Call it "Alpine Idol."
Aspiring stars strutted their stuff at a Belfast hotel on Saturday, hoping to win the part of novitiate-turned-nanny Maria in a big-budget London production of The Sound of Music.
It's no ordinary audition -- those who make it past the first rounds will compete for the approval of judges and viewers on a reality TV show that offers a shot at stage stardom as its prize.
Britain's main acting union has labeled the American Idol-style talent contest ``demeaning.'' But composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is co-producing the stage show, called it ``a fantastic opportunity for a young artist to become a real star'' in a role made famous by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film.
For many among the scores of hopefuls who turned out for the open audition in Belfast -- the first in a series of tryouts around Britain and in Northern Ireland -- it was the chance to fulfill a dream.
``It's a brilliant musical,'' said Clare McMahon, 18. ``I know all the words to all the songs.''
The knowledge paid off -- McMahon's lively rendition of Doe A Deer got her through to the second round of auditions.
The British Broadcasting Corp, which is producing the program, expects to see thousands of potential Marias at auditions over the next month. Ten finalists will be put to a public vote on a prime-time TV show, entitled How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? after a lyric from the musical.
The project has raised the hackles of British actors' union Equity, which labeled the program ``demeaning'' to the acting profession.
``I would much rather that this program was never made and I am certain that the majority of my members would agree with me,'' said the union's general secretary, Christine Payne.
The producers point out the auditions are open to professionals as well as amateurs, and Lloyd Webber has promised the show won't involve ``everyone taking Simon Cowell potshots at artists.''
The stage show, due to open at the London Palladium in November, is the first West End revival of The Sound of Music in more than 20 years.
But the reality-inspired story of the singing von Trapp family and their escape from Nazi-occupied Austria is universally known thanks to the phenomenally popular movie -- for years a Christmastime staple.
The film was dismissed as ``the sound of mucous'' by one of its stars, Christopher Plummer, but it has become one of the most beloved movies of all time -- part cultural treasure, part kitsch classic.
Lloyd Webber's co-producer, David Ian, said the new production would stick closely to Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's 1959 stage show.
The main change will be the youth of the performer playing Maria, who goes from novice nun to musical matriarch over the course of the show.
The real Maria was in her early 20s when she married Captain Georg von Trapp in 1927, but Julie Andrews was almost 30 when she made the 1965 film. Ian said the winning performer would likely be in her early 20s.
``We need somebody who sings beautifully, a lovely mezzo-soprano voice that is extremely stretching,'' he said. ``She needs to be able to act like a dream as well.''
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