Op Zoek Naar Zorro

''Op zoek naar Zorro'' (''Looking for Zorro'') is a Dutch television talent series broadcast on AVRO from late 2010 until early 2011. It documented the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Zorro in the then-forthcoming stage production of '' Zorro'', the musical with book written by Stephen Clark and Helen Edmundson and music by the Gipsy Kings and John Cameron. Produced by Eyeworks for the AVRO, the series was hosted by Frits Sissing and judged by Willem Nijholt.

The series follows previous collaborations between the AVRO, Willem Nijholt and others to find new musical theatre performers: '' Op zoek naar Evita'' which was won by Brigitte Heitzer, '' Op zoek naar Joseph'' which was won by Freek Bartels and ''Op zoek naar Mary Poppins'' which was won by Noortje Herlaar. 10 years later, it was followed by '' Op zoek naar Maria'' which was won by Nandi Van Beurden and '' Op zoek naar Danny & Sandy'' which was won by Tristan van der Lingen and Danique Graanoogst.

Auditions

Applications for the series from those from 20 to 35 were solicited in March 2010 all over the Netherlands.

Expert panel

An expert panel provided advice to the contestants throughout the series, and provided comments during the live shows. The panel was made up of:
* Pia Douwes, (musical theatre actress who is very successful in Europe)
* Erwin van Lambaarts (managing director of Joop van den Ende theatre)
* Willem Nijholt (head judge and actor and singer.)

Finalists

Eleven potential Zorros made it through the audition rounds and will perform during the live shows starting from 1 January 2011 but this time, the live shows will be shifted from Sunday to Saturday nights. The final will be broadcast on 19 February 2011. Each potential Zorro wore a black jacket and a sash of a certain colour, which made identification easier. At the end of every live show, the losing Zorro would have his jacket and sash stripped by the Zorro who survived the sing off, then takes the lead song of the farewell song: Masker (Slotlied)

The eventual winner, Tommie Christiaan, had previously initially made it to the finals in '' Op zoek naar Joseph'' in 2008, but had dropped out when he had been offered a lead role in '' High School Musical''. Fourth-placed Dennis de Groot was offered a part in the ensemble in ''Zorro'' when he was eliminated, which he accepted.

* at the start of the series

Jury's favourite Zorro

1 Willem's choice for Zorro was Roman van der Werff

2 Pia could not make a choice

3 Monique van de Ven could not make a choice

Live shows

Week 1 (1 January)

The first of the live finals on New Year's Day on Saturday 1 January 2011 saw the 11 finalists perform to stay in the competition. It also saw the winner of Op zoek naar Evita Brigitte Heitzer as the first guest judge. The results show saw Sandor become the first contestant to be eliminated. The performances during the first week were:

*Group performances:
**Opening mash-up: " I Gotta Feeling" (by Black Eyed Peas)/" Huil niet om mij Argentina ''(Don't Cry for Me Argentina'')" (from the musical '' Evita'')/" Sluit alle deuren ''(Close Every Door)''" (from the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat)/" Alles kan ''(Anything Can Happen)''" (from the musical Mary Poppins) with Brigitte Heitzer, Freek Bartels and Noortje Herlaar
**Group mash-up: "Beggin'" (by Madcon)/" You Keep Me Hangin' On" (by The Supremes)
*Individual performances (in order of performance):
**Tommie: " Tegen alle verwachtingen in" (from the musical Nine)
**Kelvin: "Sway" (by Michael Bublé)
**Samuel: " Zeg me dat het niet zo is" (by Frank Boeijen)
**Roman: "I Got Life" (from the musical Hair)
**Marijn: " Ik vroeg te veel" (from the musical Joe de Musical)
**Jeroen: "Billionaire" (by Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars)
**Sandor: " Tot het einde ''(Go the Distance)''" (from the film Hercules)
**Ruud: " Whataya Want from Me" (by Adam Lambert)
**Mischa: " Mensenkind ''(Son of Man)''" (from the musical Tarzan)
**Dennis de G.: " Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" (by Bryan Adams)
**Dennis ten V.: "Het is Over" (by Jeroen van der Boom)
*Sing-off:
**Sandor was joined in the sing-off by Samuel. They performed " Niets dan dit" by BLØF and Trijntje Oosterhuis.
**Willem Nijholt chose to save Samuel and eliminate Sandor.

Week 2 (8 January)

The second live show on Saturday 8 January 2011 saw the 10 finalists perform to stay in the competition. The guest judge this week was singer and actress Karin Bloemen. The results show saw Samuel become the second contestant to be eliminated. The performances during the second week were:

*Group performances:
**Opening mash-up: " Relight My Fire" (by Take That)/" We Didn't Start the Fire" (by Billy Joel) with Karin Bloemen
**Group number: "Teenage Dream" (by Katy Perry)
*Individual performances (in order of performance):
**Jeroen: " Just the Way You Are" (by Billy Joel)
**Dennis de G.: "De laatste dans ''(The Last Dance)''" (from the musical Elisabeth)
**Roman: " Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (by The Police)
**Marijn: " Engel van Kristal ''(Crystal Angel)''" (from the musical 3 Musketiers)
**Dennis ten V.: " Livin' la Vida Loca" (by Ricky Martin)
**Mischa: " Wat voorbij is" (by Karin Bloemen)
**Samuel: " Somewhere Only We Know" (by Keane)
**Ruud: " Zij" (by Marco Borsato)
**Kelvin: " Als ik bij je ben ''(Not While I'm Around)''" (from the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)
**Tommie: " Make 'Em Laugh" (from the musical Singin' in the Rain)
*Sing-off:
**Samuel was joined in the sing-off by Kelvin. They performed " De laatste dag" by 3JS.
**Willem Nijholt chose to save Kelvin and eliminate Samuel.

Week 3 (15 January)

The third live show on Saturday 15 January 2011 saw the 9 finalists perform to stay in the competition. The guest judge this week was singer and musical actress Kim-Lian van der Meij. The results show saw Dennis ten V. become the third contestant to be eliminated. The performances during the third week were:

*Group performances:
**Opening mash-up: " I Kissed a Girl" (by Katy Perry)/" Only Girl (In the World)" (by Rihanna) with Kim-Lian van der Meij
**Group number: " Mercy" (by Duffy)
*Individual performances (in order of performance):
**Marijn: " Ordinary People" (by John Legend)
**Tommie: "Cool" (from the musical West Side Story)
**Dennis de G.: " You Don't Know" (by Milow)
**Mischa: " Waarom ben ik hier" (from the musical Joe de Musical)
**Dennis ten V.: "I'm Alive" (from the musical Next to Normal)
**Roman: " Alsof je bij me bent" (by Nurlaila Karim)
**Kelvin: " Mack the Knife" (from the musical The Threepenny Opera)
**Jeroen: " Want je vernielt me ''(Your Love Will Kill Me)''" (from the musical Notre Dame de Paris)
**Ruud: " Kiss from a Rose" (by Seal)
*Sing-off:
**Dennis ten V. was joined in the sing-off by Marijn. They performed " Zeg me dat het niet waar is ''(Tell Me It's Not True)''" from the musical Blood Brothers.
**Willem Nijholt chose to save Marijn and eliminate Dennis ten V.

Week 4 (22 January)

The fourth live show on Saturday 22 January 2011 saw the 8 finalists perform to stay in the competition. The guest judge this week was singer and musical actress Antje Monteiro