Midland fashion student Siobhan Dillon has clinched a place in the final of the hit television show that could make her the leading lady in a West End musical.
In less than a week, the 22-year-old, from Lichfield, will be standing in front of judges for the last time on How do you solve a problem like Maria? to sing her heart out to win.
She scraped through the semi-final of the BBC One show on Saturday after Andrew Lloyd Webber saved her from being booted off.
She went head to head with fellow contestant Aoife to sing Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, from Evita, following the public vote and won Andrew Lloyd Webber’s casting vote to stay on the show.
Afterwards, Siobhan’s mother Cathi Dillon said: “It was so nerve-wracking. Really, really stressful. I think she thought she’d done so well because everyone really raised the roof but then she had some comments from Zoe that weren’t too good.”
She added: “We met in the bar afterwards and the atmosphere was just numb. The girls have worked so hard and, if she gets the right song, I really believe Siobhan can go all the way.”
Audiences across the country watched as Siobhan sang All That Jazz from Chicago to try and secure her place in the final.
It got mixed reactions from judges, with voice coach Zoe Tyler telling her she often had a lazy voice.
She said: “I think she’s trying, I do think you are trying but I think, for me, in a song like that, it isn’t enough and I don’t know whether you can give it 100 per cent and I shouldn’t be saying that to you now in a semi-final. It worries me.”
Leading man John Barrowman said her performance simply didn’t “have that bam” for him and said she needed to inhabit her outfit more.
But David Ian said: “Delightful and fantastic and every red blooded male in the audience agrees with me tonight. This West End producer would be delighted to have her as Maria in the West End.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber added: “I feel that you have just got to take one gigantic leap and then I really do believe you could be a Maria and I do believe you could be a very, very fine actress in musical theatre.”
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