Andrew Lloyd Webber has kicked off his search for an actress to play Dorothy in a new West End production of classic musical The Wizard Of Oz.
The theatrical impresario will once again be using a televised talent show to find the leading lady who will follow his yellow brick road all the way to the London stage. The move follows the success of previous shows How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do and I’d Do Anything.
The new show, which is titled Over The Rainbow and will air on BBC One in 2010, will show the West End wannabes whittled down until only a few remain. Those Dorothys-in-waiting will face off against each other week after week as the public help to choose the actress who will be swept into the London theatre world on a whirlwind of publicity.
Speaking about the project, Lloyd Webber said: “Our previous musical talent searches have provided an incredible shot in the arm for musical theatre in Britain and I can’t wait to work with the BBC again in the hunt for Dorothy – an iconic role of course made famous by a young Judy Garland in the film in 1939.”
Eager actresses who want to follow in the footsteps of previous winners Connie Fisher, Lee Mead and Jodie Prenger can now apply to be part of the audition process by visiting www.bbc.co.uk/dorothy
The new year will be a busy one for Lord Lloyd Webber. In addition to searching for Dorothy, spring 2010 finds him launching new musical Love Never Dies, which picks up the story of his most famous musical, The Phantom Of The Opera, a decade later, when the masked maestro has left the Paris Opera House behind in favour of the fabulous fairground of New York’s Coney Island.
MA