FAME AT THE KINGS THEATRE PORTSMOUTH REVIEW
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Jan Dixon
I had the pleasure of reviewing the above show at the Kings Theatre, Portsmouth on the night of 20th June 2024. The show runs between 19th June 2024 to 22nd June 2024 inclusive at 19.30, with a 14.30 matinee performance on 22nd June 2024. Ticket prices start from £18.00 with concessions available. Age restriction 6+. Approximate running time 2.5 hours. The show was presented by Portsmouth Players, with Timothy Quinlan (Director); Andrew Woodford (Musical Director) and Ellie Thomas (Choreographer}.
Fame is a musical based on a book by Jose Fernandez, with lyrics by Jacques Levy and music by Steve Margoshes. It is based on a 1980’s era pop culture film developed by David De Silva and focuses on the personal lives of students attending New York’s High School of Performing Arts from their auditions to their final year.
The main student characters are the fame-obsessed Carmen (Madison Cathrow); ambitious actress Serena (Megan Parkes); show-off Joe (Ben Irish); quiet musician Schlomo (Anthony Davies); dyslexic dancer Ty ((Jacob Bailey); serious actor Nick (Charlie Frame; overweight dancer Mabel (Rosy Stephens) and exceptional dancer Iris (Ellie Scott). They each portray aspects of their lives and characters which include their ambitions, hopes and fears and friendships.
Act 1 is a vibrant all-singing all-dancing start to the show, with the company singing ‘Pray I Make P.A.’ and ‘Hard Work’; which certainly set the standard for what is to come! The permanent backdrop of the inside of a utilitarian building with two wide movable metal staircases with a metal corridor at the top cleverly depicted the High School. It was also used with great effect for the cast to dance on, giving a 3D appearance to scenes. Ty and Joe sing solo songs, with the latter singing ‘Can’t Keep It Down’ to a surprised audience. The lyrics contained overt sexual references with explicit adult themes and language. Age restriction was 6 years+ for this show, which I thought was too young for this sort of explicit lyrics and miming. There are nine songs in Act 1, each memorable in their own way. The poignant ‘Bring On Tomorrow’ was beautifully sung by Schlomo and Carmen; whereas in contrast Miss Bell (Laura Bowler) and Miss Sherman (Kate Thomas) gave powerful performances in their stand-off with each other in ‘The Teacher’s Argument’.
Act 2 rejoined the students in their journey through High School and life-changing events. Mabel displayed her excellent vocals in her rendition of ‘Mabel’s Prayer’ with her backing singers; woefully admitting her constant desire for food. In contrast, Serena plaintively sang ‘Think of Meryl Streep’ to demonstrate her longing for acting fame. Miss Sherman was a revelation in vocal prowess with her emotionally charged song ‘These Are My Children’. Carmen, lost and frail, sang of her disenchantment of Los Angeles in sadly singing of ‘In L.A.’ Livelier numbers such as ‘Bring On Tomorrow’; ‘Dancing On The Sidewalk’ and ‘Fame’ were enthusiastically sung by Ty and the company. Dancing is an integral part of the show and the dancers showed their versatility in the various styles of dance and movement needed in the musical. Ty is to be congratulated on his excellent dance moves (both classical and modern), showing a genuine love for his art.
Additional credit must go to the Ensemble who swelled the ranks of the performers to create a lively and energetic vision of High School life in the 1980’s. Music is a very important part of the production and The Band, consisting of eight superb musicians, were the beating heart of the show to great acclaim from the audience.
I would thoroughly recommend this show and guarantee you will have an entertaining evening reminiscing about 1980’s style, fashion and dreams.
This is worth a 5 star rating.
Rating: 5/5