Fame the Musical (Youth Group Production)
Wed 15th Nov 2017 to Sat 18th Nov 2017
The smash-hit '80s musical 'Fame' tells the story of a group of would-be actors, dancers and musicians at drama school in New York. This energetic, pulsating musical focuses on the lives and loves of a group of wannabes as they strive to make their dreams come true in this celebration of all that is cool about '80s kitsch.
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“Fame the Musical”
Director – Laura Thomas
Choreographer – Sara Ford
Choral Mistress – Pippa Zebitz
Musical Director – Paul Garner
Reviewed at Saffron Walden Town Hall on Thursday 16 November 2017
Based on the 1980’s film, Fame follows an intake of students at the fictional NYC High School of Performing arts and takes us on their journey to achieve their dreams of becoming great actors, musicians and dancers. A lively, energetic show, Fame is a favourite with youth groups and it’s easy to see why.
This was a very slick production with great choreography, good acting and terrific singing. The pace never slowed and everyone on stage looked as though they were having a great time, which is just how it should be.
The cast produced a high standard of vocal achievement and there were some lovely harmonies.
It’s always good to see new faces, but it must be equally rewarding for the society that so many of these young performers are returnees.
A great performance from Jasmine Cairns as Carmen who drops out of school to follow her dream of stardom in LA, with tragic consequences. A good strong rendition of the title song and her duet with Schlomo (well played by Harvey Redfern) of Bring on Tomorrow was nicely sung by both of them.
Zoe Kambitsis as Serena and Tom Rowntree as Nick were well cast and made a good pairing. Their acting and singing showed great maturity and their duet of Let’s Play a Love Scene was beautifully sung. Well done also to Alex Holder (Tony) and Errin Baker (Iris), two dancers struggling to overcome their insecurities. Good performances from both.
Well done to Daniel Matthews as Joe, an acting student who likes to clown around. His somewhat risqué solo had been subtly re-titled, but this took nothing away from the number. Well done, a good performance.
Grace and Goodman were well played by Maia Leckey and Gabriel Ramiah and Helena Auty was great as Mabel.
There were also good confident performances from the teachers. Phoebe McNally as Greta Bell, Rosie Curwen as Mrs Myers, George Lovegrove as Mr Sheinkoph and Alex Berry as Esther Sherman. Her solo, These are my Children, is a real tear jerker and she sang it beautifully. It’s not always easy to play up in age but no problems here. Very well done all.
The scenery as always with this society was spot on. Great graffiti! The scene changes carried out very efficiently by the cast were an object lesson in how it can be done. The costumes were just right and the orchestra, hidden away at the back of the stage, on high, and only revealed at the end of the show, provided great accompaniment. Lighting and sound were both good.
Congratulations to the creative team who put these talented young people through their paces. This was a terrific show.
Thank you for inviting me.
Decia Ranger
NODA East, District 7