Over the Rainbow Performance Nov 4 …

So, I just finished watching the final performance episode of “Over the Rainbow”, and thought I’d get my comments down now because I’ll be out for a good chunk of the day tomorrow.

AJ was up first, singing “Memory” from Cats, a song that I’d heard a little of before. She was definitely trying for a more subdued performance than she normally gives, but unfortunately she looked a little stiff early on. However, when it came time for her to pull out the dramatic gestures, she really delivered, as usual.

Danielle was next, singing I think “Never Say Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard, which I hadn’t really heard before. As usual, she just nailed it in terms of acting and voice work. For all of the episodes I’ve watched, Danielle has consistently just done what had to be done.

Finally, Stephanie sang, a song from a production that hadn’t been done much if at all in North America called “The Woman in White”, and the song was I think “I Believe in My Heart”. It was a really good song for her and demonstrated that she has an absolutely lovely voice and the looks to go along with it … but she still didn’t move much. AJ and Danielle incorporated a lot more movement into their songs, even though their songs were of a similar tone to hers.

The performances were book-ended by round-robinish group songs featuring songs from “The Wizard of Oz”, and to me a few things became clear:

Danielle has the weakest voice of the three … but she also acts far better with her voice than the other two.

Stephanie has the strongest voice of the three. It really is effortless.

AJ fits a bit into the middle. She’s not as strong an actress as Danielle in all facets, but she’s better than Stephanie is. She also doesn’t have as strong a voice as Stephanie, but it’s stronger than Danielle’s.

For me, acting is the key, and so if I was given the choice I’d probably choose Danielle. The only argument against that is that it might be easier to teach acting than to give Danielle a stronger voice, at which point Stephanie is the better choice. So, my final ranking is:

1) Danielle.
2) Stephanie.
3) AJ.

Now, with it being a popular vote, the most talented person may not be the winner, and I agree with the judges that basically any one of them could perform the role well. So I shall watch with interest who Canada decides is the best Dorothy.

Tags: Over the Rainbow