Home > Past Buzz > Alnwick Playhouse, Northumberland UK 12/2007
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Fame cast light up the Alnwick stage

Carmen played by Bethany Ward.

By HELEN WOODS

Fame The Musical - Alnwick Playhouse Youth Theatre senior group, Alnwick Playhouse; Tuesday to Thursday, December 18 to 20. THE Alnwick Playhouse lit up like a flame as the Playhouse Youth Theatre senior group took to the stage to perform Fame - The Musical.
Fame tells the story of a group of students from all walks of life who make it into the High School of Performing Arts.

It follows their journey from freshman year to graduation and the lengths that some of the students will go to to make it big.

Headteacher Miss Sherman along with teachers Ms Bell, Ms Sheinkopf and Mr Myers guide the students through their emotional and challenging journey in all aspects of song, dance, music and acting with the emphasis always being on hard work which is drilled into the students from the start.

Carmen Diaz, played by blonde bombshell Bethany Ward, is the girl all the boys want but what she wants is to make it in Los Angeles.

Carmen quits the school to go to LA but becomes hooked on drugs and dies from an overdose.

The cast follow in huge footsteps as Fame has made its way across the country on hit tours, as well as being a TV series and film, but they do it well.

Bethany Ward was electric as Carmen. Her voice filled the theatre as she performed the famous Fame - I'm Gonna Live Forever, among other songs.

There were a few minor technical hitches with microphones and necklaces, but her performance was full of enthusiasm and drive.

Beth White's portrayal of Mabel Washington - the girl who was always on a 'see food diet'- gave a hysterical performance, one of the best in the production.

She sang with passion and showed the struggle she had with food.

The teachers filled their roles well and, although the cast were all of a similar age, they showed an air of authority in the production.

The romances formed between Tyrone and Iris and Nick and Serena were realistic. Their solo performances were amazing, despite microphone malfunctions. The songs were sung with passion and vivacity.

And who could forget James Matthewson's Joe Vegas, the joker and rebel of the group who always had a voice?

The finale was one of the highlights of the show. The cast worked together to finish on a high note and they skipped off the stage with joy.

One of the only problems I had was with the background dancers and singers, some of who didn't put very much effort into their dancing and that showed on stage.

The other problem I had was with the costumes. It didn't look as though a lot of tho ught had been put in to them. Wearing jeans and T-shirts with a white scarf draped around their necks for graduation would not be my personal choice, but some of the outfits were very fitting to the characters.

There were a few microphone problems and a letter fell off the backdrop but the performance itself was outstanding for a first night and the leading roles and most of the dancers really put in the hard work to make the show live forever.

Cast: Bethany Ward; James Matthewson; David Brewis; Lizzie Payton; Katherine Spowart; Jack Greaves; Beth White; James Brown; Natalie Brown; Sophie Hammond; Daniel Hope; Ellie Tribe; Charlie Brown; Stacey Barlow; Georgia Robinson; Chris Brown; Rosie Beatiie; Richard Biggars; William Brown; Emma Callighan; Hannah Firth; Rebecca Gray; Naomi Harrison; Toby Hope; Lily Horgan; Alex Kent; Anna Spowart; Claire Baker and Alex Nolan.

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