Fame The Musical

Isn’t it wonderful when you come to a show with no preconceptions, other than vague memories of the early 80s’ TV series, and you are completely blown away by it? Fame The Musical was one such show. It wasn’t so much the show itself that impressed me, as the vast array of talent evident in the people on stage.

Fame The Musical is based on the film of the same name, which premiered in 1980, and spawned the TV series that I remember. The setting is the High School for Performing Arts in New York, and a new intake of young hopefuls are about to learn that the all-elusive fame is not going to be instant or easy. We are introduced to the students and teachers one by one, and this is very much an ensemble piece with no one that could be called the lead – everyone gets their turn to shine.

First, we meet shy, aspiring actress Serena, perfectly portrayed by Megan Parkes, and serious, determined actor Nick – a touching performance by Charlie Frame. After some misunderstandings, they start a relationship and their duet in Act 2 “Let’s Play a Love Scene” even tops Megan’s solo performance of it in Act 1 for sheer beauty, harmonies and emotion. Then along comes Joe Vegas, the class comedian and total extrovert, played to the max by Ben Irish, another fabulous singer and actor. His amusing, if rather graphic portrayal of “Can’t Keep it Down” left no doubt in our minds what he was talking about!

Another superb piece of characterisation came from Madison Cathrow who really got into the character of Carmen Diaz, an ambitious dancer with a self-destructive side that eventually leads to her death. She is yet another great singer whose rendition of “In L.A.” in Act 2 was so real. Anthony Davies gave Schlomo Metzenbaum just the right amount of geekiness as the classical violinist who is setting up a rock band. Another excellent singer (do you see a pattern here?), he made us believe he was the caretaker of the class.

And now we come to Jacob Bailey as Ty Jackson, the talented but headstrong dancer and hip-hop artist, held back by his undiagnosed dyslexia. Jacob really nailed Ty’s character, and his dance skills were outstanding – I don’t know whether to say they were acrobatic or balletic. Whatever they were, he just stunned the audience, especially when paired with Ellie Scott as Iris Kelly, the talented ballet dancer, who was more than his equal in the dance sequences, and of course they are both excellent singers too.

We mustn’t forget the adults. Kate Thomas was perfect as Miss Sherman – stern but with a heart of gold. Her rendition of “These Are My Children” had me in tears – so beautiful and heart-felt. Laura Bowler got the tone of Miss Bell perfectly, always kind and defending her students. Wez Sebastien was well suited to the part of drama teacher Mr Myers, and Robert Day was spot-on as head of the school Mr Sheinkopf.

If I haven’t mentioned you by name, please don’t be upset. You were seen, and your performance was appreciated. The standards of singing, acting and movement on stage from everyone were the highest. Every movement was made in character and scene changes almost looked choreographed. There was not a weak link anywhere and it was a powerful and confident production.

Director Timothy Quinlan (new to Players, but I hope for more), has pulled together a very talented cast and, with Choreographer Ellie Thomas, has inspired them to give us a vibrant and energetic show, filling the stage with colour and movement. Every character had been well thought out and was portrayed well. Every dance number was imaginative and crisply executed with (it seemed to me) some very complex moves at times that were performed with precision and pizazz. Equally, when a number needed to be simply done, it was - just singing it out to the audience.

Costumes (Tammy English and team) looked exactly right for the period, with good variety in the outfits. The set was exactly what was needed – the interior of a slightly run-down school with a higher-level walkway and two sets of moveable steps. It only needed a few props or the big dance studio mirror to transform it. Scene changes were simple and slick, carried out with great style by the cast. Scenes flowed easily into one another, keeping up the energy and pace of the show, and the movement of background characters around the stage was well considered, creating the atmosphere of a busy school. Lighting (by Liz Stead) was most effective too, producing some nice images.

MD Andrew Woodford’s eight-piece band created just the right sound: loud enough to fit the numbers but not to drown out the singers, something that isn’t always achieved at the Kings, but Seventh Wave Audio seem to have it nailed, and I had no problems hearing lyrics or underscored dialogue.

I left the theatre full of admiration - what a fantastic production. Just when you thought you’d seen the best performance in the show, along came another that topped it. It built and built right up to the finale, which left the audience whooping for more. Fame itself isn’t a brilliant show but with talented direction and a mightily talented cast, you turned it into a masterpiece.

 

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