WEST END STORY: Amy Booth-Steel (I'd Do Anything)

Before Amy entered I'd Do Anything, she was selling ice creams at the London Palladium, ironically for Andrew Lloyd Webber's production of The Sound of Music which made Connie Fisher a household name. Having trained in straight theatre and with more experience in television, she saw musicals as a new venture and entered the competition to help fulfill her dream of working in the West End.

While Amy made it to the top 12, she was eliminated in the first live show after a sing-off with Francesca Jackson, singing 'Tell Me On A Sunday'. The judges were complimentary about Amy's performance, but the Lord chose to save Francesca, commenting on the overall high standard of contestants.

However, despite being eliminated relatively early in the competition Amy doesn't regret her choice to enter: "Since leaving the competition I definitely feel like I've grown in confidence and I'm much stronger as a person too. I had a really positive experience throughout the whole thing and I'm very grateful for having had the opportunity to have been part of something so special!"

Since leaving the competition Amy has been busy with a variety of projects. She became the first of the contestants to land a role on a West End stage since the competition ended, playing Gem in All Bob's Women at the Arts Theatre. Although the show closed in June 2008 after only 3 previews and 6 performances, Amy already had plans which would lead her back to the Palladium and The Sound of Music that August, though this time she would be appearing on stage, working her way through six rounds of auditions.

Her next big role would keep her at the London Palladium, this time as LaRosa and ensemble in Alan Menken and Glenn Slater's stage adaptation of Sister Act the Musical, which opened on the 7th May 2009. The show has received rave reviews since opening, but will close on the 30th October make way for The Wizard of Oz which opens in March 2011. The show's producers are currently looking for an alternative venue.

As well as performing in Sister Act, Amy has also been working on a YouTube comedy series called Beau Van-Der Price which she writes, directs and in which she performs.

"It's the story of a girl who works front of house at a West End theatre but really just wants to be a star. You can catch it weekly on YouTube! I have a massive passion for comedy and have very much enjoyed creating my own work. I'm really looking forward to the future now post-Sister Act, and I'm very much ready for the next challenge."

You can watch Beau Van-Der Price at www.youtube.com/beauvanderprice.

 

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