesus: "he who is without sin - throw the first stone".

[ClapYo'Hands]

I agree with Bob, but was Ansell already under contract to "BoRhap" (the show he is touring with this summer) when he auditioned for Superstar too?

[Princeton Returns]

I think the TOTC situation alone wasnt so much of a problem, it was his overal arrogant attitude and also assumption that he would get the part (something Mel C corrected him on), plus the clear desperation he had didnt help.

I seem to remember in his G4 days talk of him being quite hungry for fame

[rockyhorrorfan]

I didn't watch it but have read the blogs here and on another site and it sounds absolutely dreadful (funny but dreadful). Seems rather sad that West End leading men like Alex Gaumond and Oliver Tompsett have to resort to this kind of show to get a role. Not sure what kind of doors this will open for them when they've already starred in West End musicals (and I'm talking about lead roles and not just understudies or ensembles).

Isn't it also conning the audience (who aren't into theatre as much) by letting them think they might be discovering a "new star" when they could end up picking an established West End performer? Yes, I know Lee Mead and Connie Fisher weren't exactly unknown when they won their respective shows.

Looks like the show's already a bit of a ratings flop with only 3.3m viewers. So far only one date on the tour has sold out (maybe people are waiting to find out who the winner will be before booking).

[ClapYo'Hands]

rockyhorrorfan, as has already been mentioned previously - this is one big audition for the lead role in one of the biggest musicals in history - if it was being cast away from the public eye, you'd still expect the likes of these West End stars to still audition the only difference here is that this is on TV - why should change their desire to play the role?

[songanddanceman2]

Because it's humiliating for anyone who has a great talent and an established career to have to audition on a reality TV show for a role they want to play. This is not just a case of 'they would have had to audition anyway', the big difference is that ALW media whore reputation is making respectable artists jump through stupid hoops.

I for one am THRILLED the first episode flopped hard