Review
| FAME - THE MUSICAL Everyone knows what Fame is about surely. But nothing can quite prepare you for the excruciating bounce back to the world of mid-80's New York. And a bunch of wannabe thesps. A life in the year of singers, dancers and actors, numerous snogs and a happy graduation. All enveloped in toe-tapping and heartstring pulling tunes. Theoretically. The cramped stage of the Old Fire Station is not an ideal setting for the exuberant leaps of an 80's leg-kicking show. It certainly isn't the ideal setting for a live band up in the heavens of the balcony or the rapidly hot, wilting audience. Voices were at times at odds or drowned out by the band, and the microphones were obviously sometimes finding it difficult to do their job with any degree of efficiency. But the first half was saved by a lime green headband wearing Shakin' Stevens (Iain Sawbridge) singing about erections.that woke us up! I was mightily impressed by the strong voices of Diane De Kerckhove and Daisy Press, and the gentler John Amberton. Tyrone (Nat Coleman) is an illiterate Will Smith, quite able to swing those hips. Unfortunately, not everyone was quite so comfortable with the dancing. When the cast concentrate on entertaining rather than acting, the essence of the tale shines out more, and its possible to get quite enthusiastic about the whole thing. But when it comes to being a little bit more serious and moralistic (such as the songs, "These are my children", "I want to make magic") sympathy with the characters wears a bit thin. The talented and enthusiastic cast do a good job of fitting into their surroundings - with a little bit more help from the sound team and the air conditioning, this production promises to be quite an enjoyable night out. Get your leg-warmers on and follow that cheesy vibe! Angharad JP Rudkin
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