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Home > Reviews > Non-stop dancing and singing makes for a smash hit.
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By Judy Boyd, Bath Chronicle.
Published: June 14, 2005

Fame - The Musical
Threatre Royal
Bath

MENTION the show Fame and that inspirational title song springs instantly to mind.click to see original review scan
Hardly surprising really, when you realise that the TV series ran for six years - with innumerable opportunities to thrust your arms in the air and join in that triumphant chorus of self-belief.
Could a live show ever sustain that relentless verve and freshness, let alone manage to incorporate many of the dramas and incredible coincidences that were the lifeblood of The New York High School for the Performing Arts, as portrayed in the weekly television episodes?
The answer, in part anyway, is an ear-splitting yes.
The energy that the stage show encapsulates is just mind-blowing.
The dancing and singing are pretty well non-stop.
That does mean, perhaps, that the plot is not deeply significant, but the cameo roles are enough to whet the interest - the would-be comic, the dancer whose exuberant appetite persuades her to become an actress instead, and the couple whose romance develops despite various misunderstandings.
And the dilemmas of the two principal characters are every bit as dramatic as you could expect - Tyrone, the supremely talented dancer who struggles hopelessly with the academic part of the course, and Carmen, the sparky singer who's determined to get to the top, whatever it takes.
There's huge pathos in the fact that she's the one who gets to sing that unforgettable title track for Carmen is the one who falls victim to the downside of show business.
The finale where they all get the chance to belt out Fame, I'm Gonna Live Forever, is just fantastic and a fitting showpiece for a talented company, especially the vigorous Craig Stein as Tyrone and Leila Benn Harris as the over-optimistic Carmen.

 

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