Opinion: Stuart Munro on Reality TV Casting

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Over the Rainbow winner, Danielle Wade

The pros and cons of reality TV casting
The Case of Over the Rainbow

Stuart Munro

After eight weeks of highly entertaining television, Canada has finally picked its Dorothy for the upcoming production of The Wizard of OZ – 20 year-old Danielle Wade. This young woman will be carrying no small burden on her shoulders, as nearly everyone in the audience on opening night will have watched her progress through the competition, not to mention the millions of dollars invested in this mega production by Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Mirvish. These two men are no doubt nervous; their headliner has been picked, not through the regular casting process, but through a Canadian Idol-style competition. And while I think the viewers at home have picked a great Dorothy, the fact remains that we’re not casting directors. Which begs the question: Can this casting process be considered ‘legitimate?’ What are the pros and cons of choosing a leading lady in this fashion?

Unlike Canada, England is easily navigated and boasts a rather complete rail network, making a trip to and from London relatively simple from all over the country.

Over the Rainbow follows a formula first made popular in the UK a number of years ago, and while England has seen several iterations of it since (including the desperately named Any Dream Will Do for Joseph and I’d Do Anything for Oliver!), Canada has only experienced this phenomenon once before with 2008’s How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? This is no real surprise considering how many fewer shows get produced here than in the West End, but I must admit I find the fact that it happens at all perplexing. Unlike Canada, England is easily navigated and boasts a rather complete rail network, making a trip to and from London relatively simple from all over the country. A family from the north who gets caught up in the television show can easily plan a weekend to London to see the winner of the competition. But can the same be said for Canada? How much interest does a family in Victoria have in a show happening a five hour plane trip away, unless there happens to be a girl from Victoria in the competition? Planning a weekend family getaway to Toronto from across the country becomes much more expensive, and really needs to include a longer stay and side trips to, oh I don’t know, Niagara Falls, to really be worth it. Yet nonetheless, the girls all had massive support from their hometown communities, and if Over the Rainbow has been anything like Maria, the show has proved wildly popular for the CBC.

After winning the competition, the flustered and obviously emotional Danielle commented that this was her first audition ever and that she hoped they all went this well. This, no doubt, rankled the feathers of more than a few actors who have spent years and years slogging through open calls and call-backs and sad conversations with their agents about how a director decided to go in a ‘different direction’ with the part. How is it fair that a girl on her first time out manages to win a lead role thanks to a television show? Not only that, but most of these girls have received the kind of boost that any actor would love to have. The short answer is probably that it’s not fair. As talented as I think Ms Wade is (and I really want to stress that I think Ms Wade is very talented), I have no doubt the producers and director would have been able to find someone as equally talented going through the standard casting process.

Did we pick the right girl? What will the production be like?

But there is the other side of the coin to consider, the one that many of us try to ignore: people simply aren’t going to the theatre (especially big theatre) in the same way they used to, at least not in Toronto. That’s where a trick like this can be very useful. Let’s face it, people probably aren’t aching for a new production of the Wizard of Oz, but thanks to reality TV, Toronto audiences (and potentially audiences from across the country) have a vested interest in it. Did we pick the right girl? What will the production be like? Perhaps people will be a little more likely to shell out the $175(!) required for a premium seat. (In the past, the Mirvishes have been very good about offering package and hotel deals for families coming in from out of town. With a little luck those will make a reappearance here.) Stunt casting is nothing new – years ago I was told I didn’t get a part because they wanted a “minor celebrity” in the role (I never found out who it was and the show never got off the ground anyway) – and I see reality TV casting as just another kind of stunt casting. At least this time we’ve collectively picked a star based on how we appreciate her talent, and not just because she has a name some folks might recognize (unlike the Jekyll & Hyde showing up in Toronto this week). And if it gets a few more bums in seats, or convinces someone who’s never been to the theatre to go and buy a ticket, and helps a new Canadian production run just a little bit longer, I say that’s enough of a positive to outweigh the slightly unusual casting process.