Hopefuls line up for Take That musical

By Rashid Razaq, Evening Standard 03.05.07

 

More than 100 hopefuls turned out today for open auditions to star in the new West End Take That musical.

 

Dozens of Robbie Williams wannabes, a number of Mark Owens, a handful of Jason Oranges and at least one Gary Barlow queued in Covent Garden for a chance of fame.

 

Classically trained actor Simon Wegrzyn, 23, who has just finished a run in the RSC's Henry V, was hoping to win over the judges with a Les Misérables number in his bid to land the role of Mark Owen.

 

Wegrzyn, of Shoreditch, said: "It's a musical number but I'm going do it in a pop style. I'm hoping to stand out in the crowd. It's a fantastic opportunity. Take That's back catalogue is awesome but their new stuff is really credible."

 

Producers Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons said they were hoping to find an "undiscovered gem" among the drama students, children's performers and call centre workers who responded to the audition adverts.

 

Mr Baker said: "They are going to have to be able to sing, act and dance. It's very demanding. We've already seen over 400 professionals with agents. But we need to make sure we look at as many people as possible. We've got time to train them if they have talent but they will need to have some physical resemblance to the band members."

 

Holiday resort performer Kevin Nash, 28, from South Croydon, said: "I am going to sing a Westlife song. It's a boy band song but I don't think it's a good idea to do a Take That song. I have been performing all sorts of stuff over the last few years so if I got this, this would be my breakthrough."

 

The Never Forget show, written by Danny Brocklehurst, will open at an unnamed West End theatre this autumn after a UK tour.

 

Featuring Take That No 1 hits such as Pray, Relight My Fire and Back For Good, it tells the story of five friends who form a tribute band.

 

Resort singer Leejay Townsend, 26, from Leicester, said he would be performing The Final Countdown by Swedish rockers Europe in order to "present a blank slate to the judges".

 

He added: "I perform a Robbie Williams tribute show and that always goes down very well, so I've got Angels in reserve if I think things aren't going too well. I think I'm quite similar to Robbie in that I'm very comical and cheeky."

 

With a couple of 6ft Mark Owen imitators and a bald Jason Orange at the auditions, few of the hopefuls bore a physical likeness to Take That members.

 

Australian Daniel Koek, 25, who has just finished touring with the musical Night Fever in the Far East, said he had not known the Take That phenomenon while he was growing up, but he hoped his rendition of Robbie Williams's Angels would see him through to the next round of auditions.

Could it be magic for Take That hopefuls?

By Natalie Paris and agencies

Last Updated: 6:12am BST 05/05/2007

 

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Cheekbones and teeth boys - hopefuls wait

 

Young performers flocked to the West End today, hoping to be in with a chance of helping recreate one of the most successful boy bands of the nineties.

 

Auditions for Never Forget, a musical based on the songs of pop group Take That, saw dozens of hopefuls trying out for starring roles.

 

The band, which featured singer Robbie Williams in its original line-up, enjoyed a huge comeback following a series of concerts last year.

 

Fans hoping the show will reveal secrets behind the band's 1995 split will be disappointed however, as the musical tells a fictional story about a Take That tribute band.

 

Band members, including Gary Barlow and Mark Owen, have refused to endorse the show, although hit songs such as Relight My Fire and Back For Good will feature.

 

Craig Edgley, 17, was head of the queue of auditionees having set out from his home in Grantham, Lincs, at 6am in order to perform.

 

"This is my first ever audition so I am a little bit nervous," he said.

"I've come down with my mum, she is a massive Take That fan.

 

"I heard about the auditions when I went to a convention and met Toyah Wilcox and she said 'you should go for this musical, you remind me of Robbie'."

 

His mum Jackie said: "I am very proud of him. He's always loved performing, ever since he was a little boy.

 

"He's only 17 so he doesn't really remember the old Take That songs but he knows the new ones."

 

Craig sang Moon Dance for the judges, who praised his "energy, enthusiasm and spirit." He will find out later today if he will be called back.

 

Other hopefuls included Jay McManus, 23, who prefers rock to pop but was hoping to be cast as the Howard Donald or Jason Orange characters.

 

"Gary Barlow is a bit too heavy for me and Mark Owen is a bit too short, so maybe I could be Howard or Jason," he said.

 

Producer Tristan Baker said: ""We need five guys who can sing, act and dance. They won't be playing the actual members of Take That, so we're not casting a lookalike band."

 

The real band are said to be furious about the project and have declared: "This production is absolutely and 100% nothing to do with Take That."

 

Never Forget opens at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on July 20 and will play Glasgow, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent and Edinburgh prior to its West End launch.

 

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Craig Edgley wants to play Robbie

 

Its going ahead either way now so i still hope it does good.........it should do with TT songs in anyway