Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream viewers baffled by one crucial element of show as 14 hopefuls compete to win starring role in West End adaptation of hit film
Viewers of Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream was stunned by the judges’ choice for the show when the first episode aired on Sunday.
The ITV show sees fourteen hopefuls competing to be cast as Sophie and Sky in a new West End adaptation of the Mamma Mia film.
Named after the iconic ABBA song and filmed over eight weeks on the Greek island of Corfu, the contestants live in a Greek villa while taking part in the competition.
Seven boys and seven girls will have to impress judges including singer Jessie Ware, comedian Alan Carr, Frozen star Samantha Barks and Glee’s Amber Riley.
But while people watching at home could understand why Samantha and Amber were booked for the jury appearance, they were less sure about Alan and Jessie.
The panel: Viewers of Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream was stunned by the judges’ choice for the show when the first episode aired on Sunday (L-R: Samantha Barks, Alan Carr, Amber Riley and Jessie Ware)
Competition: The ITV show sees 14 hopefuls compete to impress the judges in a bid to be cast as Sophie and Sky in a new West End adaptation of the Mamma Mia film (L-R: Amber, Samantha, Jessie and Alan)
Taking to Twitter, one person wrote: ‘As for the #MammaMia judges, I get Samantha Barks and Amber Riley, they’ve both done West End theater but I’ve never heard of ‘pop star’ Jessie Ware and although I love Alan Carr?’
Someone else posted: ‘Okay, so I understand Amber Riley – yes, Jessie Ware – yes, Samantha Barks – yes…but Alan Carr?? I do not understand?
‘I love Alan as a comedian, but he has nothing to say to the jury? Very bizarre choice.’
“Swap Alan Carr (why, seriously) for Elaine Paige, and we’ll have a dream! #MammaMia #IHaveADream,” said another viewer.
While someone else commented: ‘Get all the judge’s picks except Alan Carr.’
Another viewer posted: ‘Amber Riley & Samantha Barks…I get it. Jesse Ware and Alan Carr…I’m not so sure.
‘But I live for it anyway. #Mama Mia.”
Someone else commented: ‘#IHaveADream talented industry judges… And Alan Carr.’
Watched: While people watching at home could understand why Samantha and Amber were booked for the jury appearance, they were less sure about Alan and Jessie
Funnyman: While some viewers were unsure about Alan’s place on the jury, others were happy to see him bring his humor to the table
Another viewer had a more positive view of Alan and Jessie, writing: ‘I’m very much here for Jessie Ware and Alan Carr together but that’s it so far.’
And someone else said: ‘The judges are so great together. I’m also obsessed with Alan and Jessie together.’
The participants were put to the test in energetic choreographed dance and music numbers set to ABBA songs.
Opening the show, host Zoe Ball said: ‘Greece, beautiful island, sun and sea, and home to the iconic Mamma Mia.
‘We’re here to find out who will be the next iconic Sophie and Sky in the West End.
Living the dream: Named after the iconic ABBA song and filmed over eight weeks on the Greek island of Corfu, the contestants live in a Greek villa while taking part in the competition (L-R: Contestants Stephanie and Maddy pictured)
Challenged: Contestants were put to the test in energetic choreographed dance and music numbers to ABBA songs on Sunday (L-R: Contestants Tobias, Craig and Marcellus)
Success: All hopefuls made it to the second episode as no one was eliminated this week (L-R: Host Zoe Ball and contestants Marcellus, Tobias, Craig, Darcy, Callum, Owen, Zachkiel, Maisie, Stevie, Desmonda, Maddy, Stephanie, Lea and Esme )
“But who has what it takes?”
Contestants Desmonda, Esme, Leah, Maddy, Maisie, Stephanie and Stevie, and Callum, Craig, Darcy, Marcellus, Owen, Tobias and Zachkiel will all compete against each other during the series.
All the hopefuls made it to the second episode, as no one was eliminated this week.
Mama Mia! I Have a Dream continues on Sunday October 29 at 6.15pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Back again: Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream continues on Sunday 29 October at 6.15pm on ITV1 and ITVX (L-R: judges Alan and Jessie, presenter Zoe, and judges Amber and Samantha)
MAMA MIA! I have a dream: MEET THE PARTICIPANTS!
THE SOPHIES
DESMONA
AGE: 27
BY: Indonesia
WHY DO YOU WANT TO PLAY THE ROLE OF SOPHIE? ‘It’s about MAMMA MIA! itself because musical theater is not that important in Indonesia. Movie musicals, on the other hand, are super popular. People love MAMMA MIA!’
LEA
AGE: 20
BY: Red car
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ABBA SONG? ‘The ABBA song I can relate to is ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’, because I was always with my mother when I was younger. She raised me as a single mother and we were together all the time.’
MAISIE
AGE: 22
BY: Margate
TELL US ABOUT YOUR MUSICAL THEATER JOURNEY SO FAR “I have three sisters and when I was younger my mother gave us all musical theater lessons and I absolutely fell in love.”
STEVIE
AGE: 22
BY: Glasgow
WHAT APPEARS ON MAMMA MIA! I have a dream that means to you? ‘When I told my family I was moving to London, no one was surprised. I’ve always been quite ambitious, but I could never have imagined this.’
THE HEAVEN
CALLUM
AGE: 22
BY: Oxfordshire
TELL US ABOUT YOUR MUSICAL THEATER JOURNEY SO FAR: ‘My musical theater journey has been relatively limited so far. This feels like I’m dipping my toes in the musical theater world for the first time.’
DARCY
AGE: 23
BY: Hampshire
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ABBA SONG? ‘My favorite Abba song is definitely ‘Gimme! Give me! Give me!’ – when you’re on a night out, as soon as the beat hits you know it’s going to be a great night!’
OWEN
AGE: 25
BY: Belfast
WHAT DOES APPEARING IN MAMMA MIA MEAN FOR YOU? ‘The ten-year-old boy who was afraid to tell his friends in his class that he had seen MAMMA MIA! three times in the cinema would be beside itself! It means the world.’
ZACHKIEL
AGE: 21
BY: London
WHY DO YOU WANT TO PLAY THE ROLE OF SKY? ‘I’m excited to bring a new essence, a new flair to the character. I want to respect the character – MAMMA MIA! is so famous, everyone has an idea of Sky and Sophie and you can stick to what people know, that’s fine, but you can also create and I want to put my own spin on it.’
ESME
AGE: 22
BY: London
TELL US ABOUT YOUR MUSICAL THEATER JOURNEY ‘I left school at 16 to study musical theater at a university in Liverpool, and this is where I really found my love for the industry.’
MADDY
AGE: 20
BY: Bolton
WHY DO YOU WANT TO PLAY THE ROLE OF SOPHIE? ‘I would love to play the role of Sophie because I really admire her as a character, because she is always so cheerful and quirky and cares so much about the people she loves!’
STEPHANIE
AGE: 22
BY: Saint Albans
WHAT APPEARS ON MAMMA MIA! I have a dream that means to you? “It’s so nostalgic for me to see a musical set in Greece showcasing Greek traditions, and to make my family proud by doing what I love with my heritage would be just incredible.”
CRAIG
AGE: 26
BY: Perthshire
WHY DO YOU WANT TO PLAY THE ROLE OF SKY? ‘It’s such an iconic role. Sky is a chilled out guy and I’m excited about the energy the TV show is going to bring to the show and I want to be a part of that.”
MARCELLUS
AGE: 36
BY: High Wycombe
TELL US ABOUT YOUR MUSICAL THEATER EXPERIENCE SO FAR? ‘I decided in 2016-2017 never to work unless it occurred. I said if I like it so much, if I want it to work, I’ll go in. I’ve been performing ever since, sometimes on, sometimes off, but I keep going.’
TOBIAS
AGE: 22
BY: Somerset
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ABBA SONG? “Does your mother know.” In between jobs I work in Archer Street, a bar in Soho where you sing on the tables and that’s one of my favorite songs to perform. In terms of the song that sums me up, I think of ‘Take A Chance’ because it’s quite brutal!’