We're down to the last four Dorothys on CBC's Over the Rainbow semifinals. Next week we'll find out who will play the lead role in The Wizard of Oz at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, beginning in December.
Remaining in the competition are firecracker Danielle, powerhouse AJ, dark horse Stephanie and breezy Colleen. Or, as judge Arlene Phillips dubbed them while putting together her imaginary girl band: Feisty, Rocky, Sweetie and Floaty.
Director and choreographer Phillips is, of course, one of your three judges. The other two, if you need reminding, are Canada's "first lady of musical theatre," Louise Pitre, and comely clean-shaven actor Thom Allison.
This week, the Wiz himself, Andrew Lloyd Webber, shared his thoughts on each of the girls' chances, so I'll include the great-and-powerful's thoughts in today's recap.
"Oh my" moments:
The flying monkeys in wardrobe want to keep this girl out of Oz: Stephanie's performance of "Cabaret" from the movie of the same name was "magnificent," as Phillips put it. Alas, the ridiculously unflattering pants they stuck on the poor girl were beyond distracting. This is not the first time they've done this to her — did she flirt with someone's boyfriend or something? I need answers!
Lloyd Webber says there's something about Stephanie that is "very special." Like me, he "didn't get" why she was in last week's bottom two. It actually sounds like she's kind of his favourite.
I'm not sure it's enough to get you in to see the Wizard: I haven't been on board with Colleen for weeks, so was pleasantly surprised when she nailed a beautiful vocal performance on "Somewhere" from West Side Story. Unfortunately, wardrobe was really doing their worst all around and I couldn't get past the fact that she looked like a cruise ship Celine Dion impersonator — with about as much stage presence. The judges, as usual, felt she lacked passion.
Lloyd Webber "adores" Colleen but worries that she hasn't got the stamina to do eight shows a week.
Over the rainbow performance: This week AJ had the perfect song, "All That Jazz" from Chicago. She's really best when she gets to ham it up; she was vocally excellent, and showed some pretty good dancing chops, too. Phillips disagreed with me, telling AJ it wasn't her best vocal performance. I assume we were watching different AJs.
Lloyd Webber thinks AJ is "sort of fabulous" and says, "I can think of several roles I could cast her in without any problem. Is she necessarily the Dorothy I'm looking for? I'm not so sure."
Do you know you have a heart yet? Danielle's goal was to "convey heartbreak." Was she successful with her rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream" from Les Misérables?" Maybe. I didn't buy it myself, but the judges were mostly full of praise. It was another big wardrobe fail, dressing her like a catalogue model from The Bay. Rags would have been more fitting.
Lloyd Webber thinks Danielle is a "fantastic, talented girl" but wonders whether she has the vulnerability to be Dorothy.
The similes are like floaty balloons filled with good witches: I just thought it worth noting that the judges were on fire with the similes this week. Colleen's voice was "like a symphony," while AJ was "like the ultimate sundae with all the trimmings" and "like lightbulbs all over the city." And Danielle's voice was "like a Rolls-Royce." Enough already!
Who's clicking her heels three times? Forget it. I'm not going to guess. I'm wrong every week. I'm going to say Colleen should go home. Whether she will remains to be seen.
Tune in tonight at 8 p.m. on CBC to see which three Dorothys will battle it out on next week's finale for the chance to step into the ruby slippers!
Update: The bottom two came down to AJ and Colleen. While I was surprised to see AJ in there, at least Stephanie was safe. Sensibly, Colleen was sent home. May the best of the three remaining girls win!
Related:
Recap the Rainbow: Over the Rainbow episode 6
Recap the Rainbow: Over the Rainbow episode 5
Recap the Rainbow: Over the Rainbow episode 4
Recap the Rainbow: Over the Rainbow episode 3
Recap the Rainbow: Over the Rainbow episode 2
Why is 'Over the Rainbow' great? Sam Roberts, Jill Barber, Susie Arioli and others weigh in
Rainbow Battle: CBC R2 Shift's 'Over the Rainbow' cover competition