Welcome to our special westendtheatre.com celebration of all things Over The Rainbow. Over The Rainbow, which finished on 22 May on BBC One, saw 20 contestants battle it out to play the role of Dorothy in a multi-million pound new production of The Wizard of Oz. The lucky winner was Danielle Hope, 18 from Greater Manchester, who won the show in a closely fought final with runner-up Sophie Evans, 17 from Wales.
“Henry! Henry! I can’t find Dorothy! She’s somewhere out in the storm! Dorrrrrrotheeeeeee!”
Andrew Lloyd Webber is bringing the classic musical The Wizard of Oz to the London Palladium in March 2011. The role of Dorothy was made famous by Judy Garland in the hit 1939 MGM film, and has remained a dream role ever since.
The yellow brick road, munchkins, wicked witches and little dogs called Toto are all part of the musical legend of Oz, with the film remaining one of the best-loved movie musicals of all time.
We have followed the ups and downs of the stage-struck girls, as they battled it out to win the part of a lifetime and become the star of a hit West End show (see our Over The Rainbow TV section).
“Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?”
Over The Rainbow, hosted by Graham Norton, started at 9pm on Friday 26 March on BBC One, followed by a live feature-length studio show on Saturday 27 March at 6.30pm.
Following the success of BBC musical talent shows How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do and I’d Do Anything, Over The Rainbow saw Andrew Lloyd Webber search for a new Dorothy to lead the cast in his 2011 revival of The Wizard of Oz. He was joined by a new panel of experts – actress Sheila Hancock, who is currently starring in Sister Act at the London Palladium, singer and TV presenter Charlotte Church and EastEnders actor John Partridge.
“I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!”
Check out the menu above for news and information as the series progresses, including the Over The Rainbow TV show, interviews with the contestants and panelists and information about The Wizard of Oz West End show.
Do you know if the winner is scheduled to perform in the Saturday evening shows in April and June 2011? Thanks.
Hi. There is never a cast-iron guarantee that any actor will be performing on a given night due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness and accident. That aside, the winner of Over The Rainbow will be committed to starring in the show for a good number of months from its opening at the end of March onwards, so the winner will be scheduled to perform on the dates you mention. Thanks.
If we book tickets for July will we see the winner from Over The Rainbow and which theatre in London will it be shown, its for my young son thankyou Mrs Jones
Hi – The Wizard of Oz will be on at the London Palladium from March 2010. The show will star the winner of the BBC One Over The Rainbow series. Thanks. WestEndTheatre.com