There was Fame the movie, Fame the TV series, and then this, Fame the Musical, whose plot predictably revolves around the plight of a group of performing arts students. The stage version was launched in sunny Miami back in 1988 when the movie’s success still buzzed freshly. 31 years on in rainy Oxford however, it’s a musical looking old enough to be my Dad.

Yet don’t let the sluggish pace of 'Tyrone’s Rap' or the slew of unfortunate penis gags put you off, nor the lacklustre set which is supposed to resemble a college yearbook but looks more as though it has dropped out of a VHS-era edition of the board game Guess Who? There’s plenty of talent in this cast, and they just about rescue the evening.

Foremost is the preposterously talented Mica Paris whose voice summons the spirits of Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson into the role of Miss Sherman – the sort of teacher who would make taking GCSE music seem a sensible career move. Her voice, astonishing in clarity and power, cuts through the claptrap of a number such as 'These Are My Children' and earns Paris a deserved standing ovation. A costume change later and Paris is back for the finale, soaring through crowd-pleasing theme from Fame. There’s not a dry legwarmer in the house.

Stephanie Rojas is another explosive vocal talent, squeezing all the pathos she can out of the role of Carmen, as her character meets her end after a dazzling sequence of verses. And in the supporting cast there is energetic dancing from Jamal Kane Crawford and Katie Warsop in the roles of Tyrone and Miss Bell respectively.

But my favourite moment of the night is the performance of the song 'Mabel’s Prayer,' delivered by Hayley Johnson. The song is a pastiche of '60s girl groups and '50s doo wop, in which Johnson’s character pleads with God to save her from becoming the 'world’s fattest dancer.' Again, a woefully out-of-date idea but on this occasion set to a lovely tune; one I could possibly hum, and unlike much else in the show, one I can most definitely relate with.