I'd Do Anything - a display of strengths and weaknesses from the potential Nancys this evening

The third live show in the search to find the next Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh's forthcoming production of Oliver proved that we really shouldn't judge on previous performances as a lot of the girls seem to completely transform in one direction or the other from week to week. This week, at last (!!) the songs were all from stage or film musicals and in most cases this sorted the wheat from the chaff.

Kicking off the show tonight was Northern Ireland's Rachel Tucker who gave a polished performance of "Oh what a night" from the new musical based on the Four Seasons, "Jersey Boys." Probably not the best song choice to show off her talents but Rachel gave a consistent, strong and secure performance which should ensure she sails into the top three in the competition.

She was followed by Sarah Lark who was desperate to show the panel that she could show a rougher edge. Performing, "Maybe this time" from Cabaret, vocally Sarah was great but the panel were still concerned she was rather more Country Life than West End and John Barrowman suggested she dyed her hair darker for next week to see if that made a difference. I really like Sarah and love her voice, but am not entirely convinced she is Nancy - she deserves a role somewhere in the West End, but maybe not this one.

The next two to perform were Francesca and Keisha. Already both veterans of the dreaded bottom two, both know they have a lot to prove to the panel and to the voting public. Francesca sang, "Time of my life" from "Dirty Dancing." The panel said that she was finally showing the roughness and rawness which Nancy needs - but I'm afraid to say that I agreed with Andrew Lloyd Webber's concern about her pitching - she sounded distinctly off-key on at least a couple of notes and again seemed to rather shout her way through parts of the song.

Keisha's performance was much improved on last week's but will it be enough? She sang "Lady is a tramp" from "Babes in Arms". The panel were dismissive of her, saying the performance was more suited to a cruise ship and that she didn't look like a victim of Bill Sykes, but needed to be more understated. She asked Barry Humphries if he thought she was Nancy and he replied simply, "No." Andrew, on the other hand, commented that Keisha was performing the song in the style of the period and he was very glad he saved her last week.

We then had a short break from the Nancys and saw the Olivers having fun at White Hart Lane, the home of Tottenham Hotspur. Quite what relevance this has to the role is unclear; however the boys obviously had fun and Arthur became this week's chosen Oliver to go through to the semi-finals.

Back to the Nancys and it was Ashley and Jodie's turn to perform. Ashley really pulled out all the stops this week and showed a completely different side as she sang, "Winner takes it all" from "Mama Mia." This week Ashley showed that she does have the ability to act out a song and both John and Denise told her she was now a definite contender. Andrew, however, once again at odds with the panel, was worried people might become bored with her and said he was unsure.

Jodie gave a breathtaking performance of "Send in the clowns" from Sondheim's "A Little Night Music." The panel told her that the cabaret style had gone and that she was defintely leading lady material. John Barrowman actually declared himself speechless at her performance. It was a real breakthrough performance which showed that Jodie is not just a 'beautiful barmaid' as described by Barry Humphries, but another real contender who should be in the competiton for another few weeks yet.

Niamh sang, "Moon River" from "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Looking very elegant and fragile (and quite unlike any Nancy I've ever pictured) she gave a good vocal performance but I don't believe the panel are any more convinced by her physical suitability for the role than I am! She will probably do well from this competition, but I can see it being something far removed from this particular musical.

Current hot favourite Jessie performed "One night only" from "Dream Girls" - a relatively new musical and a song with which a lot of people may not be familiar. Denise told her she had given the performance of the night, John told her she was flawless and Andrew said never mind one night only, how about eight shows only. Jessie seems to be the favourite with the panel as well as with the bookies.

The final two to perform were Tara and Samantha. Tara sang "Let's hear it for the boy" from "Footloose." It was a difficult song in which to portray pain or passion but it was, nevertheless, a very poppy performance and her voice was strained on the top notes. Tara probably didn't do herself any favours by complaining both about her song and about the bronchitis she's been suffering from this week. I fear Tara's time could be up - unless she still has the very large band of supporters who are willing to keep voting her in each week.

Finally Samantha sang, "Somewhere" from "West Side Story," a beautiful song which showed Samantha's strong vocal talents to a tee. Unfortunately she faltered over her words near the beginning of the song and this may have affected her nerves slightly. John told her she had to get the better of her nerves and improve whilst Denise told her she was showing faked, not real, emotion. Conversely, Barry told her he was looking at Bill Sykes' girlfriend and surrogate mother to Fagin's boys and Andrew declared he was staggered by Denise and John's comments and felt Samantha would continue to grow throughout the competition.

So yet again, very annoyingly, we have to wait until tomorrow night to find out which two Nancys will be in the bottom two and who will be sent home by Lord Lloyd Webber. In the meantime you can continue to discuss the show in the I'd Do Anything forum