Over the Rainbow (Canadian TV series)
| Over the Rainbow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality |
| Directed by | Joan Tosoni |
| Presented by | Daryn Jones |
| Judges |
Andrew Lloyd Webber Arlene Phillips Thom Allison Louise Pitre |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Don Weiner Ivan Schneeberg David Fortier Gerry McKean |
| Producer(s) | Mel Balac |
| Running time | 40–90 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Temple Street Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBC Television, CBC HD |
| Original release | September 16 – November 5, 2012 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Over the Rainbow is a Canadian reality talent competition, which premiered on CBC Television on September 16, 2012. Based on the 2010 series Over the Rainbow in the United Kingdom, the series auditioned aspiring musical theatre performers for the role of Dorothy for a Toronto production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.[1] The series was hosted by Daryn Jones.[1] Arlene Phillips, Thom Allison, and Louise Pitre served as judges alongside Webber.[2]
The competition began with a Dorothy "boot camp" run by Lloyd Webber, which trained contestants and eliminated all but 10 finalists. Following a public telephone vote on 4 November 2012, 20-year-old Danielle Wade was chosen as Dorothy to perform the role for Mirvish Productions in Toronto, which started on 20 December 2012.[3][4] Wade has played several leading roles in student and community theatre and is an acting major at the University of Windsor. The judges praised her as "a consistently solid performer with a big voice and girl-next-door likeability and charm".[5]
The show also auditioned Canadian dogs for the part of Toto. CBC and Weber did not restrict the breed of Toto to Cairn Terrier (as used in the 1939 film), but instead searched for a dog that embodies the spirit of Toto: One that is a "bright fun loving companion full of energy and charisma".[1] The winner was a small mixed breed dog named Linzy, that looks similar to the film's Toto, owned by Reta Thompson. However, Linzy will not appear in the stage production.[6]
Finalists
Ten contestants made it through the audition rounds and performed during the live shows.
| Finalist | Age* | From | Dress Colour | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelsey Verzotti | 17 | Calgary, Alberta | Bubble Gum Pink | Eliminated 1st in Week 1 |
| Michelle Bouey | 21 | Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island | Robin's Egg Blue | Eliminated 2nd in Week 2 |
| Julia Gartha | 16 | Unionville, Ontario | Purple | Eliminated 3rd in Week 3 |
| Jennifer Gillis | 16 | Coquitlam, British Columbia | Sky Blue | Eliminated 4th in Week 4 |
| Jessie Munro | 17 | Toronto, Ontario | Teal | Eliminated 5th in Week 5 |
| Cassandra Hodgins | 17 | London, Ontario | Yellow | Eliminated 6th in Week 6 |
| Colleen Furlan | 19 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Red | Eliminated 7th in Week 7 |
| AJ Bridel | 18 | Kitchener, Ontario | Orange | Third Place |
| Stephanie La Rochelle | 17 | Ottawa, Ontario | Kelly Green | Runner-up |
| Danielle Wade | 20 | LaSalle, Ontario | Lime Green | Winner |
* at the start of the series
Results summary
| Place | Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danielle | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner |
| 2 | Stephanie | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom 2 | Safe | Bottom 2 | Safe | Runner-up |
| 3 | AJ | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom 2 | Third Place |
| 4 | Colleen | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| 5 | Cassandra | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom 2 | Eliminated | Eliminated | |
| 6 | Jessie | Safe | Bottom 2 | Bottom 2 | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated | ||
| 7 | Jennifer | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated | |||
| 8 | Julia | Bottom 2 | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated | ||||
| 9 | Michelle | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated | |||||
| 10 | Kelsey | Eliminated | Eliminated | ||||||
Sing-offs
- What I Did For Love - A Chorus Line- sung by Kelsey and Julia
- Another Suitcase in Another Hall - Evita - sung by Michelle and Jessie
- As Long As He Needs Me - Oliver - sung by Julia and Jessie
- Tell Me on a Sunday - Tell me on a Sunday and Song and Dance - sung by Jennifer and Stephanie
- Tell Me It's Not True - Blood Brothers - sung by Jessie and Cassandra
- On My Own - Les Misérables - sung by Cassandra and Stephanie
- No Matter What - Whistle Down the Wind - sung by Colleen and AJ
References
- 1 2 3 "CBC fall season reflects reduced budget". CBC News, May 10, 2012.
- ↑ Over the Rainbow Judges
- ↑ "Over the Rainbow viewers pick Danielle to play Dorothy", CBCnews, 6 November 2012
- ↑ Ahearn, Victoria. "Over the Rainbow winner realizing she's not in La Salle, Ont., anymore", The Province, Canada.com, 7 November 2012
- ↑ Ahearn, Victoria. "Danielle Wade lands Dorothy role after winning popular vote on Over the Rainbow", National Post, 6 November 2012
- ↑ Simcoe, Luke. "Ontario pooch Linzy wins Over the Rainbow Toto contest", Metro, Free Daily News Group Inc., 6 October 2012