We seem to be in a world of imitation. Every time someone concocts a fresh idea for television, a starving competitor quickly produces a lazy cash-in. The most famous of this was BBC 1's Strictly Come Dancing being restyled as ITV's Dancing On Ice. Both shows are big successes for their respected channels, but have never been in competition with each other.
But, in a few week's time, BBC vs ITV will be the big event for Saturday night telly. BBC 1 are launching Any Dream Will Do on 31 March, a show that hopes to find a new male lead for classic West End musical Joseph & His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. The BBC team has already earned respect amongst theatre critics after they discovered Connie Fisher, winner of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? She is now lead actress in The Sound Of Music, wowing audiences.
Over on ITV, just a week later on 7 April, comes Grease Is The World, masterminded by Simon Cowell. The format is exactly the same as Dream/Maria, but producers are looking for a Danny and Sandy to star in Grease. The scheduling clash should prove interesting for unbiased observers. Audiences will likely decide their favourite show based on the musical content alone.
So, on paper anyway, Grease is the clear favourite because it has fans across the generations and its 50s retro-cool appeals to the under-30s more than a dusty Biblical story. But let's see how the two shows compare in terms of actual format:
So, on paper anyway, Grease is the clear favourite because it has fans across the generations and its 50s retro-cool appeals to the under-30s more than a dusty Biblical story. But let's see how the two shows compare in terms of actual format:
THE PRESENTERS
Any Dream Will Do has Graham Norton, returning from Maria. Viewers of Maria will know what to expect from him: competence, cheeky camp and a few naughty jokes. However, Norton always looks neutered when presenting pre-watershed family fluff.
Grease has Zoe Ball, a youthful, sexier alternative to Norton who appeals to both sexes. She's been an accomplished presenter for years now, so knows how the live gig works.
WINNER: Grease's Zoe Ball; fresher, sexier and better suited to her show.
THE JUDGES
Andrew Lloyd Webber may not be the prettiest face in the world, but his name alone brings a stamp of approval to Any Dream. Theatre producer Bill Kenwright will offer tangible real-life expertise in the field, as will musical star John Barrowman, vocal coach Zoe Tyler and actress Denise Van Outen. Interestingly, Van Outen recently returned from the US from co-presenting the American version of ITV's Grease show!
Simon Cowell doesn't star in Grease Is The Word, but he has recruited David Gest (soon to join him on X-Factor), ex-lover Sinitta, theatre producer David Ian and choreographer Brian Friedman as judges.
WINNER: Any Dream for its bredth of talent and expertise. Cowell's troupe look dodgy in comparison, although oddball Gest could be a secret weapon.
THE HISTORIES
Joseph & His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat has existed since 1968, but enjoyed its biggest success on Broadway in 1981 and the West End in 1991.
Grease actually started life as a stage musical in 1971, but didn't become popular until the classic movie starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in 1978. The soundtrack was a No1 album in the US and UK and has enjoyed sustained popularity ever since. The movie got 5 Golden Globe nominations in '79 and the stage show received 7 Tony awards in '72.
WINNER: Grease, recently voted the Best Movie Musical too. It's a cultural benchmark, whereas Joseph is most famous in the UK for being a vehicle for 80s popstar Jason Donovan and TV presenter Philip Schofield!
THE STORIES & MUSIC
Joseph's storyline concerns the eponymous character, whose father considers him his favourite of 12 sons. Jealous, Joseph's brothers plot to steal his amazing technicolour coat and sell him as a slave. The musical has plenty of songs, but "Any Dream Will Do" is perhaps its sole masterpiece.
Grease concerns leather-clad bad boy Danny and his romance of straight-laced Sandy at Rydell High School during the 1950s. The musical has lots of songs, each one a classic in its own right, but "Summer Loving", "Greased Lightning" and "You're The One That I Want" are more than enough to see off competition from Joseph.
Grease concerns leather-clad bad boy Danny and his romance of straight-laced Sandy at Rydell High School during the 1950s. The musical has lots of songs, each one a classic in its own right, but "Summer Loving", "Greased Lightning" and "You're The One That I Want" are more than enough to see off competition from Joseph.
WINNER: Grease is a no-brainer, really. Joseph's story is a bit silly (dreamcoat?) and the Biblical backdrop won't really appeal most kids. The songs are also a little mundane and most aren't massively known. Meanwhile, Grease's 50s-setting remains a potent fantasy for modern teens and those around 50 years ago themselves, so it bridges the generation gap better. The story is also more relatable and practically every song is a hit.
THE OVERALL WINNER...
I think it's safe to say Grease is the better product to be involved with for numerous reasons (see above). Indeed, the Beeb had planned to follow Maria with a Grease contest before the idea was poached by Simon Cowell for ITV. That said, Dream's judges seem like a better bunch and having the great Andrew Lloyd Webber himself involved is a bonus.
The Dream team have already proven themselves canny talent-spotters with Sound Of Music too. Grease will undoubtedly survive more on its songs, history and status in popular culture. The relatively weak judges will struggle to upstage the musical performances themselves -- which is as it should be.
