Review | FAME – The Musical

Last night Keith Jack (runner-up on BBC1’s Any Dream Will Do), Mica Paris (one of the UK’s most respected female singers with top 10 hit singles and albums worldwide) and Jorgie Porter (Hollyoaks/I’m a Celebrity), took to the stage alongside a whole cast of incredibly talented individuals, and raised their voices (and the roof), here on the Yorkshire coast over at Brid Spa, in the hit musical “FAME”!

Based on the 1980 phenomenal pop culture film, “Fame – The Musical” is the international smash-hit sensation following the lives of students at “New York’s High School For The Performing Arts” as they navigate their way through the highs and lows, the romances and the heartbreaks, and the ultimate elation of life.

The story follows a group of teens from audition through to graduation as they work to achieve their musical, drama, and dance dreams, all whilst figuring out their place in the world and trying to put their personal spin on their chosen Art! It explores the different economic backgrounds and learning abilities of the students, and the impact this had on their progress at school. It was a great story, portraying an indepth look at the real cost and sacrifice of “Fame”, and what lengths some will go to, to try and get it!

The cast worked well together and there was a wonderful mix of personalities, dance types and emotions. One of the highlights for me, that I loved a lot, was the jazz music that accompanied the whole thing (the musicians were unbelievable) – it brought a great and quirky vibe to the performance. And the choreography? Well of course that was on point too – energetic, and everything you would expect for a classic like FAME!

Whilst exciting and energetic…all singing all dancing and very feel good, it is not for the faint hearted! With scenes of drugs, sexual innuendos and the odd profanity I found some of it a little cringe and eye popping too, but aside from these points, I really enjoyed the overall story and the dynamics between the characters. The exploration of adolescents (with all of its challenges and struggles) was both funny and incredibly sad and heartbreaking too. It was fun but thought provoking, and I really liked that mix.

Finally the singing – oh the singing!!! I was blown away by the magnificent vocals of Stephanie Rojas (who plays Carmen) and Keith Jack too – My oh my can that man sing! All of the cast had remarkable singing and dancing abilities, but these in particular really struck me as sounding incredible and just stunningly beautiful in everything they sung. Mica Paris – who joins the cast as Miss Sherman –  took it to a whole new level with her vocals and was simply unbelievable, leaving the whole theatre in complete awe (and me wishing I could sing like that!).

I was excited to see Jorgie Porter on stage, and doing something different to Hollyoaks! I was pleasantly surprised to discover what amazing ballet skills she possesses – She played Iris well and was a natural on stage. I found her American accent was very good too and both herself as Iris, and Jamal Kane Crawford  as “Tyrone”, worked really well together and brought a lovely bit of romance!

Despite the lighting (that really stressed me out for some reason) this was a high energy emotional rollercoaster and I really enjoyed watching each characters story unfurl and their abilities evolve, as they progressed through life at “New York’s High School For The Performing Arts”. I have always loved musicals and stories set in and around performing arts schools, and I loved being able to go to the opening night last night with one of my friends for a girls night out! It was a lot of fun and overall, very well done!

Fame – The Musical is suitable for children aged 12+ and will be here in East Yorkshire until Saturday the 20th October 2018. Tickets can be bought here – https://www.bridspa.com/events/?eventid=109202 and I hope you have a lot of fun seeing it! 

*Thank you to Brid Spa for inviting me to the opening night – It was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy it too! All thoughts are my own, and I have permission to share these images! 

 

 

2 Comments

  1. February 7, 2019 / 12:20 pm

    Great post! Thanks for sharing the knowledge and keep posting more.

  2. August 7, 2020 / 11:50 am

    Great post! In fact, I recently hired a jazz band in Arlington. Thanks for sharing the post and keep up the good work.

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