Amanda And Andrew: "Hairspray"

Two Students Show Their Stuff With Help From Hot Musical

(CBS)  "My Broadway Debut" is a new series presented by The Early Show that's designed to give two young performers the chance to make their first bows on a Broadway stage. Each day during the week of May 29, two auditions will be broadcast. At the end of the week, viewers will be invited to vote for top choices, male and female.

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Featured show: "HAIRSPRAY"
Thursday, June 1
Seasoned stage and film star Darlene Love talked about "Hairspray" on The Early Show just ahead of the performances by Thurday's two student finalists. In "Hairspray," Love plays the character Motormouth Maybelle, a proud, African-American woman who owns a record shop and hosts a radio show.

Contender 7: Amanda Snarski

Character: Tracy

Amanda just graduated magna cum laude from Wagner College with a bachelor's degree in theatre (minor in English). She says her acting career starting with singing, because she was always surrounded by music in her home. Attending Catholic school gave her the opportunity to perform in the choir.

From the time she was 10, her summer vacations were spent participating in the local theater program; the young people involved put on the shows themselves. Amanda says her first big role was that of Wendy in "Peter Pan" during her freshman year in high school.

Not only does she take her acting seriously, Amanda also believes in doing theater for a cause. She is active in the "Broadway Cares" organization, and was the president of Wagner's Theater Board which held a cabaret to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

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Contender 8: Andrew Arrington

Character: Seaweed

Andrew just completed his junior year at the University of Michigan, where he is pursuing a degree in musical theatre. Originally from Chicago, Andrew started taking dance and piano and voice lessons when he was 6. He says he wound up quitting dance but picked up acting.

It wasn't until high school that he really started thinking that he wanted to make a life centered around acting. During his freshman year in high school, he performed in the school's musical. But it was during his sophomore year that he got the lead role of Fredrick in "Pride of Independence." Andrew says he loves R& B and jazz music, particularly the sound of Stevie Wonder.

Not only does Andrew have experience in theater, he has also appeared in several print campaigns and has done some modeling. Most notably, he was the face of the national 2005 Famous Footwear Back to School campaign.