And The Final Few Are...

This weekend the final few were chosen for a chance to win that dream contract of starring in a West End show. Twelve Nancys and twelve Olivers have been picked and will face the full force of the judging panel in the lead up to the grand final in a few weeks time. The potential Nancys are (in alphabetical order):

Amy Booth-Steel, a 24 year old graduate of the Birmingham School of Acting and no stranger to the stage. Nominated for the CDS Spotlight Prize in 2007 and the Carleton Hobbs Radio Bursary in the same year. Her recent work includes playing Velma in the Scooby Doo UK Tour and TV appearances include the BBC's Doctors and MI High.

Ashley J Russell is also 24 and a former student of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Ashley currently works as a freelance drama teacher in London and her previous stage work experience includes playing Naomi in The Waiting Room in Edinburgh and Ida in Stiles and Drewe's Honk! The Musical.

Cleopatra Royer is 21 years old and studied dance at the BRIT School for the Performing Arts. She is one of just 20 exceptionally creative young people to receive financial and mentoring awards from the Ignite! Creative Sparks scheme.

Francesca Jackson is perhaps the strongest candidate for the role. This 24 year old has a string of connections with the show; Her last stage role was playing opposite I'd Do Anything judge Denise Van Outen in the remixed Rent. She is also a former flatmate of Connie Fisher (Winner of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?) and if that isn't enough, she played Bet in Cameron Mackintosh's 1997 stage version of Oliver! She is one of Show and Stay's favourites to win the show.

Jessie Buckley, 18, is an Irish beauty who has reportedly been turned down by two drama schools before getting through to the I'd Do Anything finals. Relatively inexperienced in comparison to some of her rivals, Jessie's first musical role was her school's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Jodie Pregner is the oldest candidate at 28 years old. Her claim to TV fame was winning Living TV's, The Biggest Loser, a reality weight loss TV show. Since winning, Jodie has worked as a highly successful dieting expert. Jodie also worked as a resort club singer and a singing teacher before auditioning for I'd Do Anything.

Keisha Amponsa-Banson is 23 and relatively inexperienced compared to the rest of the bunch. Her previous work includes singing for the independent film, Jingle Bells Jingle Bells.

Niamh Perry is a 17 year old A-Level Drama student from Ireland. She sang a solo at the opening of the Grand Opera House in Belfast as well as performing for Northern Ireland's MT4UTH in Oliver! in 2005 and Joseph in 2007.

Rachel Tucker is a 26 year old from Belfast. She was trained at the Royal Academy of Music and currently works for a company which employs out of work actors. Previous stage experience includes the role of Mary in Tonight's the Night - The Rod Stewart Musical and Dorothy in the Belfast production of The Wizard of Oz.

Samantha Barks is a 17 year old student at the Arts Education Schools, London. Samantha has an impressive educational resume, including Stagecoach, Theatirx and Manx Ballet Company in her home at the Isle of Man. This potential Nancy has supported the Sugarbabes and Matt Willis in concert and starred in the ITV TV movie, The Final Quest, written by and starring David Jason. Her voice has earned her first place and a €2000 prize at the Malta International TV Song Festival.

Sarah Lark is 25 and comes from Cardiff. Sarah is also a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music with stage credits dating back to 1993. Her stage credits and show links almost match that of Francesca's having appeared in Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind and Mackintosh's The Witches of Eastwick. We will be very interested to see whether these previous links will have any effect on Sarah's performance.

Tara Bethan is a 24 year old with a heavy CV which boast many appearances both on stage and on the small screen. She as just finished a 9 month contract as Nikki on S4C's soap, Rownd and Rownd (yes i can spell thanks!) and her performance as the protagonist in the 2006/2007 season of Dick Whittington earned her superb reviews from fans and critics alike. Tara appeared in the same production of Bugsy Malone as Francesca Jackson so these two have undoubtedly got a bit of catching up to do.

Whilst the potential Nancys will have to face both the judging panel as well as the voting public, it has been deemed perhaps a bit too much to make the young Olivers face the vote. Instead, they will have to impress just the judges each and every week in order to keep their place safe. Watch this space for more news on what's hot and what's not in the world of Oliver!

Published By: Jon Lane.