Fame

I must make it clear that entirely due to my not properly reading the invitation to review this show I arrived at 7.15 during the interval as the curtain had in fact gone up at 6pm. Accordingly I was sent a video of the first act so my notes are reflective of both a live performance and a recorded one. Firstly I must pay tribute to Mr. Kells who recorded the first act. It is one of the best recordings of an amateur show of this nature I have encountered adding so much to my enjoyment of the performances. The video also allows me to scroll back and forth thereby putting me in the unique position of allowing me to relive my favourite moments. 

“Fame” has been with us for over 40 years. Although there are many older musicals, the entire Rodgers and Hammerstein oeuvre for example, that are still frequently performed today perhaps along with “Rent” no other successful musical so assertively reflects the times in which it was conceived. Many of the parents watching this production will not themselves have been old enough to appreciate the effect the TV series had on the psyche of the early 80s. Attitudes have changed not only towards the expected sophistication inherent in musicals but also to the themes on which they are based.  Notwithstanding, “Fame” offers a marvellous opportunity for young people to put themselves in the place of the characters portrayed. What better starting point for actors to get to grips with the challenges facing the students of the Fame Academy than performing arts students themselves. Especially, and rather wonderfully, if I might mention, coming from a school so dedicated  to excellence across the entire curriculum. All the students portrayed in Fame arrive with ambition, in most cases certain of their worth, assured in their minds of future success, yet unprepared for the revelations about themselves they encounter. These are impassioned characters. The actors have a huge task to convince the audience these are real flesh and blood people in whom we can invest their interest. Perhaps Carmen is the only person who we can empathise with. We know from her first entrance it will end badly for her.  The means by which her ambitions and indeed her life crumble and fade are sufficiently agonising for us to bite our lips with frustration at the way of the world. “In L. A.” is a  song too complex in its bite and too tunefully subtle to ever make it to the charts as the show’s “hit song”. I regret not having the opportunity to view it on video as it occurs in what for me was the live version. The actresses live and on video  were remarkable. I was drawn in  by the passion, the verve, the innate understanding that flowed from the stage to the audience.  “Reader, it moved me”. 

The challenge for the director of “Fame” is to ensure the actors rise above the limitations of the piece. Mrs. Holland brilliantly captured the dynamic of the show instilling in her actors passion plus the confidence to believe in their roles, This was achieved by all the players. Consisting as it does of a number of largely unrelated scenes the task of the director is to ensure with very little wriggle-room to ease the audience into the conceit. This was successfully done in every case. A symbiotic relationship between director, choreographer, musical director and the actors was clearly on show. I must pay a massive tribute to the band. They were nothing short of superb. Required to cope with a variety of musical styles they never failed to impress. The chance to get to grips with scores of this complexity is a gift  for young musicians. 

The set was excellent allowing all the actors to move effectively around and establish dominant positions when required. The open space in front of the steel girders and walkways offered an ample playing area to accommodate the large cast. One of the advantages of watching the video was that I was able to see up close the work of all the actors. The chorus was exceptional. Every single person was outstanding. The opening number drew us in immediately whetting our appetite for what was to follow. Every actor smiled broadly. Their enjoyment at being on stage was infectious. The future of amateur drama is assured. I do urge every student to go out and find a group to join. I will not not name individuals,for the simple reason that I do not know what night I was watching on video. Yet rest assured my admiration is directed at every person. It is unusual to see in a cast this large such a marvellous interaction between everyone. The cues were bang on, the scene changes expertly handled with ne’er a gap between. The singing was dynamic, reaching over the yellow taxi up into the higher reaches of the auditorium.

 Did the cast make magic? They surely did. What is more, the precious moments of  humour were adroitly taken. I shall never look at the triangle in the same way again. This show was a true tour de force.I suspect every member of the cast will look back on this production with pride for many years to come. They will remember who they were cast with, their feelings of sheer joy of achieving well deserved loud applause at the curtain. As the plot reminds us, academic studies must sit comfortably with the pursuit of the arts. “Hard Work” does carry with it rewards.

Congratulations, Westholme School on producing a show of such integrity.

P.R.M.

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