Partridge, Church and Hancock Join Webber as 'Over the Rainbow' Judges

The upcoming reality television show, "Over the Rainbow," which will feature a competition to earn the role as of Dorothy in the upcoming West End production of The Wizard of Oz, will feature a judging panel consisting of Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Partridge, Charlotte Church, and Sheila Hancock.

The show will be hosted by British star Graham Norton and begin airing in spring 2010. Episodes are expected to air on Saturday nights. The show will be in a similar format to Lloyd Webber's previous reality casting show, "I'd Do Anything," which sought a lead to the revival of Oliver!

The Over the Rainbow talent show follows the success of I'd Do Anything, Any Dream Will Do and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? - which found Jodie Prenger, Lee Mead and Connie Fisher for the West End productions of Oliver!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Sound of Music respectively.

The West End production of The Wizard of Oz will be produced in the West End in 2010 by Lloyd Webber's own Really Useful Group. Over the Rainbow reality show and The Wizard of Oz stage production joins Love Never Dies on Webber's Really Useful Group plate for 2010. Love Never Dies will have its World Premiere in London at the Adelphi Theatre on Tuesday 9 March 2010, followed by New York on Thursday 11 November and Australia in 2011.

Hancock made her West End debut in 1958, replacing Joan Sims in the play Breath of Spring and her other early appearances included the revue One Over the Eight with Kenneth Williams. She has also worked in straight plays with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and at The Royal Court Theatre. In 1978, she appeared as Miss Hannigan in the original London cast of the musical Annie (her performance of which can be heard on the original London cast album). Two years later, she played Mrs Lovett in the original London production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd. From October 2006 to April 2007, she played the role of Fraulein Schneider in the West End revival of the musical Cabaret at the Lyric Theatre. In 2007, she won a Laurence Olivier Award, as "Best Performance in a Supporting Role In A Musical" for the part. Most recently, she starred as Mother Superior in Sister Act the Musical at the London Palladium.

Recording artist Charlotte Church has released a number of albums throughout the years and has starred on television programs, including The Charlotte Church Show. In December 2005, for The Paul O'Grady Show Christmas pantomime, The Wizard of Oz, Church played Dorothy Gale. She was also seen in several films, including 2003's I'll Be There, co-starring and directed by Craig Ferguson.

Partridge initially trained in ballet at the Royal Ballet Lower School, appearing in the television adaptation of Stan Barstow's novel A Kind of Loving in 1982. He went on to train in musical theatre at the Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts and Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts. He left college early at the age of 17, to join the cast of the original UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical CATS. Partridge joined the touring cast of Cats in 1988 and was dance captain from 1989 to 1990. He played the roles of Alonzo and Rumpus Cat and understudied the roles of Mr. Mistoffelees and Rum Tum Tugger. He later joined the West End production of the show at the New London Theatre, playing the roles of Rum Tum Tugger and Munkustrap and in 1998, he appeared as Rum Tum Tugger in the official film production of the show, produced by Lloyd Webber and filmed at the Adelphi Theatre. He later returned to the West End cast of the show prior to its closure in 2002 and has also appeared as Rum Tum Tugger in the German production at Düsseldorf.