Lichfield Musical Youth Theatre deliver a dazzling five-star Fame at the Lichfield Garrick
Alan Parker’s seminal 1980 film , Fame, about the lives and hardships of a group of New York Performing Arts students , became a catalyst for a hugely successful TV spin off series as well as a Stage Musical that continues to appeal to this day . Those of us of a certain age remember fondly those opening scenes of leg warmer clad dancers atop yellow taxi cabs, blasting out that familiar theme song, hell bent on living forever . Or at least until the end of term .
Partially influenced by ‘ A Chorus Line’, writer Christopher Gore initially wanted the title to be ‘ Hot Lunch’ but changed his mind after starting work on the movie with Director, Alan Parker . The film took a dark turn at times, giving The New York School of Performing Arts reason to pull out of being it’s central location .
The story is a simple one. An eclectic mix of hopeful students are put through their paces as they strive to become triple threat stars in the cut throat world of show business. Between classes, the roller coaster of life and relationships take hold and only the strongest are likely to make it to the top. As Debbie Allen, the choreographer in the movie, famously put it; ‘ If you want fame, this is where you pay …in sweat’
Lichfield Musical Youth Theatre have brought the story bang up to date with a fresh take on what is hard to believe a 46 year old show. Though changes in style and content are clear, the central themes remain very much the same. Friendship; Romance; Peer acceptance; Rebellion; Drug use; The pursuit of dreams – it’s all still there but now packaged to suit contemporary issues and mores and played out beautifully by a committed and hard working young cast
A huge strength of this show lies in it’s ensemble scenes and routines . The bar is set high with the opening number ‘ Hard Work ‘ – reminding everyone that success only comes from hard graft . Jessica Bennett’s choreography throughout is razor sharp , packed full of poise and intention that brings the best out of everyone. And it’s not just street dance – there are bits of Flamenco and ballet in the mix too .
Group numbers are strong and driven through with appropriate emotion and attack . Oliver Rowe’s arrangements are full and punchy , capturing the essence of the original sound track but with a more contemporary feel. Curiously , some of the original songs from the movie have not been used for the stage version . Two in particular , ‘ Out Here On My Own ‘ and ‘ I Sing the Body Electric ‘ don’t feature in the musical which seems a shame . No fault of course of LMYT!
With students, come teachers. Cue four returning LYMT alumni. Charlotte Jervis tackles Dance Teacher Ms Bell with crisp precision, clashing at times with Principal , Esther Sherman ( Heather Bustin ) . Alex Wadham gives Acting Tutor , Mr Myers a weary patience whilst Richard Poynton adds another accent to his repertoire as Music Teacher, Mr. Sheinkopf.
Performances from the younger cast are uniformly strong with the core cast ( Ollie Clay, Imogen Willis, Zach Andrews, Connor Orchard, Romelly Collier, Isabella Hamilton James Williams, Ella Palethorpe and Zachary DuGuay ) gelling well in their respective roles . They are required to deliver ranges of emotion from joy to despair which they do with aplomb .
There are funny moments too . ‘ Can’t Keep it Down’ sung by Joe Vegas ( Zach Andrews) ) is about something at least half the audience can relate to and ‘Mabel’s Prayer’ ( Isabella Hamilton ) causes a fair few chuckles .
Amongst several song highlights are a heart rending ‘ These Are my Children ‘ ( Heather Bustin) ) and the duet ‘ The Teacher’s Argument’. ( Heather Bustin and Charlotte Jervis ) All solos from the younger cast are strong and acted through with conviction
The set is deliberately uncluttered , allowing more space for the large cast to do their thing . Setting, mood and location are provided by an ingenious digital screen backdrop delivering HD images and footage . New York street scenes and skylines punctuate the action onstage, giving a superbly animated canvas for the actors to work against .
Stephen Rainsford’s lighting is sharp and atmospheric , creating high energy dazzle as well as sombre, shady moments . His long term tech buddy, Sam Burkinshaw mixes the sound nicely and supports the big and extended vocal notes well . These are big songs for young voices .
As the show came to an end I thought for a moment that we wouldn’t see a New York yellow taxi cab. How wrong can you be? On it comes , complete with dancers on it’s roof, for a blistering finale featuring THAT song . No leg warmers sadly, but you can’t have everything.
There is irony here too. We are watching a group of very talented young people play a group of very talented young people . A perfect match
This is youth theatre at it’s finest – on every level . Long may it continue .
Vibrant , invigorating and just oozing with energy.
Directed by Patrick Jervis , Fame – The Musical runs until Saturday March 28th .
Tickets on www.lichfieldgarrick.com