How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? is a British talent show, broadcast on Saturdays on BBC One, first broadcast 29 July 2006, due to end on 16 September 2006. It documents the search for an musical theatre performer to play the role of Maria von Trapp in the upcoming 2006 Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian stage production of The Sound of Music. It is presented by Graham Norton, and 'masterminded' by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The title of the show is derived from a line in the song of Maria which is featured in The Sound of Music

Format

The first week of the show documented the initial auditions against a regional panel, and later the show's 'expert' panel, in which thousands of hopefuls were to be whittled down to fifty contestants to enter Lloyd Webber's "Maria School", from which ten would be selected to face the public vote. However, several additional girls were selected over this fifty contestant limit; one being Briony, who had been rejected intially due to nerves hampering her performance, but who returned for a second chance and was allowed in. A further four, whom the panel had rejected, were contacted by Lloyd Webber himself as he personally believed them to be potential Marias.

In the second week, the fifty-five selected girls attented "Maria School" where judge Zoe Tyler, along with other tutors, taught the girls how to sing perfectly. On the second day, fifteen girls were eliminated, leaving only fourty. On the third day, another twenty girls left, leaving only twenty girls in the competition. The girls were taken to Andrew Lloyd Webber's house, where they performed live in front of fifty influential people in the theatre business.

The best ten girls were taken through to the finals, where the public get a chance to vote. The two Marias with the least votes perform a sing-off in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber, who then decides which girl to keep.

Finalists

Eliminated (in order of elimination)

• Laura Sicurello, 26
• Belinda Evans, 28
• Meliz Serman, 23

Remaining finalists

• Abi Finley, 23
• Aoife Mulholland, 28
• Connie Fisher, 23
• Helena Blackman, 23
• Leanne Dobinson, 20
• Simona Armstrong, 28
• Siobhan Dillon, 21 (last minute replacement for Emilie Alford)

'Expert' panel

• David Ian (theatre producer)
• John Barrowman (musical theatre actor)
• Zoe Tyler (voice coach, singer, performer)

=International=series

On 20 August 2006, it was reported that Lloyd Webber had taken legal action against David Ian. Lloyd-Webber reportedly wanted to take the show's format to the United States to cast a Broadway theatre production of "Grease". Lloyd-Webber discovered that David Ian had already brought the idea to NBC, who announced they will look for unknowns to play Sandy and Danny, via reality TV show "You're The One That We Want" with Ian and the BBC, leaving Lord Lloyd-Weber furious. David Ian said "I don't understand the problem. Andrew has no connection with the stage show Grease, which I have successfully produced in the UK. There is a new production of Grease on Broadway in the spring of 2007, that's why I've been asked to judge on You're The One That We Want." [1]

See also

• Pop Idol
• Fame Academy
• The X Factor
• You're The One That We Want

External links

• BBC - How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria official website
• How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? at IMDb
• "This Is Theatre" website, with more background information on the contestants