Van Outen, Barrowman Part of 'Any Dream Will Do' Panel

The judges' panel for Andrew Lloyd Webber's upcoming BBC reality talent search "Any Dream Will Do" has been announced.

The panel will comprise Denise Van Outen (Chicago on the West End, "Grease: You're the One That I Want" co-host), West End and Broadway star John Barrowman (Putting It Together), producer Bill Kenwright and voice coach Zoe Tyler.

Like Webber's "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" - which led to the casting of Connie Fisher in the hit West End revival of The Sound of Music that the composer/impersario produces - "Any Dream Will Do" will seek the stars of an upcoming London revival of Webber and Tim Rice's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 

"There hasn't been a male rock superstar cast in a role for some time and that's what I'm looking for — somebody like Justin Timberlake.  There have been some great Josephs, but, unlike Maria, there hasn't been an 'iconic' Joseph. The audience have their favourites but I'm looking for someone with star quality, real charisma, to hold that show in what is a really complex character," stated Webber, whose other hits include Evita and Cats, and who is currently at work on a sequel to his smash The Phantom of the Opera.

After the thousands who auditioned in the U.K. have been narrowed down to 100 would-be Josephs, 50 will be chosen to move on by the judges' panel. Within the first two episodes of the series, they will undergo performance training at the "Joseph School" and then perform live at Webber's Irish castle, for the composer, his invited friends, family and local visitors.  Finally, 12 performers will compete for the role of Joseph on eight live shows.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with music by Lloyd Webber and lyrics and book by Tim Rice, is a light-hearted reimagining of the biblical tale of Joseph, who is betrayed by his 11 brothers but finds a happy ending after adventures in Egypt.

After origins in British schools and a hit London run, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opened on Broadway at the Royale Theatre on January 27th, 1982 and ran for 747 performances.  It originally starred Bill Hutton and Laurie Beechman on Broadway.  The show was revived in 1993, and has also toured successfully (Donny Osmond headed a touring production, at one point).